Institute for Neurodiversity and Employment

Our Mission

The UW Institute for Neurodiversity Employment brings together leading scholars and practitioners from various disciplines to build the capacity of the UW, Washington State, and the nation to create meaningful employment opportunities and career experiences for neurodivergent people. We carry out our mission in collaboration with community leaders, non-profits, and foundations through the following five pillars:

Our Five Pillars

Translatable Research

The UW Institute for Neurodiversity and Employment fosters interdisciplinary collaborations among UW scholars and established research collaborations with scholars from other leading research centers with a common focus on neurodiversity employment to:

    • Investigate effective employment practices and translate them into practice
    • Investigate education support for employment at critical transition stages
    • Investigate mental health and behavioral support for employment
    • Develop and assess assistive technologies
    • Develop and assess transition and career pathway programming
    • Collaborate with other neurodiversity research centers around the globe

Applied Professional Education and Training

The UW Institute for Neurodiversity and Employment fosters interdisciplinary collaborations among UW faculty and Washington state employers and service providers to create educational opportunities aimed at building traditional and nontraditional educational programs to:

    • Prepare employers, agencies, and service providers for inclusive practices and supports within an integrated employment ecosystem, especially those in people leadership groups like HR, DEI, DVR, coaching, and consulting
    • Prepare managers and collaborators across disciplines
    • Prepare teachers to create and lead career pathway programming 

Community Empowerment

The UW Institute for Neurodiversity and Employment leverages insights from research to strengthen the Washington State neurodiversity employment ecosystem to:

    • Collaborate with community leaders, non-profits, and foundations on related efforts to  improve Washington’s employment landscape  
    • Amplify advocate voices by providing a platform to define needs and lead research, education, consulting, and advocacy efforts 
    • Build the capacity of employers, providers, and various agencies by sharing research outcomes and supporting efforts in collaboration with providers 
    • Design and run programs that empower neurodivergent youth and adults to achieve their career aspirations
    • Build community and connection through conferences and workshops​

Ecosystem Advocacy

The UW Institute for Neurodiversity and Employment synthesizes the needs of stakeholders, identifies the opportunities for innovation in the ecosystem, and leverages evidence from research to:

    • Advance employment placement in WA
    • Advocate for ecosystem transformation and policy-level change 
    • Build the public’s capacity for neuroinclusion in employment​​ 
    • Make research and research outcomes available to the public 

Lead the Way

Make UW a premiere destination for neurodivergent faculty, clinicians, staff, and students by establishing and maintaining a model for neuroinclusive:

    • Employment practices to support staff, faculty, and student employees 
    • Student transition to college practices and programs 
    • Student workplace preparation practices and programs 
    • Teaching, services, and research practices 

 

Stay tuned! More exciting news to come!