I am thrilled to put forward the nomination of our organisation’s Neurodiversity Network BBC Enigma in the Outstanding Diversity Network category. This group has made an unprecedented impact at the BBC, steadfastly breaking down barriers, inspiring change and celebrating neurodiverse experiences. The commitment of this network to the celebration of neurodiversity have been truly exceptional, establishing it as a worthy contender for this esteemed recognition.
BBC Enigma’s achievements are multifaceted and enduring, and the following are a few of its notable accomplishments:
• Workforce Inclusion: BBC Enigma launched officially in March 2023 with a week of events scheduled across the BBC’s Nations and Regions to coincide with Neurodiversity Celebration week. It has grown to become one of the BBC’s largest staff networks with over 800 neurodivergent colleagues and allies..
• Education & Awareness: The network has championed an array of informative initiatives including workshops, speaker series, and interactive webinars to heighten understanding of neurodiversity. These important resources, aimed both at supporting ND colleagues and educating Neurotypical colleagues, includes innovative resources such as BBC Enigma’s ‘Neurodiversity Handbook’. The handbook was the network’s first publication, being co-designed with members to create a resource helping Neurodivergent colleagues through shared experiences and insights, as well offering educational information to colleagues and managers about specific neurodivergent conditions, recommended workplace adjustments and links to additional information. Several of these resources have now also been translated into Welsh, as part of the networks ambitions to represent colleagues across the BBC’s Nations groups.
• Wider Staff Network Influence: Since its inception, BBC Enigma has advocated a network policy centred around intersectionality, recognising the importance of Neurodiversity, as part of conversations including many different shared identities. The network committed its steering group to be representational of the BBC’s wider diversity strategy to ensure conversations both inside and external to the network are intersectional. One example was the recent innovative collaboration with the BBC Pride network, celebrating National Coming Out day and discussing parallels between the community’s involving experiences of Masking identity and dealing with Societal Stigma. The network has also collaborated on events with other BBC networks discussing Disability, Ethnicity and Gender, leading the way for Intersectional initiatives now being considered across all internal staff ERG’s.
• External Collaboration: As part of the networks ambition to support the conversation around Neurodiversity beyond the boundaries of the BBC and to share content with wider Industry partners, we collaborated with the Cambridge University ThinkLab team, to research and publish a report on Neurodiversity, ‘Co-Designing a More Inclusive Workplace’. The publicly available report identifies many workplace barriers together with recommendations for adjustments, offering a free resource to other organisations. This collaboration also led to an event collaboration with Disney Pixar, discussing Neurodiversity in the Media industry.
• Policy Influence: The network has successfully advocated for the reformation of internal policies and procedures to recognise Neurodiversity and work toward making our workplace more inclusive for neurodiverse individuals. Changes include improvements to inclusive recruitment processes and successfully advocating for the recent inclusion of Neurodivergent identity in the organisations staff census for the first time, which highlighted that 5% of staff identified as Neurodivergent.
• Access to Assistive Technologies: The network has worked closely with colleagues in the Accessibility team and the BBC’s Access & Disability Services partners, to advocate for and signpost resources available to support neurodivergent colleagues across the organisation. This included a recent conversation with senior leaders to identify and signpost resources to support colleagues currently dealing with the supply shortage of ADHD medication.
• Partnering with Leadership: The network has formed a commendable partnership with our senior leadership team, driving a top-down commitment to neurodiversity. This partnership has been pivotal in initiating and implementing crucial change within the organisation, including the funding and delivery of a Neurodiversity specific training programme for all BBC staff.
BBC Enigma’s endeavour is not only beginning to transform the organisation’s culture but is also empowering countless neurodivergent employees. The networks focus is to help build an environment that values diverse thoughts and ideas, which we believe will, in turn, help to spark innovation and creativity like never before.
