How this social enterprise is tackling stigma and helping neurodiverse people into work

Everyone deserves to feel welcome at work. Yet two-thirds of neurodiverse employees fear discrimination from management.

The figures – published by specialist employment and training provider Genius Within, a neurodivergent-led social enterprise – are a damning indictment of the barriers many people face in the workplace. But it doesn’t have to be this way, urges Jacqui Wallis, CEO of social enterprise Genius Within. It’s time to “flip the script” and embrace “systemic inclusion”.

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“Work is a great provider of purpose for people, both in terms of their personal purpose and by helping them become part of society, allowing them to become independent,” she said.

“What if we said the person wasn’t broken, but we tried to change the environment around them, to allow them to be able to work at their best, what would happen then?

Around 15% of the UK population are neurodiverse, and 40% of neurodiverse employees report being impacted by their condition in the workplace on ‘most days’.

Founded in 2011, Genius Within wants to tackle the stigma these employees can face by providing “workplace strategy coaching” to employers. The organisation has also supported more than 24,000 people in the last 12 months.

Fiona Barrett, director of operations, said the impact of job coaching can be huge. She recalled the story of a client called Karmilla. The 39-year-old had never been in paid employment before and didn’t know where to start.

“She had been a carer for her parents and they’d passed away. There was a lot of trauma in that relationship,” Barrett said. “It took us two years, but we got her a job, and she’s working.” Karmilla told her job coach: “I never knew my strengths and my qualities, thank you for helping me see them.”

Mentoring can change how people perceive themselves and what they’re capable of, explains Wallis.

“We’re not Pollyanna-ish about the system, we’re not saying that people don’t have challenges,“ she said. “But what we’re saying is that there are plenty of things that people do well, when they’re given the opportunity.”

Big Issue Invest, the investment arm of the Big Issue, has given £500,000 to Genius Within through its Growth Impact Fund. The investment will help develop the organisation’s Genius Finder tool – a strengths-based assessment platform which asks people 66 questions about things they find hard and easy at work.

“It will give you the profile that’s relevant to you and your experience with your work. It works for everybody,” explained Wallis.

“It tells you the things you’re good at, gives you the information about the things that you’re competent at. And then it gives you your areas of challenge or development.”

The tool generates a report offering users strategies for these final areas. For example, someone who struggles with spatial awareness might be offered tips to engage their other senses.

But more broadly, it’s about boosting people’s confidence – showing them that there are plenty of areas in which they can excel, if they’re given the chance.

“It’s life changing stuff. This is not just about getting a job. This is about changing someone’s outlook,” Wallis said.

For people in the criminal justice system, outlook can be particularly important. According to the prison inspectorate, around 50% of prisoners are likely to be neurodivergent – but the lack of data means the figure could be much higher.

As a former probation manager, it’s an issue close to Barrett’s heart.

“People don’t always understand what neurodiverse people can sometimes present with. So forgetfulness, lack of organisation, inability to keep eye contact, sensory overwhelm – people can struggle with all of those,” she explains.

“That absolutely is the worst thing that can happen to you in the criminal justice system. Imagine, you know, you’re on bail, you forget your appointment, you turn up late, you look a bit dishevelled, you’re not able to look the magistrate or the police officer in the eye… this is misinterpreted as either laziness or forgetfulness, or just downright rude.”

Broader systemic change is needed to change such misperceptions – but the Genius Finder tool can help people understand themselves, Barrett said.

“The whole criminal justice system is all about risk assessments, and all that person is told is what they can’t do or what they’re rubbish at and what a risk they are,” she said.

“[Genius Finder] just flips that narrative. We do this wonderful exercise about how people’s brains work differently. And they can actually come away just going, ‘OK, I get it, I get it. I get it why I’m different.’”

Some 97% of Genius Within’s criminal justice clients who find employment do not reoffend. 87% retain their employment for at least two years.