At a time when the disability community in the U.S. is facing unemployment rates as high as 30 – 40%, advertising agencies have one of the most powerful, effective, and wide-reaching platforms to inform a wide audience about the importance and benefits of neurodiverse employment and the lived experiences of people who are neurodivergent.
To put things in perspective, roughly 15 – 20% of the global population is neurodivergent, yet so many neurotypical individuals are unaware of the fact that they’re surrounded every day by friends, co-workers, and family members who might have autism spectrum disorder (ASD), dyslexia, OCD, ADHD, etc., or that they might even be neurodivergent themselves. Along with destigmatizing neurodivergence, advertising and marketing efforts can reach employers who are still unaware of the strengths, talents, and expertise that people who are neurodivergent have to offer. Just as importantly, advertising campaigns can highlight the fact that neurodivergent employment and disability-owned businesses represent a massive, untapped economic powerhouse, with an economic impact of $32.4 billion, and the potential to generate trillions in revenue.
Thankfully, a growing number of ad agencies are appreciating their potential to revolutionize neurodiverse employment. One of those agencies is Ability Machine. Based in Nashville, Tennessee, Ability Machine describes itself as “powered by neurodiverse minds” and accommodates its neurodivergent employees with quiet sensory rooms, dimmable lights, and a flexible seating system. According to a recent report from FastCompany, Ability Machine has already collaborated with major national brands like Mercedes-Benz and Kind on a variety of projects, as well as multiple local brands.
Another advertising agency equally dedicated to making a difference for the neurodivergent community is The Advertising Club of New York, a founding member of Creative Spirit and advocate since 2017. The Advertising Club has been a staunch supporter of employment inclusion for professionals who are neurodivergent, representing the power of marketing, media, and advertising to be a force for good and constructive change in society. Through their inclusion efforts, these companies can serve as an inspiring model for others hoping to improve neurodiverse employment.
INVNT, another Creative Spirit partner, is also a staunch supporter of inclusion and accessibility for employees who are neurodivergent and actively works to help destigmatize neurodiversity in the workplace. “Embracing neurodiversity is not a moral imperative but a competitive advantage,” says Chairman & Chief Growth Officer Scott Cullather, “Research has consistently shown that diverse teams outperform their homogeneous counterparts. Neurodiverse employees can enhance problem-solving capabilities and drive efficiency by bringing different cognitive approaches to the table. This diversity in thought can lead to improved decision-making processes and more robust business outcomes.”
How the Advertising Industry Can Improve Neurodiverse Inclusion
In addition to marketing and advertising campaigns, ad agencies can transform employment by actively recruiting professionals who are neurodivergent and by making accessibility central to their company’s design. One notable example is Havas, a close partner of Creative Spirit, whose Neuroverse: Powered by Havas consultancy program incorporates the talent and skills of neurodivergent professionals into their creative marketing, brand strategy, and business transformation.
“The most successful brands today aren’t the loudest or the flashiest. They’re the ones that listen. The ones that evolve. The ones that recognize we’re entering a new era—one where relevance is rooted in inclusivity, and innovation stems from diversity of thought.” (The Future is Mindful, Havas, 2025).
In his article “Creating an Inclusive Recruitment Process for Neurodivergent Candidates”, Roger Newman of Acara Solutions.com drives home the point that companies, including advertising agencies, should use inclusive language, avoiding terms that might inadvertently discourage or exclude candidates who are neurodivergent. Job descriptions should also be revised and reviewed to focus on skills and qualifications that are actually essential. Additionally, Newman stresses the importance of companies in clearly and unequivocally communicating their openness to providing reasonable accommodations, both during the application/interview process and on the job. Tyla Grant, a U.K.-based neuroinclusion and creative strategist, also highlights some of the rigid, restrictive, and outdated hiring practices that she believes are holding the advertising industry back. Grant cites research from Havas, Understood, and the American Association of Advertising Agencies, finding that 48% of creative professionals identify as neurodivergent, and that 75% of creative professionals, both neurodivergent and neurotypical, have reported feeling held back creatively by rigid practices within the advertising industry. “Masking”, or hiding being neurodivergent, is another major issue, as 90% of neurodivergent professionals in the advertising/creative industry have said they feel the need to mask at work, a rate that’s 56% higher than other industries. “The way things are done isn’t working,” Grant concludes, “for most people, not just neurodivergent people. To quote philosopher Robert Chapman, ‘the world is not working for me… it makes us ill… because normality is rigidly and often violently enforced.” The problem isn’t isolated policies, it’s baked into the culture.” Rather than simply highlighting the productivity of people who are neurodivergent, Grant writes that companies need to design systems and cultures that encourage divergent thinking overall.
While many major companies, like Microsoft, Google, SAP, and others, have launched programs to include neurodiverse talent, marketing and advertising that engages specifically with individuals who are neurodivergent is unfortunately still a low-level priority for many companies, including those in the advertising industry. In his article, “Neurodiversity in Advertising: The Benefits of Tapping into the World’s Largest Minority Group”, CampaignLive.com’s Matthew Keegan writes that by being more inclusive, brands could win as many as 1 in 10 buyers. Keegan cites Rachel Worsley, founder and CEO of Neurodiversity Media, who astutely observes that “Just as marketers and brands had to adjust to digital marketing as more people ventured online, eventually more marketers and brands will have to make accessibility a priority as that is where a huge customer base awaits.”
Hearing from Neurodivergent Professionals First-Hand
Neurodivergent professionals in the advertising industry have also shared their perspectives on how accessibility and inclusion can be improved, and how discrimination and ableism can be counteracted.
“As a neurodivergent person in advertising, I used to feel like a penguin stuck on the edge of an iceberg, surrounded by waters not yet quite safe enough to swim,” Jessica Bosenberg, Account Director for Grey London, writes. “If no-one around me was talking about neurodivergence, how could I be open about that part of me?” Bosenberg finds the high prevalence of discrimination against neurodivergent employees is ironic, given that the advertising industry has a proportion of neurodivergent individuals as high as 54%, according to some estimates. Bosenberg believes full accessibility can be achieved partly through advertising campaigns and across brand touchpoints, with dyslexia-friendly fonts, simplified digital layouts, and/or inclusively designed events. Authentic representation is also extremely important. “To reach neurodivergent audiences,” Bosenberg writes, “brands need to consult with them, test with them, and co-create wherever possible. Having that lived experience on the team is also very valuable.” She expresses that she “dream[s] of a world where neurodivergent young people see the advertising industry as a place where they can thrive and belong. But for this to happen, we as an industry need to be telling them loudly and clearly that they are welcome.” As Bosenberg explains, creating work environments where neurodivergent employees can feel open about who they are allows comfort with requesting reasonable accommodations like flexible working, quiet spaces, or tools to reduce sensory overload. She points out that creating a culture of inclusion leads directly to a major creative advantage, as teams that combine neurotypical and neurodivergent minds lead to more innovative approaches to problem-solving, along with challenging assumptions and generating ideas that others might not come up with. As she writes, “the future of creativity is neurodiverse. Agencies and brands that embrace that truth won’t just build stronger, more inclusive cultures – they’ll deliver better, more resonant work.”
The research, workplace results, and data have made it clear: embracing neurodiversity is beneficial for all organizations from both an economic and innovation standpoint. It’s even more valuable for the advertising industry, which thrives on creativity as one of its strongest and most defining assets. In an age where media has the power to reach more people than ever, the advertising industry needs to expand awareness of neurodiverse skills and talents. Those skills and talents are essential for driving innovation and developing groundbreaking ideas. Rather than being a drawback, thinking differently is one of the most valuable attributes one can have as an employee. It’s incumbent on us as members of the creative industry to use all of the tools and resources at our disposal to help a much wider audience appreciate that fact.
Sources
Snelling, G. (2026). “This new ad agency has a secret advantage, and it’s not what you think”, FastCompany.
Newman, R. (2024). “Creating an Inclusive Recruitment Process for Neurodivergent Candidates”, Acara Solutions.
Grant, T. (2025). “Advertising’s Neurodiversity Problem Is Bigger Than Anyone Wants to Admit”, Brain Dumps.
Keegan, M. (2023). “Neurodiversity in advertising: the benefits of tapping into the world’s largest minority group”, Campaign.
Bosenberg, J. (2025). “The Future of Creativity Is Neurodiverse – if We Make It Possible”, Advertising Week.
