NEURODIVERSITY TOOLKIT Spectrum of Needs

Supporting neurodiversity in the workplace is about supporting every employee within the space, creating the ability to adjust for various needs. No two people are the same. Just because one person with a specific disorder requires a certain set up, does not mean that same solution applies to another individual with the same disorder. One person might need a quiet, warm room while another requires a loud, cool space. Furthermore, the impacts one space has on two different people can produce polar opposite reactions. One person’s sanctuary is another person’s worst-case scenario.

These environmental sensitivities impact all employees to varying degrees. Individuals span from being hyposensitive, where one has lessened sensitivity to stimulation and thus requires more of it, to hypersensitive, where one has magnified sensitivity to stimulation and looks to limit it. Thus, design must approach these factors with a lever, by permitting individuals to move up or down the scales as they see fit.