Neurodiversity at Work feat. Benji Chapman

Please introduce yourself and your role.

My name is Benji Chapman and I am a third year English and Philosophy student at the University of Bristol. I also work as a freelancer writer and am currently pursuing a career in marketing.

What 3 things do you wish you knew sooner about your Neurodiversity?

That being neurodiverse: 1) doesn’t make me a worse worker, 2) doesn’t alienate me from other people and 3) isn’t something my employer is going to have an issue with.

What accommodations have you/your employer made to help you do your role?

None, simply because I’ve never told them! I certainly wish I had though: working in catering and being Dyspraxic don’t always go well together!

How would you recommend people expand their knowledge around topic “Neurodiversity At Work”?

I would encourage people listen to the voices of people who are qualified to speak on the topic, by which I mean people who have lived as a neurodiverse person in the workplace. I think the nature of masking means a lot of neurodivergent employees are used to not speaking their mind, and these people should be encouraged to speak up rather than suffer in silence.