The Importance of Our Neurodivergent Excellence Efforts

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A message from the D&I Executive Council:

Every day, the County works to open doors to people who are neurodivergent. As we close Autism Acceptance Month, we want to share some of the facts about the County’s Neurodivergent Excellence Initiative.

The Neurodivergent Excellence Initiative was established by a Board of Supervisors directive. Launched February 2023, this ongoing effort seeks to increase the County’s outreach to and recruitment of neurodivergent individuals through a more inclusive recruitment process and equitable work environment. It is an enterprise-wide efforts where every department is challenged to expand opportunities for people with neurodivergence based on their unique operations and services..

Neurodivergence is a part of the human experience. Being aware of and acknowledging the challenges faced by neurodivergent individuals and their families can help us be better colleagues, civil servants and community members.

Of all the neurodivergent conditions, people with autism experience the highest rates of unemployment and under-employment.

Autism is a neurodivergent condition characterized by difficulties with social interaction and communication and by restricted or repetitive patterns of thought and behavior (Neurodivergent Excellence Terminology).

For example, some Autistic people may not have difficulties with communicating, but the way they process sensory information may be different and affect how they interact with others and the world around them (for more information, check out Sensory Differences).

Autism can also have cognitive advantages including superior creativity, focus, and memory with strong propensities towards honesty and dedication. The wide range of behaviors, challenges and strengths is why autism can be described as a “spectrum” because it shows up in lots of different ways for different people.

A couple of things to remember are:

  1. If you’ve met one Autistic person, you’ve met one Autistic person. Each person’s experience is different.

  2. Expanding your knowledge and embracing opportunities to decrease bias help increase spaces where all of us can thrive.

With every person’s experience being unique, there is no better way to learn about the variety of lived experiences for those on the spectrum than through their personal stories. A handful of those stories are below.

Dive deeper with this quarter’s EDI Digest on Neuro-inclusion. And stay tuned for next steps in our journey to expand neurodivergent inclusion. An update on our progress will be released in June.

Help us shape future opportunities with the Neurodivergent Excellence Initiative. Fill out the Participation Interest Form.