Neurodiversity & Evaluation: Small Shifts, Big Impact
July 2025 | By Grace Iredale – Autistic/ADHD – Evaluation Support & Data Analyst
There are Neurodivergent people in every organisation and community, whether it’s acknowledged or not. That includes teams, partners, and participants.
Inclusivity has a direct effect on the quality of evaluation, monitoring, and research processes. If evaluation methods and frameworks are not inclusive, they can overlook the voices and experiences of the very people whose impact we aim to measure. And this exclusion is not just a missed opportunity – it can distort the findings and recommendations, making them less relevant and less effective.
Knowing where to begin can feel overwhelming. Many organisations haven’t yet explored what Neuro-inclusion means in practice, or how their current systems might unintentionally exclude talented colleagues or community members.
Small changes that can make a big difference
Inclusion doesn’t have to mean big programmes or perfect solutions. It starts with asking better questions and making room for difference.
Here are some areas I would recommend to start thinking about:
- Rethink what we mean by ‘rigour’. Being flexible doesn’t mean being less credible.
- Involve Neurodivergent people in shaping evaluation approaches, not just reviewing or responding to them.
- Offer different ways for people to engage in data collection – not everyone wants to fill in a survey or talk in a group.
- Think about sensory needs in our working environments.
- Make space for varied communication styles – some people write better than they speak, or need longer to process and respond.
These kinds of small adjustments don’t just make work more inclusive – they also help evaluation processes better reflect real, diverse experiences. They allow us to gather more meaningful data, make better-informed decisions, and deliver more impactful social value through our work.
