“Diversity, equity, and inclusion plans often miss disability and neurodivergence,” according to Melissa Danielsen, co-founder and CEO at Joshin, a platform designed to support workers who identify in these groups as well as their caregivers. “Only 4% of most DEI plans include this community,” she said, yet roughly 15–20% of the global population is neurodivergent in some way, and about 16% live with a disability. Being neurodivergent or having a disability describes only part of someone’s identity, and people can be described in terms of many intersecting characteristics, like gender, race, parenthood, and socioeconomic status.

Danielsen was joined by one of Joshin’s clients, Navy Federal Credit Union, for a From Day One webinar where the group discussed how employers can transform their organizations into a safe and inclusive environment for people who are neurodivergent or who have disabilities.

Getting Up to Speed With Inclusion

In making an inclusive and equitable environment, Navy Federal wasted no time.

“We quickly forged a partnership with [Joshin’s] team. This helped us in working behind the scenes to make sure we had a successful onboarding process for this new program. We worked fast and furiously to get it implemented,” said Shari Siegel, employee benefits supervisor at Navy Federal Credit Union. Fast indeed. The Navy Federal program, powered by Joshin, was up and running in about four months. A record, according to Danielsen.

When working with a new client, Joshin starts by getting a baseline of what’s already available, then makes plans to enhance it and build on top of current investment. Then, the goal is company-wide orchestration. The outcomes are better when everyone gets on board, said Danielsen. “It really takes all departments working together. This creates thoughtful engagement, communication plans, and collaboration. The best partnerships are where doors are opening and we’re having conversations with employee resource groups, with employee relations, talent acquisition, and product marketing, so we can really be a partner inside the company and create a cross-functional impact.”

Navy Federal’s employee resource groups (ERGs) have been one of the most valuable parts of its neurodiversity and disability inclusion program, and the response has been overwhelmingly positive. Within the first 48 hours of launching the ERG, Navy Federal had 400 members. By its first meeting that fall, there were 700. “Now we’re tipping around 1,000,” said Athena Villarreal, Navy Federal’s manager of diversity, equity, and inclusion as well as its employee resource groups.

“We launched our employee resource group in May of last year in conjunction with mental health awareness month, knowing that it serves employees with a diverse array of abilities, caretakers, and allies, creating a space for folks to come together and know that they’re not alone,” said Villarreal. This was the first step, she said, to pairing awareness with belonging. “It’s helping to break the stigma around these experiences in the workplace, just knowing that there is a group of folks within the organization who are a community in and of itself.”

Twenty percent of Navy Federal employees found Joshin’s support programs through Navy Federal’s resource groups, and 30% found them through internal benefits communications, according to Danielsen. “Something we value with Navy Federal is the willingness to open doors to other people across the organization that we can partner with, because ultimately, that’s just going to enhance and build engagement, utilization, insights, and ROI across the organization.”

Advancing Beyond Accommodations

Some employers getting up to speed with neurodivergence and disability inclusion may first think to look at their accommodations policy, but successful inclusion must be more extensive than compliance with the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) alone.

Danielsen recommended taking stock of the entire employee experience, focusing especially on what managers know. “Are your managers trained on what your accommodations processes? How can you proactively provide manager support so that when conversations do come up, there’s comfort and competency to reduce risk and liability?”

And what about the hiring process? “Is your recruiting team ready for those conversations where somebody self-discloses and asks for an accommodation or an adjustment?”

Navy Federal has already seen positive effects from the program. Siegel described one employee who needed help with their family dynamics. “The goal was to get assistance in managing the behaviors of their child at home who was non-responsive to redirection and challenged authority both at home in school,” she said. “The member’s education support coach shared an evidence-based parenting framework that focused on how to achieve self-control. They help them integrate these principles, fostering positive thinking and perception.”

When all departments coordinate to make the workplace better, the whole is greater than the sum, said Danielsen. “One member has said it best, which is that they don’t see it as a benefit, they see it as another community to be a part of.”

For Navy Federal, not only is the inclusion problem a means of making the workplace welcoming and more equitable, it’s also a reinforcement of company culture. “Our motto is do, learn, and grow,” said Siegel. “This gives our team grace and space to try new things and learn from their mistakes.”

Editor's note: From Day One thanks our partner, Joshin, for sponsoring this webinar. 

Emily McCrary-Ruiz-Esparza is a freelance journalist and From Day One contributing editor who writes about work, the job market, and women’s experiences in the workplace. Her work has appeared in the BBC, the Economist, the Washington Post, Quartz, Fast Company, and Digiday’s Worklife.