The rise of Neurodiversity networks - BCS Exam Certifications

When I mentioned I was going to a roundtable discussion about neurodiversity in the workplace - the reaction was mixed, writes BCS’s Claire Penketh

Some knew immediately what I was talking about - others looked puzzled and asked what neurodiversity was - and one - memorably, misheard and thought I was going to see the dance group, Diversity.

In a nutshell, neurodiversity is an umbrella term that covers invisible disabilities such as dyslexia and dyscalculia, dyspraxia, attention deficit disorder and the autistic spectrum. It is believed to affect around 15 per cent of the population - with dyslexia taking the lion’s share at around 10 per cent. But there is some debate about the exact figure as many people have several of co-occurring conditions plus there’s the issue of non-disclosure, often because of stigma.

The term neurodiversity was coined about twenty years ago by an American sociologist, Judy Singer, who is herself, autistic. She had a light-bulb moment as she wrote her honours thesis when she noted people with different kinds of minds were oppressed in the same way as women and gay people, before they had their own movement. She concluded the neurologically diverse needed a movement of their own and a catchy name - hence neurodiversity. 

To return to the event I was invited to - The Rise of Neurodiversity Networks was hosted by JLL - a global professional services and investment firm operating in the real-estate sector. It was co-hosted by the British Dyslexia Association (BDA) with the key presentation given by BCS Fellow John Levell, who is also joint chair of BDA.

As a former EY Associate Partner John specialises in advising boards on digital strategy and technology-enabled business change. He was diagnosed as dyslexic at 42 and told me he firmly believes many in the IT industries don’t conform to the norm: ’I’ve worked in technology for about thirty years and I’m in no doubt there are a great many neurodiverse people within the technology space who are successful, primarily because they think differently to your average bear. 

‘I think this type of event helps us recognise the value of neurodiversity and formalises the opportunities it brings to organisations.’

A match made in professional heaven

The Institute of Highway Engineers (IHE) and BCS (The Chartered Institute for IT) are pleased to announce a partnership to offer Registered IT Technician (RITTech) and Chartered IT Professional (CITP) status for highway engineers with an IT speciality.

Both the RITTech and CITP professional standards demonstrate competency in IT, and now IHE members can achieve the status through the partnership agreement.

The RITTech standard is designed to recognise the talents of IT technicians and being able to use the postnominals ‘RITTech’ highlights the importance of professionalism within IT. Registrants revalidate every three years.

CITP provides a recognised benchmark across the global IT profession that validates experience, knowledge and competence including management and leadership competencies.

Registrants can use the CITP post-nominal and with revalidation every five years, CITP is of real value and relevance to employers.

Richard Hayes, IHE chief executive said: 'This qualification is testament of the IHE’s on-going commitment to advancing and promoting IT professionalism. Through this partnership, we are delighted to be able to offer experienced specialists this highly regarded status of IT excellence.

'This is a valuable opportunity for many of our members and demonstrates that those highway and traffic professionals working in ITS and the emerging technologies can confirm the professional status. We are delighted that IHE members are now able to benefit from RITTech and CITP status.'

Paul Fletcher, CEO of BCS said: 'BCS is delighted to be working in partnership with the Institute of Highway Engineers to recognize and promote the professionalism of the IT professionals working in the industry it serves.

'Increasingly, we’re seeing the spotlight put on to our profession, what it does, and importantly, how we do it. That tremendous responsibility means that now, more than ever, the role of the registered and chartered IT professional has never been more important.'