A Neurodivergent Lens: Recommended Practices for Neuroinclusivity
Table of Contents
Project Summary
Neuroinclusivity is a key step on the path to a fully inclusive Canada. Neurodivergent thinkers face a wide range of barriers in education, employment, and day-to-day life. Policies, practices, and built environments can be made more neuroinclusive when they are designed with due consideration of these challenges.
Our research team will develop a targeted and widely adaptable set of recommended practices to apply a neurodivergent lens to the development of standards. By facilitating the incorporation of neurodivergent perspectives, this project will give standards developers and others a new way to identify, remove, and prevent barriers. Our work will be informed by the breadth of research literature, the advice and feedback of neurodivergent researchers and subject experts, and active engagement with the neurodivergent community.
This research project will develop a simple tool to apply a neurodivergent lens to standards development. Guided by the active and creative participation of the neurodivergent community, our work will contribute to the reduction and elimination of barriers for neurodiverse thinkers.
Funding
The Accessibility Institute received $550,000 over 2 years from Accessibility Standards Canada to fund this research.
Project Team
- Tara Connolly, Principal Investigator
- Boris Vukovic, Co-Principal Investigator
- Heather M. Brown, Co-Principal Investigator
- Sonia Rahimi, Research Lead
- Jasmin Macarios, Project Administrator
- Mike Walker, Project Coordinator
Project Partners
Our partners will serve as members of the project advisory board, provide feedback on project outputs, support the recruiting of neurodiverse consultants, assist in gathering data from neurodivergent organizations, and organize community focus groups.
- autism-alliance-of-canada-(formerly-casda)“>
The Autism Alliance of Canada (formerly Canadian Autism Spectrum Disorder Alliance, CASDA) is a national disability organization that coordinates conversations about autism, bringing community voices to the federal government to guide their development of a National Autism Strategy. A Neurodivergent Lens is closely tied to their primary mandate of addressing critical gaps in funding and policies which are preventing Autistic individuals and their families from exercising their equal rights as Canadians.
- the-conference-board-of-canada-(cboc)“>
The Conference Board of Canada (CBoC) is the foremost independent, applied research organization in Canada, delivering unique insights into Canada’s toughest problems. The CBoC leads and partners on a wide range of studies in accessibility and inclusion, in part to strengthen workplace engagement for neurodiverse workers to keep them in the labour market and further their careers.
Final Report
Access the ND Lens Project Executive Summary and Final Report in English or French.
English
ND Lens Executive Summary (English)
ND Lens Executive Summary (English)
ND Lens Final Research Report (English)
ND Lens Final Research Report (English)
Connolly, T., Vukovic, B., Brown, H.M., Rahimi, S., Macarios, J., Walker, M. (2024). A Neurodivergent Lens: Recommended Practices for Neuroinclusivity. Final Research Report. Accessibility Institute at Carleton University, Ottawa. https://doi.org/10.22215/rcgl/24078e
French
ND Lens Executive Summary (French)
ND Lens Executive Summary (French)
ND Lens Final Research Report (French)
ND Lens Final Research Report (French)
Connolly, T., Vukovic, B., Brown, H.M., Rahimi, S., Macarios, J., Walker, M. (2024). Une perspective neurodivergente : Pratiques recommandées pour l’inclusion de la neurodiversité. Institut de l’accessibilité de l’Université Carleton, Ottawa. https://doi.org/10.22215/rcgl/24078f
Project Outputs
Contact
For inquiries about this project, please contact Tara Connolly.