Autism at work - Disability, superpower or simply a part of human diversity?

Recently, Rea has written about her experience with ADHD. Today, we’re continuing the conversation on neurodivergence in the workplace by talking to Safir Boukhalfa about their perspective as a neurodivergent founder.

Luka: Hi Safir, how about you introduce yourself - what do you do?

Safir: I am a DEI consultant, founder and executive director of my own firm, SBC. We help organizations, mainly human rights organizations, to develop their equitable and inclusive practices with a lens that is a bit more decolonial. The idea is to really make sure that the employees are at the heart of all the policies. I often describe it as working with workers rights within human rights.

Luka: You’re also an expert on neurodiversity - and based on what I see at IN-VISIBLE at the moment, that seems to be a hot topic in the workplace. Would you agree?

Safir: Absolutely. I do work with neurodiversity and neurodivergence a lot and I have definitely seen a trend on this. A lot of organizations have come to understand that when people are neurodivergent, it can bring a lot of creativity and different skills. So they have started looking at how to make sure those people stay. 

Safir Boukhalfa is a founder and neurodivergent. (Image: Sebastian Jauregi)

Because generally speaking, people who are neurodivergent tend to leave organizations very quickly, because they are ostracized, alienated, they get burnt out. Now organizations are realizing that they’re losing quite an important part of their workforce.

Luka: Speaking of companies valuing neurodiversity, I’ve seen this a lot in the media lately, this idea of neurodivergence as a superpower. I asked Rea a similar question recently, but what do you think about this concept?

Neurodivergence is more than Autism and ADHD

Safir: I love this question, because first of all, what is neurodivergence?

I find it very helpful as a framework, but at the same time, neurodivergence is not just autism and ADHD. I personally am autistic with ADHD and a sensory processing disorder which fits the current narrative around neurodivergence. But it's quite important to understand that it can also be people who have tourette syndrome, dyscalculia, dyslexia and so on. It can be a lot of different things and when you look at it that way, the notion of superpower doesn't make so much sense. It also raises the question of people with higher support needs. 

I prefer to think of neurodivergence not as a superpower, because that erases quite a lot of the struggles, but rather something like human variation. 

For those who don't know, autism is clustered in three levels: level one is low support needs, three is high. I tend to go from one to two depending on which phase of my life I am in. And when I'm closer to level two, I do not feel at all like my autism is a superpower, because it feels very difficult to simply function. I prefer to think of neurodivergence not as a superpower, because that erases quite a lot of the struggles, but rather something like human variation. 

Luka: Yeah, I completely agree. 

Safir: I find it interesting, because personally I love my autism. I love the way my brain works. I love having ADHD. That's quite controversial. But I just really love to be hyperfocused when it happens. I love how my brain is just so curious. But I can also not negate that it comes with a lot of challenges. I’m very tired every single day, I have sleeping disorders. I hear every sound around me at all times. I feel every vibration, every presence. So it would be hypocritical for me to say: yeah I love this 100% of the time. Because I would love to rest also. I would love to not stress over social interactions most days of my life. Did I say something too harsh? Did I say something too direct? Did I react well to what people are explaining? Did I give them the compassion that was needed? There's just so many questions. So when we bring it back to the workplace: we think autism equals “I’m really attentive to details” and that's wonderful. Or: ADHD equals hyperfocus, which makes people very creative - and that's sometimes true, but that's only a tiny part of it. So I think we need to acknowledge that for some people neurodivergence is also disabling. I want people to also be aware of that.

Workplace challenges - from priorities to bright lights

Luka: Very important point, and it ties into my next question: You work as a coach for autistic employees. What are some challenges they frequently face in the workplace? 

Safir: First, shout out to Autism Personal Coach, which is an organization in the US that coaches autistic individuals across the world. I worked with them for quite a while and I’ve been very blessed and honored to hopefully provide some coaching and guidance to autistic people. One of the top challenges that I have seen with all of my clients is unclear communication. We process language a bit differently, even more so under stress, so I have noticed that people tend to be really confused and have a bit of information overload.Another issue is this culture of velocity, when some people might need extra time to really do their work well. And that's not something that is often allowed in the workplace, because “time is money”, right? There's also a lot of very heavy reading and writing. We read emails, we send emails, we read huge chunks of reports at all times. That can be harder for someone who is autistic or who has ADHD or dyslexia. 

Too much light, too many smells, too much physical contact is painful.

Prioritization is also a big one. It’s really hard even for a neurotypical employee, because we have multiple tasks coming at all times and then we’re supposed to know which one is the most urgent. For a neurodivergent brain which might be led by interest, the person naturally is going to want to do something that they are interested in. And the thing that they're less interested in is not what is being prioritized. 

And the last one is the sensory demands. People who have a sensory avoidant profile - like me - might not like noise, find it quite painful even. Too much light, too many smells, too much physical contact is painful. But there are also autistic people who have what is called a sensory seeking profile, where they might want the loudness, the brightness, the people. I notice with my clients that those sensory accommodations are often the first thing that they need.

Autism at work: What employers can do to support

Luka: Speaking of accommodations, what can employers do to be more inclusive of neurodivergent, or specifically autistic, employees?

Safir: I love that we’re focusing on employers first, because really the first step would be inclusion by design and by default, and it's really important to try to see this from the employer perspective: What is it you can do to accommodate most people?

Neurodiversity includes differences in thinking and perception.

In terms of communication, for instance, making sure that we have written expectations, clear and transparent. Stable priorities, predictable processes - we don't need to reinvent the wheel every single week. Also, having multiple ways to access information - PDF, email, town hall, etc.. Some people are readers, some people are listeners, some people are viewers; it's quite important to take that into consideration. And then in terms of space, we often have to deal with fluorescent lighting, with colleagues all around at all times, it's just very stressful for an autistic person. So offering quieter spaces, maybe hybrid work when possible, can be good. And a lot of companies do it already, but it’s really good to offer noise cancelling headphones, and also allow people to wear sunglasses at work if necessary. I know it sounds funny at first, but it can be life changing. 

Remember that it's not something that is fixed, but that’s going to be evolving, when people ask for support. And as employers we have to also keep on including people with intellectual or learning disabilities, acquired brain differences like those with traumatic brain injuries -  and not thinking of “high value” versus “low value” in the workplace. We also need to include people who need support.

I think it’s good to let go of the notion that people even know they are autistic.

Luka: Absolutely! On the other side, what would you suggest if an autistic person wanted to advocate for themself at work?

Safir: I think it’s good to let go of the notion that people even know they are autistic. We live in a world where underdiagnosis is very frequent, especially for marginalized people. So first and foremost, try to see if there are things that would make your life easier at work. If you notice that at the end of the day you come back and you lay down on your couch for hours before being able to function, most likely you have been overexerted. Try to see how to prevent it during the day. Maybe you need a quiet space. Maybe you can ask for that. Ask for predictable scheduling or for changes in workflows. And then as an individual, I want to say: please be mindful of what you choose to disclose to whom and when. You can request adjustments without disclosing anything. 

Autism doesn’t equal autism: An intersectional perspective 

Luka: You mentioned marginalized people, and you specifically work at this intersection of disability, migration and queerness. Are there any specific challenges that you see for people who tick multiple of these boxes? And how can we manage to keep all of them in mind?

As an Algerian person, read as a man, if I look “too autistic”, the consequences could be dramatic.

Safir: That’s the hardest question and I’m grateful for it. You’re never just autistic, you’re also other things - Brown, Black, pansexual, nonbinary, disabled, low income, all of the above or else. So when we think about all of the stereotypes that we have against us, all of the systems that make people feel smaller, they actually accumulate. I'm going to speak about my experience here. I am Amazigh, an indigenous person from Algeria, and I was raised partially in France. And there the stereotype of Algerian people is that we are stubborn, loud, aggressive, violent. I have noticed that when I am in France, I smile so much more than I smile anywhere else. 

Well, it's a masking strategy because if I don't smile, if I don't mask, the possibility is unfortunately that I could be killed by the police because in France, police violence is very often targeted to Algerian and other African people. So as an Algerian person, read as a man, if I look “too autistic”, maybe without any expressions on my face, headphones on, avoiding eyes, the consequences could be dramatic.

So I always try to remind people that it's really hard to speak about neurodiversity alone - it comes with class, with race, with gender, sexual and romantic orientation, and so forth.

The right people make life better

Luka: Thank you for this great example. Looking at the time, let’s wrap it up. Are there any final thoughts you’d like to share on the topic?

Safir: Yeah, I do. I would say: find your people, both at work and outside of work. There are people who care. There are people who are going to try to understand you. There are people who are going to want to support you, who are going to be able to support you. I know it feels very counterintuitive, because when you’re neurodivergent, the likelihood of being alienated for most of your life is very high, but that alienation can be left behind. You really should, in my humble opinion, find your people. Find the people that don't find you weird. Find the people that actually find you funny. Find the people that understand what you expect and what you need. Find the people who understand that you're disabled, if you are. Find the people who are going to be your biggest supports, and be theirs also. 

Luka: That is such a great closing statement, thank you. And thank you for sharing your experience and expertise about autism at work with us!

Safir: Thank you so much for the invite, I’m grateful.

inladung!