Designing for Difference: Practical Strategies for Building a Neuroinclusive Organization

Most organisations talk about inclusion in terms of values or culture. That matters, but it often misses the real issue. The structure of work itself can create unnecessary friction for neurodivergent people.

At DrupalCon Chicago 2026, I will be presenting a session titled Designing for Difference: Practical Strategies for Building a Neuroinclusive Organization. The goal of this talk is to move the conversation about neurodiversity away from awareness and into practical system design.

Many teams rely on unwritten rules. Meetings happen without agendas. Decisions are made in side conversations. Deadlines are vague. Feedback is implied rather than stated clearly. These seem small, but they create constant interpretation work. For people already managing cognitive load, social calculation, and masking, that friction accumulates.

Over time it leads to a predictable pattern: masking, exhaustion, burnout, and attrition. This is not a people problem. It is a systems problem.

Neuroinclusion is not solved with a policy. It is solved with better system design. In this session, I focus on three practical areas where organisations can make immediate improvements.

Hiring Systems

Interview processes often reward social performance rather than capability. Redesigning hiring practices to evaluate skills instead of personality signals leads to more accurate and equitable outcomes.

Team Operations

This is where everyday friction accumulates. Clear agendas, explicit definitions of “done,” written decision summaries, and asynchronous participation are small changes that reduce ambiguity and cognitive load for everyone.

Leadership Practices

Leaders set the tone for how work actually happens. Neuroinclusive leadership focuses on clarity, predictability, and multiple ways for people to participate and contribute.

One of the key ideas I want attendees to leave with is this: neuroinclusion is not a special accommodation for a few people. It is a performance strategy for the entire organisation.

Practices rooted in universal design make teams more effective, communication clearer, and systems easier to navigate. When organisations design for difference, they reduce friction for everyone.

Drupal has long emphasised openness and collaboration. That makes it a strong environment to explore how inclusive systems can improve both community health and organisational performance. If the system creates friction, the system is the problem—and it should be redesigned with intention, not assumption.