This is just ignorance because this article from HBR says neurodivergent people have many qualities that can help businesses and relationships.
If you feel like you have been forced to fit in at work, you probably are neurodivergent. The smartest people I have met in my life have been this way and it was always a pleasure to interact with them.
It doesn’t make sense, does it? Just like women were ignored as part of the workforce, neurodivergent people have been ignored as part of the workforce as well. I have talked before about how tests, cultural expectations, and bias have kept minorities out of the workforce. Neurodivergent people are just another minority that is often invisible.
I once had a priest tell me that the poor are a silent tragedy. Who advocates for the poor and weak among us? Is the only point of view that is valid, that of a white and male perspective? Our society has grown since its founding to be more inclusive. Why do we fight the progress of history and acceptance? Why do we seek to go back to a time when the luck of nature determined your role in life and not your hard work and intelligence?
It is easy for companies to do what is easy and comfortable. Those same companies go out of business more frequently. Other studies show that the more women are involved in leadership/management positions, the more likely the company will stay in business. Having diversity strengthens a business and our own relationships.
Let me give you an example. When I was younger I had friends who did not fit the straight white stereotype. Come to find out later one was queer, one was asexual and others were lesbian, and so on. I didn’t care what their sexuality was. Even though I was catholic at the time I didn’t think less of them. It is not our job to judge others. I refuse to push my values on others. I had values pushed onto me that didn’t help me. This is not to praise me but rather to say that being an ally to those who don’t have a voice, doesn’t mean you have to identify who those minorities are. Just standing up for other’s rights, is always a democratic and US value. A patriot stands up for everyone, not just those he agrees with.