ACCA-会计中的神经多样性（英）-2024-42正式版

NEURODIVERSITY

INACCOUNTANCY

AboutACCA

WeareACCA(theAssociationofCharteredCertifiedAccountants),

agloballyrecognisedprofessionalaccountancybodyproviding

qualificationsandadvancingstandardsinaccountancyworldwide.

Foundedin1904towidenaccesstotheaccountancyprofession,

we’velongchampionedinclusionandtodayproudlysupporta

diversecommunityofover252,500membersand526,000future

membersin180countries.

Ourforward-lookingqualifications,continuouslearningandinsights

arerespectedandvaluedbyemployersineverysector.Theyequip

individualswiththebusinessandfinanceexpertiseandethical

judgementtocreate,protectandreportthesustainablevalue

deliveredbyorganisationsandeconomies.

Guidedbyourpurposeandvalues,ourvisionistodevelop

theaccountancyprofessiontheworldneeds.Partneringwith

policymakers,standardsetters,thedonorcommunity,educators

andotheraccountancybodies,we’restrengtheningandbuildinga

professionthatdrivesasustainablefutureforall.

Findoutmoreat

Copyright©July2023bytheAssociationofCharteredCertifiedAccountants(ACCA).

Allrightsreserved.UsedwithpermissionofACCA.Contactinsights@for

permissiontoreproduce,storeortransmit,ortomakeothersimilarusesofthisdocument.

2

Acknowledgements

ACCAwouldliketoextenditssinceregratitudetothefollowingindividuals

whosokindlyofferedtosharetheirownpersonalstoriesofneurodiversity

intheworkplace.Withouttheirhonestyandcourage,theproductionofthis

reportwouldnothavebeenpossible.

KateRodde,BusinessLeaderandEntrepreneur

RobBrougham,CEO,BraidedCommunications

LydiaStott,DiversityandInclusionAdvisor,CooperParry

NicChambers,ManagingDirector,MichaelPageMalaysia

HirenShukla,EYGlobalandAmericasNeuro-DiverseCenterofExcellenceLeader

AndrewChong,Co-founderandInvestoruPledge

RobBrougham,CEO,BraidedCommunications

LydiaStott,DiversityandInclusionAdvisor,CooperParry

NicChambers,ManagingDirector,MichaelPageMalaysia

HirenShukla,EYGlobalandAmericasNeuro-DiverseCenterofExcellenceLeader

AndrewChong,Co-founderandInvestoruPledge

LydiaStott,DiversityandInclusionAdvisor,CooperParry

NicChambers,ManagingDirector,MichaelPageMalaysia

HirenShukla,EYGlobalandAmericasNeuro-DiverseCenterofExcellenceLeader

AndrewChong,Co-founderandInvestoruPledge

NikkiReed,FinancialController,TheRitzLondon

Authors:

JamieLyonFCCA,

GlobalHeadofSkills,SectorsandTechnology,

PolicyandInsights,ACCA

JamieisbasedinLondonandleadsateamofpolicyandinsightexpertswhoarededicatedto

exploringthemostsignificantchallengesimpactingthebusinessworldandglobaleconomy.

Asidefromhisleadershipresponsibilities,Jamieparticularlyspecialisesinthefutureofwork,

humancapital,andtalentmanagementissuesimpactingtheworkplacetoday.Healsoservesas

atechnicalandpolicyadviserattheInternationalFederationofAccountantsinNewYork,USA.

HeinitiallyqualifiedasanaccountantwithRoyal&SunAllianceInsuranceGroupPlcbefore

pursuingafinancecareeratMarksandSpencerPlcinLondon.

SusanBall,EmploymentTaxPartner,RSMUKTax

PaoloDavighiFCCA,FinanceChange,HMRevenueandCustoms

HajraBabariya,DirectorofEducationServices,BPP

KateCoulson,AssociateDeanforAssessment,BPP

TaniaMartin,

Neuro-inclusionConsultant,TrainerandSpeaker,

PegSquared

Taniaisanexperiencedneuro-inclusionconsultant,trainerandspeakerwithovertwodecades

ofcorporateexperience.AsakeymemberoftheteambehindtheawardwinningEYUKNeuro-

DiverseCentreofExcellence,sheledthedevelopmentofasupportiveecosystemandimplemented

neuro-inclusivepeopleprocesses.Withabackgroundinleadingcomplextransformation

programmesacrossbothpeopleandtechnologyinlargeglobalorganisations,Taniacombines

neurodiversityexpertisewithreal-worldcorporateexperiencetoapproachthechallengeofneuro-

inclusionintheworkplacedifferently.HerjourneyincludesnavigatingherowncareerwithADHD,

diagnosedin2022,providingadistinctivefirsthandperspectiveonneurodiversityatwork.

3

Introduction

Sinceitsfoundationin1904,ACCAhasheld

inclusionandaccesstoallasacorevalue.

Thisisn’tjustamoralimperative–thereis

continuedevidencethatdiverseandinclusive

workforcesbenefitbothbusinessandsociety.

Inthisreport,weexploretheissueofneurodiversity–a

markerofdiversitythatisfinallybecomingmorerecognised

ineducationsystemsacrosstheworld,andbyorganisations.

Fortheaccountancyandfinanceprofession,ensuring

neurodivergenttalentcanaccesstheprofessionandenjoy

rewardingcareersiskeytoitsfuturesuccess.

Here,wepresentseveralstoriesfromACCAmembersand

otherprofessionalaccountants.Theyillustratehowbeing

diagnosedasneurodivergentpresentsbothwork-based

challengesaswellasendowingindividualswithunique

capabilitiesthatthey’veusedforcareeradvantage.

Wealsoreflectonsomeofthepracticalstrategiesthat

organisationscanadopttobettersupportneurodivergent

employees.Thisnarrativeisattheheartofagoodnews

story,servingtoremindusofthestrengththatcomesfrom

fullyembracingneurodivergenttalentwithintheprofession.

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NEURODIVERSITYINACCOUNTANCY|WHATISNEURODIVERSITY?

Whatisneurodiversity?

Neurodiversityisdefinedasanaturalvariationinhowthebrainprocessesinformation.Everyone

ofusthinksandbehavesdifferently;ourbrainsareasuniqueasourfingerprints,andourneural

pathwaysareconstantlyevolving.Foraproportionofthepopulation,nonetheless,thereisagreater

thanusualcognitivevariationinhowtheirbrainsprocessinformation.

Fromanevolutionaryperspective,thismakessense–

historically,earlyhumansneededthosewhocouldexploit

knowledgethatalreadyexists,andotherswhocouldexplore

newopportunities(Tayloretal,2022).Exampleswouldbe

thosewhowereexpertsincraftingtoolsversusthosewho

werecomfortablewithambiguity,takingrisksandmaking

decisions.Havingpeopleattheextremesofthinkingstyles

hasbenefittedourevolutionasaspecies–youcouldgoas

farassayingitwasfundamentaltooursurvival.

Overtime,however,asocietalexpectationthatpeople

shouldconformtocommonbehaviourswithintheworkplace

developed.Andthosewhodidnotconformtoexpected

behaviourshavehadtoeithertryandfitin(bymasking),or

oftenfaceadverseemploymentconsequences.IntheUK,

forexample,fewerthan30%ofindividualswithautismarein

anyformofpaidemployment(OfficeforNationalStatistics,

2022)–whilemanyotherneurodivergentindividualsin

employmentareafraidofsharingtheirdiagnosisforfearof

beingjudgedortreateddifferently.

Ourresearchisbasedonstoriesfromjustafewaccountancy

professionalswhoareneurodivergent,yetthrivinginthe

workingworld.Ithelpstodefinethereasonswhycognitive

variationmatters–andwhyembracingneurodiversityisnot

onlyamoralimperative,butmakesgoodbusinesssense.

Neurodivergentconditions

Thereareseveralneurodevelopmentalconditionsunderthe

neurodiversityumbrella.Themainneurotypesaredetailed

intablebelow(thereareotherstoo).It’simportanttonote

thatmostoftheneurotypeslistedarelifelongconditionswith

whichindividualsareborn–andthattheyhavenobearing

onaperson’sintelligence.

Thosewhoareneuro-differentareoftendescribedashaving

‘spikeyprofiles’.Thatis,theymayhavepeaksinstrengths

ordipsinotherareaswhencomparedtoaneurotypical

individualwhohasaflatter,moreconsistentprofile.Some

examplesofthosestrengthsandchallengesareincludedin

thetable,althoughthislistisnotexhaustive.

Neurodiversityhasformanyyearsbeenviewedthrough

amedicallensthatfocusesondeficitsanddisorders.The

narrativeischanging,however,andsocietiesarestartingto

recognisetheuniqueperspectivesandstrengthsofthose

whoareoutliersincognitivethinking–andwhattheybring

totheworkplace.

Eachneurodivergentindividualexperiencestheirstrengths

andchallengesasauniqueblend.There’sahighchancethat

individualshavemultipleneurotypes,whetherdiagnosedor

not–thereforestereotypesofassumedbehavioursrelated

toneurotypesareunhelpful.Additionally,challengespresent

onaspectrum–wheresomehavemoreseverechallenges

thanothers.

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NEURODIVERSITYINACCOUNTANCY|WHATISNEURODIVERSITY?

Themostcommonneurotypes:

Attentiondeficienthyperactivitydisorder(ADHD)

High-leveldefinition:Neurodevelopmentalconditioncharacterisedbyinattention,hyperactivityandimpulsivity

Mayhavestrengthssuchas:Connectinginformation;analyticalskills;hyperfocus

Mayexperiencechallengeswith:Timemanagement;attentiontodetail;organisation;planning

Autism

Whydomanypeopleremainundiagnosed?

Manyneurodivergentindividualsgoundiagnosed,

oftenonlyrecognisingcognitivevariationslaterinlife.

Othersmaynotseekadiagnosisdespitestruggling,

whichmaybeowingto:

High-leveldefinition:Spectrumconditioncharacterisedbychallengeswithcommunication,socialinteractionand

repetitivebehaviours

Mayhavestrengthssuchas:Attentiontodetail;analyticalthinking;problemsolving

Mayexperiencechallengeswith:Sensoryprocessing;riskofmiscommunication;multi-tasking

Dyslexia

High-leveldefinition:Learningdifficultythataffectsreadingandspellingskills

Mayhavestrengthssuchas:Visualthinking;buildingrelationships;patternspotting

Mayexperiencechallengeswith:Soundprocessing;difficultiesgettingideasonpaper;readingandspelling

Dyspraxia

High-leveldefinition:Neurologicaldisorderthatimpactsmovementandcoordination

Mayhavestrengthssuchas:Big-picturethinking;empathy;verbalcommunication

Mayexperiencechallengeswith:Difficultylearningnewprocesses;finemotorskills;memory

Dyscalculia

nCulturedifferences–inhowneurodiversityis

perceivedbycertainsocietiesandgenerations.

nGender–femalesoftenpresentdifferently,andit

iscommonlyacceptedthatwomenmaybemore

likelyto‘mask’theirconditions.

nPrivilege–relatingtoaccesstothemedical

professiontobediagnosed,insomecountries

thereareextensivewaitinglists.

nEducationalbiases–ifaneurodivergentindividual

happenstoperformwellatschool,theremaybea

perceptionthatthereisnoproblemandchallenges

maygounnoticed.

Therefore,ifanindividualdecidestoself-identifyas

neurodivergent,itshouldberespected.

High-leveldefinition:Specificlearningdifficultywhenunderstandingnumbers

Mayhavestrengthssuchas:Creativity;strategicthinking;organisationalskills

Mayexperiencechallengeswith:Patternrecognition;sequencing;mathematicalability

Tourette’ssyndrome

High-leveldefinition:Neurologicalconditionthatresultsininvoluntarymusclemovementsandsounds

Mayhavestrengthssuchas:Creativity;empathy;energeticcharacter

Mayexperiencechallengeswith:Anxiety;sensoryneeds;tics(verbal&non-verbal)

Acquiredbraininjury

High-leveldefinition:Damagesustainedtothebrainthatmaybecausedbyinjury,illness,drugoralcoholabuse

Effectswillvarydependingonthepartofthebrainthathassustainedtheinjury

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NEURODIVERSITYINACCOUNTANCY|NEURODIVERSITYANDLANGUAGE

Neurodiversity

andlanguage

Thelanguagesurroundingneurodiversitycan

beemotive,powerfulandattimesevenharmful.

It’simportanttobeguidedonthecorrectuse

oflanguage–ratherthanavoidhavingthe

conversationatall.

Keyterms

nNeurodiversity:Appliestoeveryone–everybrainhasa

naturalvariation.

nNeurodivergent/neuro-difference/neurominority:

Describesthosewithadefinedcognitivevariationinhow

thebrainlearnsandprocessesinformation.Theyinclude

‘neurotypes’suchasADHD,autism,dyslexia,dyspraxia

(DCD),dyscalculiaandTourette’ssyndrome.

nNeurotypical/neuromajority:Describesindividuals

whodisplay‘typical’cognitivethinking.Itappliestothe

majorityofpeople.

✓Whenapproachingthesubject,beguidedbythe

personyouareaddressing:howdotheywantyou

torefertotheirneurotype?

✓Whentalkingaboutanindividualwithadiagnosis–

alwaysuse‘personfirst’language,thatis‘aperson

withautism’,not‘anautisticperson’.Anindividualis

notdefinedbytheirdiagnosis.

✓Additionally,labelssuch‘highfunctioning’and‘low

functioning’or‘disorders’arenowoutdatedand

potentiallyharmfuloroffensive.

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NEURODIVERSITYINACCOUNTANCY|WHYNEURODIVERSITYMATTERS

Whyneurodiversitymatters

It’sestimatedthatbetween15-20%ofthepopulationareneurodivergent.

Consequently,organisationshaveanethicalresponsibilitytoincludeandsupport

neurodivergentindividuals–creatingworkplaceenvironmentswhereeveryone’s

challengesaresupportedandstrengthsarecelebratedsothattheycanthrive.

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NEURODIVERSITYINACCOUNTANCY|WHYNEURODIVERSITYMATTERS

Overthelast10years,organisationshavestartedto

recognisethevaluethatneurodivergentindividualscan

bring–creatinghiringprogrammesthatactivelytarget

neurodivergenttalenttoundertakespecificroles.Asthe

focusonneurodiversityhasevolved,moreindividualswho

havebeenmaskingtheircognitivevariationhavestartedto

sharetheirdiagnosisandhiddenstruggleswithemployers.

Thebusinessbenefitsofembracingneurodiversity:

Diversethinking:Neurodiversitybringsuniqueviewpointsandproblem-solving

approaches–allowingemployeeswithdifferentcognitivestylestocontributefresh

ideasandinnovativesolutions.

Thefocushasstartedtoshifttore-educationonwhat

neurodiversityis,andhowtoprovidesupportforthese

individuals.Thenextstagewillseeorganisationsbeginto

considerdesignprinciplesforbusinessprocessesthatare

inclusiveforall–regardlessoftheirneurotype.

Organisationsthathavemadesignificantinvestmentinthis

areahaveseenanimpactonbrandrecognition,attracted

newbusiness,andgainedaccesstoanuntappedtalentpool

–bringinginnovation,creativityandproblem-solvingskills

withthem.Ultimately,aproactiveapproachtoneurodiversity

createsvalueforanorganisation,bothfinanciallyandsocially.

Increasedproductivity:Accommodatingneurodivergentindividualsenhances

overallproductivity–whenemployeesaresupported,theycanfocusontheirwork

moreeffectively.

Talentattraction:Organisationsfocusingonbuildingneuro-inclusiveworkplaces

attractscandidates–especiallyGenerationZ,whoaremoredrivenbythesocialimpact

anorganisationmakes.

Talentretention:Aneuro-inclusiveenvironmentfostersloyaltyandreducesturnover–

employeesappreciateworkplacesthatvaluetheirindividualneeds.

Whiletherearebenefitsfororganisationsthatproactively

seekneuro-inclusion,insomejurisdictionsthereisalsoa

legalobligationtosupportneurodivergentindividualsinthe

workplace.Forexample,theUKEqualityAct2010recognises

attentiondeficithyperactivitydisorder(ADHD),autism,dyslexia

anddyspraxiaasdisabilities–andthereforeprotected

characteristics.Thismeansanorganisationmustprovide

reasonableadjustmentstothosewhosharesuchaneurotype.

Overthelastdecade,we’veseenasignificantincreaseinthe

numberofemploymenttribunalsthatrelatetoneurodiversity,

whichisareflectionofthelackofsupportorganisationsare

perceivedtohaveprovided.

Enhancedcreativity:Neurodivergentindividualsoftenthink‘outsidethebox’–

theircreativitycanleadtobreakthroughsandnovelsolutions.

Positiveworkplaceculture:Inclusivepracticespromoteapositiveatmosphere

whereemployeesfeelrespectedandvalued–leadingtobettermorale.

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NEURODIVERSITYINACCOUNTANCY|OURSTORIES

Ourstories

Ourresearchseekstoilluminatethestories

ofneurodivergentindividualswithinthe

accountancyprofession.Interviewswere

conductedwithawideselectionofparticipants

–ofdifferentage,gender,ethnicity,cultural

backgroundandneurotype.

Theresearchismotivatedtounderstandthechallenges

theseindividualsfaceatworkandineducation;theirrelevant

strengths;howorganisationshaveimplementedsupport

atboththeinstitutionalandindividuallevel;andthoughts

towardsthefutureofneurodiversityatwork.

Theirstoriesultimatelycelebratethinkingdifferently.

Wehopethatyouareasinspiredreadingthesestories,

aswewereinspeakingtotheindividualswhoparticipated.

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NEURODIVERSITYINACCOUNTANCY|OURSTORIES

NavigatingADHDintheaccountancy

profession–poweredbytechnology

KateRodde

Katesharesherstory...butdifferently–using‘Braided’technology–technology

builtforastronautsnowbeingusedtohelpthosewhoareneurodivergent.

BRAIDED’SCOMMUNICATION

SOLUTIONALLOWSFORNATURALAND

SYNCHRONOUSCOMMUNICATION

ANDHASPOTENTIALAPPLICATION

BOTHINWORKPLACESAND

EDUCATIONALSETTINGS.

workplace–acopingstrategyoftenusedbythosewho

areneurodivergenttohidethechallengestheyarefacing–

whichhasconsequencesforKate.

‘Theimpactformeisthatmyworkingdaystendtobe

longasIstillwanttogeteverythingdoneandnothave

ithangoverme.’

KatehasuntilveryrecentlyworkedforBraidedCommunications

Ltd.KateisaqualifiedaccountantwhohasAttentionDeficit

HyperactivityDisorder(ADHD).Theinterviewwasconducted

viatheBraidedcommunicationtechnology(seeseparate

casestudy).Shereflectedonherexperienceofbeing

interviewedinthismanner,andemphasisedhowimportant

thetimetofocuswithoutanydistractionshelpedher

formulateheranswers.

‘ThroughusingtheBraidedtechnologyyoufeellikeyou

arebeingheardbecauseyou'rereallyputtingyourpointof

viewacross.Youalsofeellikeyou'renotbeingobserved...

AndI'mnotbeinginterrupted,distracted...Becausemy

wonderfulADHDbrainwillgodown20milliontracksin

anormalaudioconversation.’

Likeotherswehaveinterviewed,Kate’sADHDpresents

withbothgreatstrengthsandchallengesintheworkplace.

Herbiggestchallengesarekeepingtrackoftime,regulating

heremotions,oversharing,andfeelingoverwhelmed.To

counteractthesechallenges,sheadmitstomaskinginthe

Katealsohighlightsthatchallengesdonotpresent

consistently.Lifeeventscanhaveasignificantimpactonhow

herADHDimpactsherdaily.Anexamplesheprovidesis

duringperimenopausewhensymptomsthathadpreviously

notbeenanissuebecamechallenging,andshehadtofind

newwaystosupportherself.

Throughouthercareer,supportatworkhasoftenbeen

inconsistent.AttimesKatehashadsupportivelinemanagers

whounderstoodherandhowsheworked.However,ifthere

wasaleadershipchange,thiscouldbedifficultforKate–

especiallyiftheydidnottakethetimetounderstandthe

valueshebroughttotheorganisation.Thisrequirementto

createapsychologicallysafeenvironmentwheresomeone

canaskforhelpifneededis,inKate’sopinion,critically

important.Kate’sapproachwastoidentifysponsorsacross

thebusinesswhowouldchampionher,andwhoboth

understoodandvaluedher.

‘Itisnotdependentonmymanagertodetermine

myworklife.’

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NEURODIVERSITYINACCOUNTANCY|OURSTORIES

Harnessingthestrengthsofthosewhoareneurodivergent

intheaccountancyprofessioncanbringdifferentskillsto

differentroles.Kateprovidedanexampleoftwovarying

approachestoworkthat,whenharnessedinthecorrectway,

hadsignificantvaluetotheorganisation.Sheremembers

workingwithafinancialaccountantwhohadbeendiagnosed

withautism:

‘InmanyrespectsIguesshepresentedwithanumber

oftraitsthatmaybeassociatedwithsomeautistic

individuals(thoughnotnecessarily)–veryfocusedon

thedetailaroundthefinancialaccountingsystem,not

verycomfortableinachangeenvironment,andIthinkhe

struggledwithinterpersonalrelationshipsatwork.Buthe

madeafantastictechnicalaccountant,andhisworkwas

alwayssuperaccurate.’

Incontrasttothis,Katedescribesherselfasabigpicture

person,isconfidenttalkingtoanyoneaboutwork,and

prefersplanning,understandingwhatmakesabusiness‘tick’,

andcansolveproblemsifgiventheautonomytodoso.Asa

result,shehadtheopportunitytobuildanewbusinessarea

andmanagenewteams–somethingshelovestodo.

‘Wearebothneurodivergent.Wearebothaccountants.

Wearefriends,andhavesharedinterestsoutsideofwork,

butwearesodifferent...andIthinkthatdifferenceis

reallyimportant–thereisnotaonesizefitsall,andthat

differencecanbringrealbenefitstoanorganisationin

termsofcapabilities.’

Whatdoesthefutureholdfortheneurodiversityandthe

accountancyprofession?Kateisoptimistic.Withprogress

beingmadeinunderstandingthebenefitsofdiversethinking,it

isclearthatneurodivergentprofessionalsbringimmensevalue

toteams.Researchsuggeststhatteamswithneurodivergent

individualscanbe30%moreproductivethanthose

withoutthem1.However,therealsuccesswillcomewhen

organisationsshifttheirfocustobecomingneuro-inclusive

andstartadaptingtheirprocessestoaccommodatediverse

thinkingasstandard.Withthisapproach,theneedforsupport

willdecrease,andtrueinclusionwillbecomethenorm.

NEURODIVERSETEAMS

RESULTINHIGHERPRODUCTIVITYAND

CREATIVITYATWORK.

1WorldEconomicForum

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NEURODIVERSITYINACCOUNTANCY|OURSTORIES

SPOTLIGHTONBRAIDEDMEETINGS:

Technologydesignedforastronautsbut

appliedforinclusiveemployeecommunication

RobBrougham,CEO,BraidedCommunications

Robshareshisstoryaboutdeveloping‘Braided’technology–trialledbyNASA

andnowstartingtobeusedforinclusiveworkplaceengagements.

BRAIDINGISANEWCOLLABORATION

TOOLTHATISDESIGNEDTOHELP

CREATEINCLUSIVE&EFFICIENT

COLLABORATIONENVIRONMENTS

USINGWRITTENRATHERTHAN

SPOKENCOMMUNICATION.

Howdoesthetechnologywork?

Braidingisawrittenmethodofcommunicationandthebasic

ideabehindthetechnologyisthatitgiveseveryoneina

meetingtheopportunitytocontributetothediscussionequally.

Topicsoragendaitemsaredisplayedasseparatediscussion

panels,calledBraids,thatarepresentedtotheparticipants

sequentiallyonarotatingvirtualcarousel.Asthecarousel

rotatesthedebateoneachtopicbuilds.Attheendyouhave

afullwrittenrecordwithnoneedforanybodytotakeminutes.

Whymaythetechnologybeparticularlyhelpfulfor

somepeoplewithneurodivergentconditions?

Oneofthethingsweknowaboutgoodcommunicationin

meetingsisthatitonlyhappenswheneveryoneisco-present

witheveryoneelse–iewheretheconversationflowsandis

natural.Thatisquitedifferenttoco-location–youcouldbein

ameetingroomwithagroupofcolleaguesyetfeelyouare

notreallypartoftheconversation,perhapsabitisolated.Co-

presenceontheotherhand,requiressynchronywhichhas

averyspecificdefinition–itmeans‘tohaveasharedfocus

ofattentionandbehaviour,coordinatedbyasharedrhythm

andmaintainedovertime.’Soco-presencecannotoccurin

anenvironmentwhichisasynchronous.Braidingessentially

createsthatenvironmentwhichissynchronous,whereco-

presencecanexist.Inasimplerway,itlevelstheplayingfield

ofcommunication,givingeveryoneanequalvoice.

WheredidyougettheideaforBraiding?

Theideawasbornoutofchallengeswithspacecommunication.

Beyondwhatwecall‘LowEarthOrbit’,allcommunication

betweencrewandgroundisaffectedbytimedelay(whatwe

calllatency),causedbythegreatdistanceandthefinitespeed

oflightandradiowaves.Thedelayisunavoidable.Itappliesto

allcommunicationthroughoutallfuturedeepspace(lunarand

beyond)missions,butobviouslycommunicationtimedelays

createallsortsofproblems–evenimpactingcrewhealth

becauseofemotionalisolation.SpaceBraidingwasthefirsttool

designedtomitigatetheimpactoflatency.Itdoesnotremove

orreducelatency–thatwouldbreakthelawsofphysics–but

insteaditdisguiseslatencybecauseitcanmaketwopeople

separatedbymillionsofkilometresfeelasiftheyarehavinga

natural,synchronousdialogue.SpaceBraidingispatentedand

hasbeentestedinstudiesfundedbytheUKSpaceAgency,

theEuropeanSpaceAgency,andNASAincollaboration

withseveralacademicpartnersincludingUniversityCollege,

LondonandGeorgiaTech,USA.Allresultssofararepositive–

thepreliminarydataindicatesthatSpaceBraidingreallyworks.

Itjustsohappensithaspotentialapplicationselsewhereinthe

businessworldforefficientandinclusivecommunication.

13

NEURODIVERSITYINACCOUNTANCY|OURSTORIES

Lydia’sautismopensupnewunexpectedcareer

opportunitiesbeyondaccountancyasadayjob

LydiaStott

Lydia’shoneststoryendsonarealhighnote,withherautismdiagnosisleading

toarolethatisshapinghowherorganisation,CooperParry,supportsits

neurodivergentemployees.

LydiaisaDiversityandInclusionAdvisoratCooperParry,

aYoungAmbassadorfortheNationalAutisticSociety,

andaqualifiedworkplaceneedsassessor.Shereceived

anautismdiagnosisattheageof18,kickstartingherjourney

intoadvocacy.Inconversation,Lydia’spassionforneuro-

inclusionintheworkplaceisveryevident.

Herstoryisafamiliaroneformanyneurodivergent

people:herdiagnosiswasmissedduetostrongacademic

performanceinschoolandLydiainsteadinternalisedher

struggles.Asateen,shewasdiagnosedwithdepression

andanxiety.

INDIVIDUALSAREOFTEN

DIAGNOSEDWITHANXIETYAND

DEPRESSIONBEFOREANEUROTYPE

ISIDENTIFIED–IFIDENTIFIEDAT

ALL.THECO-MORBIDITYBETWEEN

ANXIETY,DEPRESSIONANDSOME

NEURODIVERGENTCONDITIONSIS

WELLESTABLISHED.

Likemanyindividualswhoareneurodivergent,Lydiafound

schoolchallenging.Despiteexcellingacademically,she

experiencedfrequentpanicattacksfromtheageofnine

andhermentalhealthissuescontinuedthroughouther

education.Whennumerousavenuesofsupportfailedto

makeadifferenceforLydia,shebegantoquestionherself.

Whywassheworseatcopingthanthosearoundher?

Hersearchforanswersledhertoanonlinecourseon

autisminwomenfromtheNationalAutisticSociety,andthis

wasLydia’slightbulbmoment.

‘Untilyouhavethelabel‘autism’,youwillcarrya

thousandotherlabels.Thesemightincludelazy,difficult,

incompetent,awkward,andoversensitive…Theworld

tellsyouthatthisiswhoyouareandyoubeginto

believeit.Receivingmydiagnosisgavemethepermissi