Texthelp Releases New Data Highlighting Growing Company Support for Neurodiverse Employees

• Nearly 95 Percent of HR and D&I Professionals Have Established Neurodiversity and Disability Inclusion Best Practices Into Their Workplace to Support Employees

Today, Texthelp, a global leader in literacy and assistive technology, released new survey results on how US and UK businesses are supporting neurodivergent employees. The survey, which shows growing acceptance and support for neurodiverse employees, is based on responses from nearly 300 HR and D&I professionals throughout the US and UK.

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Results of the survey show that only 28% of HR professionals are ‘very confident’ in identifying different types of conditions that are considered as neurodivergent. Almost one in 10 (9%) are not at all confident. Despite this, both the US and the UK respondents (80.43% and 73.83% respectively) said that D&I has become increasingly important in the past two years.

In looking at D&I priorities, the survey shows that race is the top priority at 38%, followed by gender at 25%. Socio-economic background, disability, and sexual orientation were ranked the lowest at 16%, 15%, and 6% respectively.

Despite an overall lack of neurodiversity awareness, 33% of the respondents are very confident in knowing what accommodations can be provided in the workplace for employees who are neurodivergent. In fact, the majority of respondents (94%) have already established practices to support Texthelp neurodiversity and disability inclusion in the workplace.

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Implemented practices include:

• Giving more time on written or reading tasks for people with dyslexia in recruitment (53%)
• Installing reading and writing assistive software, such as speech-to-text dictation to support employees with dyslexia (54%)
• Providing barrier-free workplace adjustments for wheelchair users (58%)
• Providing special keyboards, such as for arthritis (55%)
• Installing screen-magnification or screen-reading software for people with low vision or blindness (53%)

“Neurodiversity should be an important element of any company’s D&I strategy,” said Martin McKay, CEO of Texthelp. “However, as this research has shown, there remains a lack of understanding of neurodiversity and the various forms it can take. As many as 1 in 7 individuals have some form of neurodivergence, and many of those conditions are not visible. Thankfully, awareness is increasing and more businesses are stepping up to provide the necessary support for employees with neurodifferences. Combining employee awareness with practical company processes will help ensure that all employees feel supported.”

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