accessibility

Refers to a person’s ability to open and engage with materials, processes, or features of an environment (physical or digital)

accommodation

Any tool that can be used to help someone do their job better

allyship

Active support for the rights of a minority or marginalized group without being a member of that group

Autistic burnout

A state of pervasive, often long-lasting exhaustion, which may be accompanied by a loss of skills and reduced tolerance to stimuli; it is specific to autistic people's unique set of struggles.

Disability Spread

The mistaken belief that having support needs in one specific area means that the person must have support needs in other areas as well.

energy accounting

A system used to help set manageable limits on energy levels.

functioning labels

Labels that place harmful limits on the expectations and potential of neurodivergent and disabled persons; e.g., "high-functioning/low-functioning," "mild autism/severe autism"

hidden curriculum

Describes an amorphous collection of implicit social rules, unspoken expectations, and unwritten norms and values dictated by the dominant cultural context

identity-first language

The word for a disability comes before the word "person," indicating that the person identifies their disability as an integral part of who they are; e.g., "Autistic person." This could also refer to a group, such as "Autistic people" or "Disabled people."

interoception

A term that describes how we feel our internal body and emotional states.

intersectionality

Describes the complex, cumulative way in which the effects of multiple forms of discrimination combine, overlap, or intersect especially in the experiences of marginalized individuals or groups

mask

Describes the act of suppressing natural ways of being to appear more neurotypical in an effort to avoid discrimination and to be successful at work

masking

Describes the act of suppressing natural ways of being to appear more neurotypical in an effort to avoid discrimination and to be successful at work

neurodivergent

Describes an individual who has differences in neurology that diverge from what a society predominantly considers to be "normal"; not neurotypical and therefore may behave, socialize, and think in ways that reflect a different experience of the world and offer a unique perspective (e.g., ADHD, autism, Tourette, dyslexia, dyspraxia, and much more)

neurodiverse

Describes a team or group of individuals across the spectrum of neurodiversity; inclusive of all brain types and cognitive profiles

neuroinclusion

Describes the effect of environments, systems, processes, and cultures that take into consideration divergent processing and communication styles to create spaces that are accessible and inclusive of all neurotypes

neurotype

Describes a type of brain that aligns with but is not limited to a specific set of characteristics

neurotypes

Plural of neurotype; brains aligned with but not limited to a specific set of characteristics

neurotypical

Describes an individual whose neurology fits within a society's assumptions of "normality"; not neurodivergent and therefore behaves, socializes, and thinks in generally expected ways

neurotypical influence

Describes cultural norms driven by majority-based neurotypical tendencies that have heavily influenced the physical and social world in which we live; this majority-based influence often causes the exclusion of many talented and valuable individuals who differ from the "norm"

person-first language

The word "person" comes before the word for a disability; e.g., "person with autism." Some people prefer this language because they want to be seen simply as a person before being labeled with their disability.

sensory processing

Describes the intake and organization of sensory information from the body and the external world that allows a person to engage with their physical and social environments

skill-based hiring

A talent acquisition method that cuts through bias by focusing solely on candidate competencies in role-related skills

support labels

Terms that specify support needs, if necessary, to be more accurate, respectful, and productive for neurodivergent and disabled persons and/or groups and which lead to access; e.g., "occasional support needs," "communication-related support needs"

usability

Refers to a person’s ability to not only access an environment but to do something in that environment

workstyle

Describes the overall combination of an individual's preferences regarding communication style, work environment, collaboration methods, executive functioning strategies, and more