Infinity - The Network for Neurodivergent Public Servants / Infinité - Le Réseau des fonctionnaires neurodivergents/Infinity In Sum/EN: August 23, 2023

Wednesday, August 23, 2023

Infinity news

Join us virtually for Shared Services Canada's November Women's Network Event "Workplace Inclusion for Neurodivergent Employees (with a Women’s Lens)" on Tuesday, November 28, 2023, from 1 to 2 pm ET.  

This event will be an interactive information session with Specialisterne, a not-for-profit organization that promotes education and awareness about the value of creating a neuro-inclusive workplace. The session will focus on the importance of building accessible and inclusive workplaces - which is a collective responsibility. The session will also highlight any gender differences or disparities for neurodivergent individuals, and reaffirm that barriers can be addressed through proactively creating environments that can be accessed and used by all people, otherwise known as Universal Design.

This event is open to all public servants across the GC and we encourage you to share the event with your colleagues, allies, and friends!

If you would like to attend this event, or if you would like more information, please contact:[[1]]

Share your insights: Help shape an inclusive data learning catalogue

The GC Data Community's Data Talent Project extends an invitation to those interested in creating an inclusive data learning catalogue.

Our team is seeking the input of neurodivergent colleagues who utilize online learning catalogues for their training. We hope to integrate your insights to enhance the catalogue's alignment with the needs of neurodivergent individuals.

To participate in the consultation or potentially a focus group, send an email to madina.ibragimova@csps-efpc.gc.ca before August 25.

For further details about our project, kindly refer to the information provided here.

Recording – Panel Discussion – Thinking Outside the Box – Navigating Being Neurodivergent and 2SLGBTQ+

Thank you to our esteemed panelists, Laura, Annie, Siobhan, and Basil, our moderator, Emma, as well as all our guests who joined us for Infinity's first virtual panel discussion on the intersection between neurodivergent and 2SLGBTQIA+ identities.

If you were unable to attend this meeting, a recording of the session has been captured. Please note that this recording is bilingual and contains parts in both English and French. You can download the video onto your device at this link.

Call for members for Working Group for the College@ESDC’s neurodiversity learning event

The College@ESDC is excited to join forces with the Infinity network to bring their lived experiences to the learners of ESDC. We are currently seeking members to join the working group for a learning event on neurodiversity in the workplace taking place on January 18, 2024. A French session will take place at 10 AM EST; the English session will take place at 2 PM EST. Each session will be 90 minutes, with a brief moderated Q&A period included. The working group will include potential panelists/speakers willing to share their lived experiences as neurodiverse individuals in the public service, as well as those who are interested in providing questions, themes, and topics for the discussion period. Priority will be given to speakers working within ESDC. If you are interested in participating in the working group, please send an email to Victoria.valeri@servicecanada.gc.ca.

Call for information about department-level neurodiversity groups  

Infinity is looking to compile a list of existing department-level networks or affinity groups dedicated to supporting neurodivergent employees.  This includes any department-level accessibility networks that welcome neurodivergent employees as part of their membership.

Infinity continues to receive questions from members about department-specific neurodiversity groups. To ensure that the Network can direct its members to support groups closer and more accessible to them within their organizations, we are reaching out to everyone to ask for information about neurodiversity networks and groups at the departmental level they are aware of.   Additionally, as the interdepartmental neurodiversity network, Infinity also hopes to support and collaborate with its department-level counterparts on pan-government initiatives.  

If you lead or support a department-level neurodiversity employee group, or an accessibility network that welcomes neurodivergent employees, please complete the Call for information on department-level neurodiversity networks survey.  

While we recognize there is interest in expanding the number of department-level neurodiversity networks in the future, our focus right now is to take stock of existing groups.  Infinity hopes to provide support to new departmental-level neurodiversity groups soon.  

Government-wide celebrations

Public Service Pride Week

Infinity joins public servants across Canada in celebrating the fifth annual Public Service Pride Week, with this year’s theme entitled “Taking Action to Create a More Inclusive Public Service”.

Infinity embraces the spirit of this year’s celebrations by highlighting the intersection between the 2SLGBTQIA+ and neurodivergent communities. Research has shown, among other things:

•  Autistic people are more likely to identify as gender-diverse (i.e. transgender, non-binary) compared to non-autistics (Warrier, et. al. 2020)
•  Autistic people were at least 3 times more likely to identify as asexual, bisexual, or homosexual compared to non-autistic people. (Weir, et. al. 2021)
•  People with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are about 6 times more likely to be gender-diverse (Strang, et. al. 2014)

Many neurodivergent people who identify as 2SLGBTQIA+ often encounter stigma and hostility from others when trying to understand their gender identity and sexual orientation.   These attitudes often stem from negative stereotypes that neurodivergent people are incapable of fully understanding themselves or their identity.    

During a Pride season that coincides with a period of rising hate and vitriol toward the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, neurodivergent 2SLGBTQIA+ are often denied or face additional barriers to accessing care and support because of their neurodivergence.  

In addition, many 2SLGBTQIA+ spaces are not always welcoming or understanding of neurodivergent people.   Many events common during PSPW can be overstimulating, resulting from high noise levels, bright lights, and crowded environments.  Similarly, a ready grasp of social cues and non-verbal language is often necessary for someone to succeed socially in 2SLGBTQIA+ spaces, which can make neurodivergent people feel more isolated.

Overall, it is important for us to take steps to listen carefully and understand the needs of 2SLGBTQIA+ neurodivergent people, and to be mindful of that important intersection as we work toward fostering an inclusive federal public service.