NEURODIVERSE NAVIGATION

GROWING AWARENESS OF CONDITIONS LIKE AUTISM AND ADHD IS CHANGING BUSINESS TRAVEL AS WE KNOW IT

- WORDS MATT POTTER ILLUSTRATIONS EOIN RYAN

The recent rise of neurodivergence has been dizzying. Today, one in seven people in the UK is in some way neurodivergent – a figure widely reflected worldwide. Last year in Britain, eight times more people were diagnosed with autism than in 2004, while ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder) diagnoses have also seen a 5,500% increase.

While the reasons for the heady rise in diagnoses are nuanced, much of the increase lies in the realisation that behaviours which in the past would not have been ascribed to autism – differences in social interactions, the processing of sensory or emotional stimuli – are in fact closely associated with the condition. It is, simply, a far more common state than we once believed. Alongside that has come the realisation by businesses that – for a large swathe of the population – they have been making their services harder to use than they need to. For the neurodivergent themselves, certain business practices have seemed specifically designed to exclude and alienate. And business travel is where that screams loudest.

A survey this year by AutismTravel showed an astonishing 94% of respondents would take more trips if only they could access places where staff are autism-trained and certified, with nearly half (45%) of neurodivergent travellers experiencing difficulties while travelling. In light of those figures, what was once viewed as a remote issue in Corporate Social Responsibility has increasingly begun to look like poor business by an industry leaving money on the table. But finally, things are changing.

THE SIZE OF THE PRIZE

Let's get this out of the way early. I am one of those neurodivergent business travellers. My ADHD is severe and combined (inattentive and hyperactive), my ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) much less so. In fact, I was in my late forties before I received my diagnosis for the latter. Most people would have no idea, since I also mask very successfully.