DESIGN & INTERIORS DESIGNING FOR DISABILITIES
Keith Tiltman, Director at Business Moves Group, shares advice on how workplaces can be designed to support neurodiverse people.
The UK Parliament reported in 2021 that approximately 14 million people in the UK have a disability, of which 70% of those are deemed invisible. That equates to about one in seven people in the UK.
Many types of invisible disability concern neurodiversity. Simply put, neurodiverse refers to how the brain functions and learns. Typical conditions include autism, ADHD, epilepsy and dyslexia, and environmental triggers can include a whole range of factors, such as light, noise, temperature, patterns, textures, and proximity to other people. Sufferers can be hyper or hypo sensitive to these triggers.
These are called invisible disabilities for a reason. Consider the workplace. Businesses have got much better at creating spaces that are inclusive for people with physical disabilities, such as ensuring there is step-free access. But very few consider neurodiversity in their office design. In 2018, just one in ten UK organisations said that neurodiversity was included in their people management practices.
Failure to provide a suitable working environment for people with invisible disabilities not only hampers diversity and inclusion efforts; it also means an organisation is missing out on talented employees.
Many autistic people have exceptional analytical minds, while dyslexic people are often very creative and approach problem-solving in different ways. Having an employee base with a diverse skillset is a business advantage, so
why wouldn’t leaders want to ensure that their workplace is suitable for all employees?
Is the traditional office safe for
invisible disabilities? The ONS reports that just 22% of people who suffer with autism and half of all people who suffer with a hidden disability are currently employed in the UK. If the physical workplace that you’re inviting these people into does not fit their needs or causes even more anxieties, then that partnership will never work.
Creating and designing a fully inclusive workplace takes time and planning. A great recent example of a successful project is when BBC Cardiff undertook an office redesign in 2019. This began with members of the team wearing VR headsets that stimulated the experiences of neurodiverse people in their current office set up. The participants were surprised by the number of different aspects that were highlighted to them that they had never noticed before:
• Traditional patterned carpets quickly started to swirl and move underneath their feet, causing confusion and anxiety.
• Some lights shined too bright, causing discomfort and pains.
• Flickering bulbs became a huge distraction and irritant.
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