At the end of Invisible Disabilities Week, we’re reflecting on how you make neurodiversity more visible and wanted to share our experience. Making neurodiversity more visible is our day-to-day work here at Creased Puddle, if we didn’t do that, then we wouldn’t be doing our job properly.
From our training to coaching, to webinars and conferences, the way we talk about neurodiversity matters because it creates opportunity for visibility where it matters, the workplace, at home and most importantly the mind.
Visibility doesn’t always mean being seen in the traditional sense. It means being recognised, understood, and represented in ways that reflect real experiences, not stereotypes or assumptions.
1. Start with language
Language shapes perception, switching to neuroaffirming language changes everything. Terms like “support needs,” “communication preferences,” or “executive function differences” create understanding rather than judgement. Visibility happens when people can describe themselves without fear or stigma. The language we use to talk about neurodiversity is important too. Familiarising yourself with the right terms means you can approach conversations with confidence, which ultimately leads to more conversations happening.
2. Share stories, not statistics
Numbers can tell us how many people are diagnosed, but stories show us who they are. Lived experience really matters and those stories challenge assumptions, highlight barriers, and show that neurodiversity exists in every background. Storytelling connects people to the human side of inclusion and gives a person a voice. Within our line manager training, a common question is “how do I start a conversation?” Our response is often, start around it, look beyond the point you want to make, how can you create a connection?
3. Design environments that work for every brain
Visibility is more than being aware, it’s designing neuroinclusive workspaces that include everyone. They don’t have to be complicated either, install quiet zones, natural lighting, colour contrast, predictable routines and flexible communication channels all make a difference. When we build environments that acknowledge different sensory and cognitive needs, we show that neurodiversity belongs there.
4. Bring it into everyday conversations
Neurodiversity shouldn’t be a conversation for a classroom or an awareness week. We should talk about it with performance, wellbeing, leadership, and recruitment. A question as simple as “how do you work best?” can open a door. When these conversations become part of everyday life, visibility naturally grows.
5. Recognise and value neurodivergent leadership
Too often, neurodivergent staff are relied upon to drive inclusion voluntarily – on top of their day jobs. True visibility means recognise this expertise internally, create roles, allocate time, and invest in their development. When neurodivergent voices lead from recognised positions, inclusion becomes part of the foundations of your organisation.
6. Build support from within
By training your staff, occupational health teams, managers, leaders, and HR professionals, you create shared understanding, a common language, and the confidence to move forward together. Including qualified Neurodiversity Workplace Needs Assessors (NWPNA) in this process ensures that adjustments are identified, implemented, and reviewed in a way that’s both person-centred and aligned with organisational goals.
We are welcoming applications for our January cohort of NWPNA, you can download the course outline here.
We’re also training line managers, and HR specialists as part of our autumn training offers where each 3-hour session is just £50 (+VAT).
When neurodiversity is made visible, it becomes valued, and everyone benefits. By promoting inclusion, we turn disabilities into abilities, empowering people to be the best version of themselves, where their strengths are recognised, appreciated, and supported.