Written By: Menachem Rephun, Communications Manager and Self Advocate
For millions of neurodiverse employees and jobseekers in the U.S., Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) has completely redefined fair-wage employment and shifted workplace culture in a more inclusive direction. Through DEI initiatives, employees with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), dyslexia, ADHD, and other conditions (sometimes known as “invisible disabilities”) have found opportunities for success and career growth that would not have been possible before. At the same time, DEI has become an extremely controversial issue. Critics argue that despite seeking to counter discrimination, DEI is discriminatory itself by hiring on the basis of race, gender, sexual orientation, and/or disability.
High-profile DEI opponents include former President Donald Trump, who lauded the Supreme Court’s abolition of affirmative action in university admissions as “a great day for America”, and Tesla and X CEO Elon Musk, who declared in 2023 that “DEI must die” and that its efforts to end discrimination simply “replace it with different discrimination”. Meanwhile, supporters of DEI argue that its goal is not disenfranchising majority groups in favor of minorities, but to correct historical imbalances and ensure fair treatment for everyone. “The purpose of DEI is to level the playing field,” business leader and DEI expert Amira Barger writes. “Not by taking things away—but by rectifying historical imbalances while ensuring fair treatment for all.”
Amidst this controversy, one thing is clear: the mounting DEI backlash has led to many DEI programs being cut, and DEI professionals being laid off. “DEI positions have been disproportionately hit by layoffs across industries,” ABC News reported in 2023, “but particularly at tech companies, which have faced financial challenges as sales slowed from the blistering pace attained during the pandemic.” The ongoing anti-DEI backlash makes protecting DEI for neurodiverse employees an urgent priority. It’s also crucial to recognize the downstream effects that firing DEI managers could potentially have on the neurodiverse community.
The Downstream Effects of Ending DEI for Neurodiverse Employees
There’s no doubt that for neurodiverse employees, ending DEI would be extremely damaging in both the short and long-term. The end of DEI programs would result in neurodiverse employees having fewer workplace accommodations; less representation in leadership roles; less workplace accessibility; and less inclusive hiring practices. DEI efforts have also helped neurodiverse employees and jobseekers by pushing back against stigmas and stereotypes, shifting employer perceptions in a more positive direction with regard to neurodiverse hiring.
“Some of the world’s biggest companies are now actively looking to hire neurodiverse workers,” a 2023 World Economic Forum article states, “and provide appropriate support once they gain employment.” The Washington Post points out that several major companies, including Victoria’s Secret, Prudential, and Moderna, expanded their DEI teams by 50% or more in 2023. As explained by Mindshift, an organization focused on employment for people on the autism spectrum, “Under the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, neurodiversity is a protected class, and best DEI practices will help foster empathy and leverage the strengths of neurodiverse individuals.”
In short, DEI has played a vital role in most, if not all of the progress in neurodiverse employment that has been made over the past several years, and as a result, dismantling it would create a major setback.
Public Support
Despite the controversy around DEI, there has been some corporate and public support in recent years, most notably in 2020 after wide-scale protests that followed the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis. That support was short-lived, however, as companies began escalating cuts of DEI professionals later that year, based on a survey of over 600 companies from the data firm Revelio Labs. The survey found that “[the] attrition rate for DEI roles has been about double that of non-DEI jobs.”
Some legislative efforts have also sought to severely reduce, if not outright eliminate, workplace DEI. In June 2024, Congressman Michael Cloud (R–TX 27th District) and Sen. JD Vance of Ohio introduced the Dismantle DEI Act, which would eliminate federal DEI programs, along with funding for federal agencies, contractors, organizations receiving federal grants, and educational accreditation agencies. In a statement, Vance described the “DEI agenda” as “a destructive ideology that breeds hatred and racial division. It has no place in our federal government or anywhere else in our society.”
This anti-DEI campaign is still in motion, and could become an even graver threat to neurodiverse employment should Republicans, by far the most vocal critics of DEI, take back the White House and Congress in the upcoming election. All of this raises the question: what can we do to protect DEI?
Defenders of DEI Speak Up
Some advocates have responded to that question by becoming more vocal in defending DEI in the workplace. One of those defenders is Shaun Harper, a USC Professor and founder of the USC Race and Equity Center, who has pushed back against some of the misconceptions surrounding DEI. Harper argues that the concept wasn’t created to exclude white people or white men from the workforce. Speaking to CNN, Harper pointed out that many companies with DEI programs teach employees how to unlearn stereotypes and cultivate respect for each other’s differences.
“It’s not all divisive,” Harper was quoted as saying. “People can learn the skills that are needed to deliver on diversity and inclusion values.” Some of the prevailing myths and misconceptions about DEI have also been refuted by the University of Colorado in their article “Debunking Myths About Diversity, Equity & Inclusive Excellence”.
The article points out that “one of the greatest myths about diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts are that they spring from a deficit model in which differences from the norm or dominant culture are regarded as a hindrance, a problem or something to be remedied or fixed.” Contrary to this viewpoint, DEI focuses on the benefits that stem from diversity and inclusion, such as workplaces that are able to draw on innovative thinking and unique approaches to problem-solving, and are more productive through ensuring that all employees feel accepted and included.
The Future of DEI
With the future of DEI in the balance, now is the time to step up and defend DEI for neurodiverse employees and job candidates, who deserve equal opportunities to succeed in fair-wage employment. Successful workplaces thrive on innovation and varied perspectives and approaches, and those are all qualities neurodiverse employees bring to the table. According to research cited by Rethinkcare.com, neurodivergent individuals are 30% more productive than their neurotypical peers in certain roles; have increased focus and attention to detail (specifically in the case of employees with autism spectrum disorder); and can be 40% better at problem solving. Hiring neurodivergent employees can also significantly cut staff recruitment and training costs.
The fact that neurodiverse employees embody these strengths, skills, and talents is one of the most powerful arguments for why neurodiverse DEI efforts can and must continue. DEI efforts can be as simple as employers developing a deeper appreciation for neurodiverse inclusion in the workforce, and reworking their hiring strategies to make that happen. With neurodiverse DEI on the line and anti-DEI efforts becoming more aggressive, let’s be equally assertive in standing up and affirming that the time for neurodiverse inclusion is now.
Sources:
1. https://www.fastcompany.com/91113957/4-common-arguments-against-dei-and-how-to-dismantle-each-one
2. https://abcnews.go.com/US/corporate-america-slashing-dei-workers-amid-backlash-diversity/story?id=100477952
3. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2023/05/neurodiversity-employers-workers-jobs/#:~:text=Businesses%20backing%20better%20neurodiversity%20inclusion,at%20Work%20programme%20since%202013.
4. https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2024/02/20/corporate-diversity-job-cuts/
5. https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/07/us/dei-attacks-experts-warn-of-consequences-reaj/index.html
6. https://dei.uccs.edu/debunking-myths-about-equity-diversity-inclusive-excellence#:~:text=Perhaps%20one%20of%20the%20greatest,to%20be%20remedied%20or%20fixed.
7. https://www.rethinkcare.com/features/aligned-dei/
