In this short presentation Will Sadler and Zosia Feher from Beacon Films will explore what ‘neurodivergence’ is and how we best support the talents of neurodivergent colleagues in our workplace. The session will begin by exploring what we mean by the words ‘neurodiversity’ and ‘neurodivergence’. We’ll briefly explore the Social Model of Disability and how we apply this to concepts of neurodiversity, before heading into a conversation about how we practically apply everything we’ve discussed so far to supporting neurodivergent colleagues in our workplace.

Will Sadler is co-founder and Development Director of Beacon Films, which supports the talents of Disabled and Neurodivergent filmmakers in North East England. As someone with long-term mental health problems, Will describes himself as ‘gradually identifying as neurodivergent’. He is co-host of the Lively Minds: a podcast which asks big questions about how we understand our mental health.

Zosia Feher is a filmmaker and long-time member of Beacon Films. As a Disabled and Autistic person, Zosia speaks from lived-experience about the impact that a social model approach can have on releasing her talent and potential.

Key learnings from this session:

• What is “neurodivergence”? (5 mins)
• What is the “social model of disability?” (5 mins)
• How do we use the social model to tap into the potential of neurodivergent colleagues? (10 mins)