Neurodiversity Celebration Week

My philosophy is: It’s none of my business what people say of me and think of me. I am what I am, and I do what I do. I expect nothing and accept everything. And it makes life so much easier. 

 – Sir Anthony Hopkins, actor 

It’s Neurodiversity Celebration Week;(external link) a worldwide initiative to challenge how people think about neurodiversity and celebrate the unique strengths being neurodiverse brings. 

But what is neurodiversity? Neurodiversity is the umbrella term used to describe different thinking styles. It covers the range of differences in brain function and behavioural traits, that are part of normal variation in the human population.  

Conditions under this umbrella include autism(external link), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)(external link), dyslexia(external link), dyspraxia,(external link) dyscalculia(external link), Meares-Irlen Syndrome(external link), tourette syndrome(external link), obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)(external link), and synaesthesia(external link).

The Harvard Business Review, in its 2017 article Neurodiversity as a competitive advantage(external link), stated that neurodiverse teams can be up to 30 percent more productive than non-neurodiverse teams.  

Up to a fifth of employees are likely to be neurodivergent and the 2022 New Zealand Workplace Diversity Survey revealed that 63 percent of people who identified as neurodivergent said that their workplace was unaware of this. 

The infinity symbol is used to represent neurodiversity, signifying the idea of infinite possibilities and acceptance.  The rainbow colours are associated with diversity and inclusion. 

Throughout this week, we will be sharing information to help people learn more about neurodiversity. We’re better together – whanaungatanga – and learning a bit more about neurodiversity is one way we can help everyone feel safe and supported at Fire and Emergency. 

Tomorrow at 2:30pm we will launch our newest employee led network: The Neurodiversity Network | Kanorau Ā-roro. Wherever you are, we’d love to see you join us.(external link)