- Insights from Dr Sue Wilkinson
“Now Is the Time”: Embedding Disability Inclusion in Your Team
Embedding Disability Inclusion in Your Team
National Inclusion Week 2025 arrives with a timely challenge: “Now is the Time.” For employers and managers, this isn’t just a theme—it’s a wake-up call. Inclusion can no longer be a side project or a seasonal campaign. It must be embedded into the DNA of how we lead, hire, communicate, and build culture.
As someone who’s spent over 15 years working across academia and the disability sector, I’ve seen firsthand how transformative inclusive leadership can be. But I’ve also seen how often it’s misunderstood, delayed, or delegated. So, let’s be clear: inclusion is not someone else’s job. It’s yours.
Why Your Team’s Success Depends on Inclusion
1 in 5 employees may be disabled or neurodivergent—many without formal diagnosis or disclosure.
Adjustments for disabled staff often benefit everyone—think flexible hours, quiet zones, or clearer communication.
Cognitive load theory shows that unclear instructions and chaotic workspaces increase extraneous load—hindering focus, memory, and decision-making
Legal compliance is the floor. Culture change is the ceiling. And the space between is where leaders must step in with inclusive practices that transform potential into performance.
Inclusion in Your Team
Forget tick-box exercises. Real inclusion is systemic, proactive, and relational. It means:
- Psychological safety: Employees feel safe to disclose disability or request changes without fearing stereotype threat.
- Universal design: Processes and interfaces minimize extraneous cognitive load—clear layouts, consistent formatting, predictable routines.
- Tailored adjustments: Support that matches individual cognitive profiles—visual schedules, scent-free zones, flexible deadlines.
- Inclusive leadership: Managers understand cognitive diversity and lead with empathy, not assumptions.
What Inclusion Really Looks Like
Forget tick-box exercises. Real inclusion is systemic, proactive, and relational. It means:
Psychological safety
Employees feel safe to disclose disability or request changes without fearing stereotype threat.
Universal design
Processes and interfaces minimize extraneous cognitive load—clear layouts, consistent formatting, predictable routines.
Tailored adjustments
Support that matches individual cognitive profiles—visual schedules, scent-free zones, flexible deadlines.
Inclusive leadership
Managers understand cognitive diversity and lead with empathy, not assumptions.
Cognitive Psychology Meets Inclusion
Understanding key cognitive principles can transform your approach:
- Working-memory constraints
– Short, clear instructions reduce overload.
– Breaking tasks into smaller steps supports task-switching and prevents mistakes. - Attention and sensory processing
– Open-plan offices may overwhelm some brains—quiet zones restore focus.
– Visual clutter draws attention away from priorities. - Cognitive biases and psychological safety
– Confirmation bias can blind us to barriers we don’t experience.
– A growth-mindset climate reduces fear of disclosure and fosters innovation.
Four Actions You Can Take This Week
Audit Through a Cognitive Lens
Review job descriptions, onboarding materials, and internal processes. Ask: • Who might be excluded by default? • What assumptions are baked into our systems? • Does this design respect working-memory limits? • Could sensory factors distract or overload team members?
Host a Conversation
Invite disabled employees or external experts to share lived experiences. Make it safe, structured, and voluntary. Listening is leadership.
Share Resources
Circulate a neurodiversity toolkit or inclusion guide that explains cognitive load, attention differences, and memory strategies. If you don’t have one—create it. We have experts here at Remtek who can help you with this!
Commit to Change
Publish an internal inclusion pledge with clear actions and timelines. Build feedback loops with disabled staff to inform ongoing strategy. What Inclusive Leadership Sounds Like • “How can I support you to do your best work?” • “What sensory adjustments can I make so you can concentrate?” • “Let’s co-design this process with attention to how we all think differently.” Inclusion isn’t about perfection. It’s about progress, humility, and consistency.
Beyond the Week
National Inclusion Week is a catalyst—not a conclusion. The real work happens in the months that follow. Whether you’re a CEO or a line manager, your role is pivotal. Inclusion isn’t a policy—it’s a practice. And now is the time to lead it.