Tips For Employers

Hiring Neurodivergent Students

Accessibility matters to neurodivergent university students in the job search because traditional hiring practices often overlook their strengths and create barriers to success. Many neurodivergent students (i.e. who may have Autism, ADHD, Dyslexia, Disgraphia, etc.) may communicate more directly or think more linearly, which can be misinterpreted as a lack of enthusiasm due to unconscious bias.

Additionally, interviews often emphasize “team fit” and social performance, pressuring candidates to mask their true selves to meet neurotypical expectations. Employers should consider creating an accessible and inclusive hiring processes such as clear, specific communication and strength-based approaches which can help level the playing field and allow neurodivergent students to demonstrate their true potential. For example, rather than asking situational based questions that can be ambiguous, consider asking questions that are based on the student’s lived experience.

Here are 5 practical tips for employers interviewing or hiring neurodivergent students (and note many of these tips apply to the classroom as well)!

• Use Clear and Direct Communication: Avoid vague language or jargon. Be specific about expectations, timelines, and interview formats to reduce ambiguity.
• Focus on Skills Over Social Performance: Assess candidates based on their abilities and qualifications, not their eye contact, small talk, or “culture fit.”
• Offer Flexible Interview Formats: Provide alternatives like written responses, take-home tasks, or allowing questions in advance to accommodate different communication styles. It is also a great practice to send the interview questions to candidates in advance.
• Explain Each Step of the Process: Share a detailed outline of the hiring process, including what to expect in interviews and how decisions will be made.
• Create a Judgment-Free Environment: Encourage authenticity and reduce pressure to mask or “perform” neurotypical behaviours. Let candidates know it’s okay to take time to respond or ask for clarification.

Duty to Accommodate

Tips for Educators

Accessibility matters for neurodivergent university students in the classroom because it allows them to fully engage with course content, demonstrate their knowledge, and thrive academically without being limited by traditional teaching methods or environments. Neurodivergent students may process information, communicate, or focus in ways that differ from the norm, so accessible practices such as offering multiple ways to participate, flexible deadlines, clear instructions, and sensory-friendly spaces helps reduce unnecessary barriers. By creating inclusive learning environments, educators empower these students to succeed based on their strengths, not their ability to conform to one-size-fits-all expectations.

Here are 5 practice tips for University Educators who want to create an inclusive and accessible classroom for neurodivergent students:

• Offer Multiple Ways to Engage and Participate: Include options like written discussions, online forums, or visual projects alongside traditional verbal participation. For each major assignment, give students the agency to choose what format they would like to engage in (i.e. oral reflections vs. written, podcast vs. poetry). This also applies to assessments. For example, students who have shared their challenges with written expression (including handwriting, spelling and reading), I will offer options to engage with exams orally.
• Be Clear and Consistent with Instructions: Use straightforward language, post deadlines in multiple formats, and outline assignment expectations clearly and early. Providing examples and clear rubrics is also helpful. In addition to written instructions, I will review in class and provide a video they can refer back to with examples and an explanation of my expectations for the major assignments.
• Provide Flexible Deadlines When Possible: Build in grace periods or flexible policies to support students who may need more time due to executive functioning challenges.
• Record Lectures and Share Notes: Offer recordings, slides, or detailed notes so students can review content at their own pace and in their preferred learning style. Be sure to include captions on your videos.
• Create a Predictable and Structured Environment: Maintain a consistent class format and schedule, and give advance notice of any changes to help reduce anxiety and support routine. Before the course has started, it is helpful to send out a survey to students asking if there is anything they’d like their instructor to know that will help them be successful in the class. Often, students will share barriers to their learning such as invisible disabilities that an instructor would not be aware of.

Classroom Activities

• Accessibility Mapping Exercise: Have students map their own learning environments (classrooms, study spaces, online platforms) and identify physical, sensory, or technological barriers they or peers might face. Alternatively, students could work in groups to redesign a typical classroom activity or assignment to be more accessible and inclusive for all learners, including those with invisible disabilities like ADHD or chronic illness. Next, have student share findings in small groups and discuss how these barriers impact participation and belonging.The goal is to raise awareness of invisible and visible accessibility challenges and spark ideas for improvements.
• Journal Writing: Students journal or record a short video answering prompts like: “What does accessibility mean to me? Have I ever felt excluded because of a barrier others didn’t see?” This activity supports empathy and self-awareness about the lived experience of disability and exclusion
• Using excerpts from the written stories, interviews or case studies (like Amandeep’s or Apeksha’s stories), students practice active listening skills and brainstorm ways to advocate for accessible learning environments.

Related resources

• Accessibility Toolkit 2nd Edition
  • The goal of the Accessibility Toolkit – 2nd Edition is to provide resources for each content creator, instructional designer, educational technologist, librarian, administrator, and teaching assistant to create a truly open textbook—one that is free and accessible for all students.
• Tying Universal Design for Learning to Intercultural Teaching  – Inclusive Pedagogies
• Accessibility Bites Series 1.0 – Accessibility Bites
• Terminology | Critical Disability Studies Collective
• Disability Language Style Guide | National Center on Disability and Journalism

Resources for Students

The Disability resources booklet [PDF] includes information on:

• Academic Accommodations
• Counselling Services
• Accessibility at the library and learning centers
• Disability-related career advising
• KSA’s Students with Disabilities Representative
• Disabilityverse: KPU’s community for students with disabilities and allies