Organisational neurotypicalness: fighting unintentional ableism in working spaces

Sullivan, Jo

Abstract

Places of work and educational settings are dominated by neurotypical leadership and policy, yet within those settings we are working with, and teaching, significant numbers of autistic individuals. Powerful organisational misunderstandings exist regarding what an autistic person looks like and what support they are likely to need, compounding a lack of a safe psychological space where individuals are likely to share their autistic identity. Autistic people find themselves working in conservative spaces where difference can be viewed with suspicion, which increases the need for masking with calamitous results on wellbeing and mental health. This current issue commentary examines the wider impact of the continual suppression of ‘self’ on autistic individuals and how organisational behaviours can be unintentionally ableist in their support of those individuals. It also explores the constructive impact of allyship, and how positive transformation comes from micro interactions within compassionate and caring teams, building an environment that nurtures wellbeing and allows difference to shine.

Citation

Sullivan, J. (2024). Organisational neurotypicalness: fighting unintentional ableism in working spaces. Disability and Society, 1-4. https://doi.org/10.1080/09687599.2024.2373769

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jun 25, 2024
• Online Publication Date: Jul 2, 2024
• Publication Date: Jul 2, 2024
• Deposit Date: Sep 6, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Sep 6, 2024
• Print ISSN: 0968-7599
• Publisher: Routledge
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Pages: 1-4
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09687599.2024.2373769