Women in Tech Hampshire - The Rise of Neurodivergent Women in Tech

Our most recent Women in Tech Hampshire (WiTH) meet-up was our biggest yet! We had almost 100 people in the room, including more men than previous events, as well as women from a wide range of backgrounds. It was great to meet so many people attending WiTH for the first time. 

The topic – The Rise of Neurodivergent Women in Tech – was something we knew was important to cover, and based on the record attendance and the great feedback we’ve had since, it’s clear that the event struck a chord. 

We were lucky to be joined by four fantastic speakers to help spark the conversation. 

Carole McNally is CEO of TechWitch Ltd, which specialises in delivering accessible technical solutions for its clients. Having worked in IT for 15 years, Carole brought her wealth of experience, as well as her active support for businesses in understanding and employing neurodivergent candidates. She runs a charity supporting neurodivergent women, girls and non-binary people to enhance their tech skills and bridge the digital skills gap: https://atypify.com/

Charlotte Young is Head of IT Commercial Management at the University of Southampton. She has over 10 years’ experience working in IT, as well as 25 years in compliance and governance. In her current role, she works in both the UK and internationally on all aspects of technology commercial governance, compliance and service delivery. 

Sarah Neenan is a Chief Engineer at IBM, where she has been for 9 years; IBM strives to support neurodivergent policies. Sarah has Irlen Syndrome (also known as Meares-Irlen Syndrome or Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome), which is a perceptual processing disorder that affects the brain's ability to process visual information, leading to difficulties with reading and other visual tasks, often manifesting as light sensitivity and visual distortion. She has shared more about this on her LinkedIn page. 

Stephanie Meakins is Engineering Manager at Cirium, which she has joined recently after previously working at IBM for over 10 years. Steph has ADHD, autism and dyslexia, which has given her the drive and perspective to play a key role in supporting neurodiversity policies in both organisations. Recently, she’s been involved in designing sensory rooms within Cirium to support neurodiverse team members within the organisation.

Addressing misconceptions and stereotypes 

Our session was particularly topical, as it was recently Neurodiversity Week, which is a worldwide initiative to challenge stereotypes about neurological differences. This was one of the topics we addressed on the night, asking our expert speakers what common misconceptions exist around neurodivergency in the workplace.

Some of the highlighted misconceptions included a belief that neurodivergent people struggle to relate to others or to be social, are unreliable or undriven, and have medical deficits that are difficult to accommodate for. However, as Carole rightly pointed out, reasonable adjustments are not as big an obstacle as some businesses might believe they are – quite often, only minor changes are needed for neurodivergent people to thrive. 

One point that came from a couple of the speakers was the need for clear and concise information on tasks. Steph said: “Most of the time [neurodivegent people] are very pattern-focused and need to know all the information. What’s required is clear and concise messaging on: What do you want? When do you want it? How do you want it done?” Charlotte agreed that breaking things down and making sure people are heard and understood is key, as well as identifying when they might be struggling. She also talked about how she’s found that neurodivergent people are very adaptable and trainable when clearly shown how things are done. 

Neurodivergent people are often told what they can’t do or that they won’t be able to progress in their career. Sarah shared her own story around being told not to wear the glasses she requires if she wants to get a promotion – showing a clear lack of training and understanding around her condition. This negative messaging can impact on a neurodivergent person’s self-belief, which starts from a young age. Steph shared a study that found children with ADHD received 20,000 more negative messages by age 12 compared to their neurotypical peers, which doesn’t foster growth. 

The comments from the speakers resonated in the room, with one attendee asking how to deal with rejection sensitive dysphoria (RSD), which is when a person experiences severe emotional sensitivity to feelings of failure, criticism or rejection. Steph suggested utilising a support network to connect with others and share thoughts, while Carole shared that she decided to find her niche and build her career so she could take charge and do things her way.  

The unique strengths of neurodivergency

Neurodivergent perspectives can be leveraged to great impact in tech companies, because they often bring a new set of experiences and a different approach, which helps drive innovation. Neurodivergent people can often perceive out-of-the-box solutions and deliver new ideas and thoughts that might not have been otherwise considered.

In particular, the speakers discussed the importance of pattern-recognition skills when it comes to problem solving. Carole believes that her pattern identification skills have aided her success; at first, she didn’t speak up with solutions as she thought they were too obvious, but soon realised this was a skill she needed to use. Charlotte also resonated strongly with the Carole’s pattern-recognition skills and agrees that neurodivergent people can bring new perspectives to businesses in a positive way. 

Sarah shared how understanding your own condition and the way you work best can also be a skill. Her condition means that she focuses on tasks intensely for 10 minutes at a time, but by doing this she can cover a much larger workload as a result. 

Inclusive recruitment 

The benefits of recruiting neurodivergent people into the workplace are clear, but the recruitment process isn’t always inclusive, which can exclude neurodivergent people from applying for positions they are highly capable of fulfilling. We wanted to know how workplaces can adapt their onboarding process to be more inclusive of neurodivergent talent. 

Carole suggested that recruiters should: “Refrain from using language like ‘strong communication skills’ and other subjective terms, and focus on clear, concise language that will leave less doubt for neurodivergent people when applying.” Charlotte agreed that clear lines of communication are needed to support neurodivergency throughout the interview process, and to give people the opportunity to communicate any reasonable adjustments they require.  

Inclusive recruitment policies can positively impact on all candidates, neurodivergent or not. Charlotte suggested asking for anonymous CVs to prevent any discrimination, and Steph says to offer all people reasonable adjustments. Another option is to provide questions in advance and offer breaks as needed, as well as stepping away from a call during coding exercises to relieve pressure. 

Sarah rightly pointed out that interviewers need to be trained on neurodivergency and how to manage people’s adjustments. At the moment, in just 15% of organisations do hiring managers receive interviewer training relating to neuroinclusion, according to CIPD’s Neuroinclusion at work report 2024. Steph recommended that hiring managers ask for interview feedback from neurodivergent candidates to see how they can improve their process. 

This training is needed throughout the onboarding process and going forwards with an employee too. Carole recommended the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism, which is delivered by many certified trainers. Charlotte said that this means fostering an open and dynamic environment, while Steph said that it’s important to get to know your team and what works for them, while also trusting them to get the work done. This is important, so you can play to each other’s strengths; Steph used the term ‘Spikey skillsets’, which refers to how neurodivergent people can be really strong in some areas and struggle in others. 

There will always be challenges for both neurodivergent people and managers to work together effectively. One of our audience members asked about how you can balance the need for details with the speed of delivery. Charlotte said: “Make an effort to understand different perspectives. Not everyone needs the same support, so look to build long-term trust and put processes in place to support individuals, which improves the collective.” Sarah agreed, recommending that people have direct conversations as to how they can be supported and what they need to be effective. 

The room was buzzing with insights and great ideas from this conversation. We heard from an attendee who has set up a manual at her company to improve training and create an environment to get the best version of people, using a framework called Manual of Me. This idea was well-received by the panel and audience alike, as a simple but effective solution for all companies. 

Carole wrapped up the discussion with a powerful quote: “If you can’t get a seat at the table, make your own table,” which we think was a great way to bring to a close our most dynamic and inspiring meet-up yet. 

Extra resources 

 Our panellists suggested a few additional useful resources for further learning, which we’ve linked to here:

 Unmasked by Ellie Middleton: The Ultimate Guide to ADHD, Autism and Neurodivergence – This is a great intro book on autism, ADHD and AuDHD. Extra info on how it affects women/AFAB individuals.

Divergent Mind: Thriving in a World That Wasn't Designed for You – This is fab book with lots of consumable scientific content. Extra info on neurodivergent women, ADHD, autism, synaesthesia, high sensitivity and sensory processing disorder. 

The Neurodivergent Woman Podcast

We’d love to see you at a future event; check out our Women in Tech Hampshire LinkedIn page to find out more and book your space.