Dude, Where's My Diagnosis?: Universal Environments > Accommodations

Team of happy, smiling construction workers

Neurodivergence is not uncommon. 1:5 people in the general population identify as neurodivergent (ND). That number jumps to 1:4 in the construction industry. Most people who work in this space agree that those numbers are heavily underrepresented. A significant chunk of our population is walking around, neurodivergent as hell, and just doesn't know about it. That was me for 30 years. When I was diagnosed with ADHD, I remember that I burst out laughing. I was SHOCKED. As soon as my psychiatrist said it, there was no question, and it was like a scene out of Inception where all of the pieces of my brain came together, but I was completely and pleasantly blindsided. My story is not unique. Maybe the laughing, but not the living an entire life not knowing that you think differently, feel things differently, and experience life differently. That's why we need to build better architecture for human success. And to do that, we need to think of all kinds of cognitive types: neurotypical, neurodivergent, or unknowingly neurodivergent. Sounds cool, Alex! Now how do we do it? Here's the answer: We stop waiting to be told when specific individuals need accommodations and start proactively offering options for everyone. We recognize that you don't need to be neurodivergent to prefer a different, more comfortable style of eye protection or to appreciate clear expectations. We shift our perspective from "accommodations" to "opportunities to support success" and celebrate when we have the chance to help someone thrive at work. We stop requiring a diagnosis for someone to get what they need to be successful. So, now you might be saying, "awww, Alex, that's lovely and a nice thing to do. We can hold hands and sing around a campfire..." Which...yeah. That is a bonus. Your team will be more cohesive. But to put this in your nice-to-have instead bucket instead of your absolutely-critical-to-operations-and-revenue bucket is a damn mistake. When labour is the #1 expense for construction companies, and it's a shrinking pool of workers due to Canada's skilled trades gap (the mass retirement of baby boomers/experienced tradespeople), retaining your good workers is crucial. And on the larger scale, for Canada to be able to maintain her critical infrastructure, we need more skilled tradespeople. Full stop. So let's come together as an industry to build a better one so that we can recruit and retain the next generation of skilled tradespeople. Let's build a Canadian construction industry that lets all minds thrive and recognizes the unique and critical skills that already exist among your workforce -- neurotypical or neurodivergent; with or without a diagnosis.

Alex Knight President & Neurodiversity Strategist Iron & Ember written without AI