Let’s be honest: the whole concept of “accommodations” at work is long overdue for a rethink.
The word itself is heavy. Bureaucratic. Wrapped in red tape and stigma. It implies that the standard way of working is fine, and that anyone who needs something different is asking for a favor. A workaround. An exception.
But what if the standard is the problem?
What if the default way we’ve built work (back-to-back meetings, rigid 9-to-5s, sensory-overloading offices, vague expectations, communication that runs on vibes instead of clarity) isn’t working for anyone? And neurodivergent folks are just the ones who say it out loud first?
Here’s the truth a lot of organizations are still catching up to:
Neurodivergent employees aren’t fragile. We’re early indicators of dysfunction.
We’re the canaries in the coal mine. If something is confusing, overwhelming, or inefficient, we feel it in our bodies before anyone else does. We notice the friction. We feel the cognitive cost of ambiguity, the sensory cost of a badly designed room, the attentional cost of constant interruption.
So we point it out. And too often, we get labeled “difficult,” “rigid,” “too sensitive,” or “high maintenance” for doing so.
But look at what we’re actually asking for. Written instructions, because verbal directions don’t stick. Fewer meetings, because constant interruptions make deep thinking impossible. Remote work, because the open office makes sustained focus nearly impossible.
Those requests get treated as individual limitations. They’re actually information about the system.
Here’s a simple example. Many neurodivergent people get headaches from hours under fluorescent lights. Ask for a desk lamp instead, and you’re “too sensitive.” But swap the whole office to warm, dimmable lighting and natural light, and everyone tends to feel better. Fewer mystery headaches. Less stress. People just hadn’t noticed what the lighting was doing to their nervous systems.
That’s what canaries do. We feel it first. You benefit too.
The problem isn’t always a person’s ability to function in an environment. Sometimes it’s the environment’s failure to account for real humans.
Take a few things that usually get filed under “accommodations.”
Remote and flexible work. For someone dealing with sensory overload, executive dysfunction, or anxiety, working from home can be a game-changer. But parents, caregivers, introverts, and plenty of extroverts found the same thing: flexibility helped them focus, decompress, and do better work. So why is it still treated as an exception instead of asking whether rigid schedules actually improve performance?
Clear meeting agendas. For someone with ADHD or processing differences, walking into an unstructured meeting is disorienting and draining. But honestly, who likes walking into a meeting without knowing what it’s about? An agenda sent ahead lets everyone prepare, stay on track, and actually get things done.
Explicit expectations. A lot of workplaces run on unwritten rules and things you’re just supposed to “pick up.” For many of us, that creates constant friction. But clear expectations and specific feedback cut confusion, conflict, and rework for everyone.
These aren’t special privileges. They’re just better design.
Yet instead of building them into how we work by default, we hand them out as favors to people who can prove they “really need” them. A system where people have to ask permission not to burn out or shut down is broken.
It’s not that neurodivergent folks are asking for too much. It’s that we’ve normalized too little.
Most workplaces are quietly built for an “ideal employee” who can:
Stay equally productive no matter the environment
Switch between tasks and meetings without friction
Process information quickly and out loud
Decode unwritten social rules
Focus in noisy, distracting spaces
Keep the same energy from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
That person barely exists. Real humans differ in how we process sensory input, focus, regulate emotion, communicate, and spend energy. Those differences don’t disappear when we walk into an office.
When organizations design for that narrow version, the friction shows up somewhere: burnout, disengagement, conflict, turnover. Or an accommodation request.
What if we treated those requests as feedback on the design, not evidence that someone is broken?
Inclusion isn’t just helping people squeeze into existing structures. It’s questioning the structures themselves.
That doesn’t mean every workplace can meet every preference or remove every source of friction. It means recognizing that the way we organize work is a choice, not a law of nature. And choices can be redesigned.
When you build inclusion into the default, the results speak for themselves. People feel safer. Productivity improves. Retention goes up. The culture softens in all the right ways.
Neurodivergent folks aren’t outliers asking for special treatment. We’re asking for more thoughtful, human-centered systems that end up serving everyone better.
About 1 in 7 people are neurodivergent, which means they’re on your team whether you know it or not.
So what does building for all of us look like in practice? I put it all into a 15-page guide for leaders, HR, DEI committees, and employees, written from my work as a neuroinclusion speaker and licensed counselor.
Inside, you’ll find:
Why the accommodations model falls short, and the shift to neuroinclusive design that benefits everyoneThe six principles of neuroinclusive design, from psychological safety to continuous improvementHiring and onboarding:how to stop screening out great candidates for eye contact and “confidence,” plus what a well-organized first week looks likeCommunication strategiesthat cut confusion for everyone, including the habit most managers overlookMeeting and project management:a 3-question daily check-in format, how to define “done,” and how to handle last-minute changes without chaosA sense-by-sense environmental checklistcovering light, sound, scent, taste, touch, and movement, with changes you can make this weekA 4-step leadership and culture roadmap, from transparent reporting to fairer promotion criteria13 discussion questionsfor leadership teams and DEI committees to work through together
It’s a much cheaper investment than hiring a consultant or defending a lawsuit. 😉
Paid subscribers can download the full guide below. 👇
