Making business communication accessible for neurodivergence

Accessible communication is essential for any business to succeed. An opinion shared by many for a while and is now being supported by facts!

Inclusive conversations create trust and help ensure that everyone understands what they need to do. Most assume someone will tell them if accommodation is needed. But research shows this is not the case. Recent studies found that:

• 51% of neurodivergent employees don’t feel safe sharing their neurodiversity at work. (City & Guilds Neurodiversity Index 2025 Link)

• 78% of neurodivergent entrepreneurs feel they have to hide their neurodiversity to avoid judgment. (The Entrepreneurs Network Neurodiverse Founders Study Link)

These statistics reveal a critical issue — Highlighting the importance of using accessible language everyday.

Inaccessible communication creates barriers that affect productivity, engagement, and trust. In contrast, businesses that commit to inclusive practices see positive results (more on that in a moment).

This blog will share practical steps, useful resources and insightful knowledge. All to help you make your communication more inclusive. Keep reading to learn how small changes can make a big difference — plus the (not so) surprising impact accessibility has on staff turnover, according to new ACAS research!

• The Benefits
• Challenges & Accommodations
• Practical Steps
• Summary

Benefits of accessibility in business communication

Let us start by delving deeper into the benefits of accessible communication. Discovering why communicating this way strengthens relationships, supports your team, and ensures compliance.

Improving relationships with inclusive communication

It might not be a surprise to you that being inclusive can improve those key relationships. But some of the ways it does this are unexpected. Here are just some:

Expanding audience reach

During my Bold Type training with Ettie Bailey-King, I learned about an interesting study. In it, a group of doctors were given the choice between two versions of the same research paper. Exactly the same information, except one was written in simple language. Most turned that one down, believing they didn’t need it. But when the choice was taken away, and simple language was used as standard, they agreed it was easier to read and understand. 

This proves that clear communication benefits everyone, including highly skilled professionals. Meaning you will reach a broader audience because your content is easier to engage with.

Supporting people on their bad days

Simple communication isn’t just for neurodivergent individuals. It also helps people affected by their situation. Like someone feeling unwell, trying to read in a noisy setting, or using their phone instead of a computer. Being accessible first removes barriers, making information easier to process in any situation. 

Boosting engagement

Clear, inclusive messaging makes it easier for people to interact with your business. Which in turn increases customer loyalty.

Reducing misunderstandings

When information is presented in an accessible way, fewer mistakes happen. Leading to stronger relationships and more successful outcomes.

Enhancing reputation

A business that prioritises inclusivity demonstrates ethical values and builds trust with clients and partners. It can even help you find new business from those who share your ethos.

Supporting neurodivergent people in your organisation

With the current governments aim to get more disabled people back to work, it is important to start getting support in place. But how will it affect your business? by:

Attracting and retaining talent

An inclusive environment makes employees feel valued, increasing staff retention. A great place to start is providing interview questions to all applicants. 

In ACAS research, one small business reduced its staff turnover to 8%. They achieved this by incorporating neuroinclusion proactively. Saving that business time, money and talent.

This is a huge impact, especially when compared to the national average of 34%. You can read the ACAS research here: Support Neurodiverse Staff

Encouraging innovation

Neurodivergent employees help drive innovation. We see and experience the world differently. Meaning we bring fresh and diverse perspectives to your team. Improving the teams problem-solving and creativity.

Improving workplace culture

Accessibility fosters a supportive and collaborative work environment. Another factor that has been linked to reducing staff turnover. Even when it does not affect them personally, employees that are not proud of their employer will often leave.

Boosting productivity

It seems like a no brainer that employees work more effectively when they have access to clear, accessible communication and a diverse team. A supported team is one that can perform better and achieve their goals.

Communication differences

The National Autistic Society highlights that autistic individuals often prefer direct, precise language and may struggle with ambiguous or overly complex communication. We will cover some tips later, but you can also learn more from the National Autistic Society directly with this link: Autism and Communication

Ensuring compliance and ethical communication practices

Being accessible is no longer a choice in many areas. Here are some of the rules you should be aware of:

Meeting legal requirements

The Equality Act 2010 requires businesses to provide accessible training and development.

Preparing for future regulations

The EAA 2025 will introduce new accessibility standards for EU traders. Something that the UK could be required to adopted, in order to get good trade deals. Even if it is not though, you may find you lose EU business if you are not compliant. Again this comes back to many businesses making more and more supplier choices based off of shared values.

Avoiding legal risks

Prioritising accessibility reduces the chances of discrimination claims or compliance penalties. A no brainer when you think about it.

Improving digital presence

Did you know that accessible websites rank better in search engines? Making it easier for customers to find your business.

UK web accessibility laws require businesses to follow WCAG 2.1 Level AA standards under the Public Sector Bodies Accessibility Regulations 2018. The charity Scope has some great guides, that we used to improve our own website. Here is a link to one: Colour contrast accessibility.

Digital accessibility matters

Scope also reports that around 1.5 million people in the UK have a learning disability. With an estimated 1 in 10 people being dyslexic. This simply reinforces the need for accessible communication. You can use this link to Scopes article on your responsibilities: UK Law and digital accessibility.

Understanding accommodations for neurodivergent people

Providing accessible communication starts by understanding how information is processed. Businesses must build fundamentally accessible environments while allowing for individual adjustments, ensuring clearer communication, fewer barriers, and truly inclusive workplaces.

In our latest blog, we explore five key workplace challenges faced by neurodivergent professionals—from processing differences to sensory sensitivities—and offer actionable accommodations to support more effective communication. Read the full article here: 

Top 5 Workplace Challenges for Neurodivergent Professionals

Tailoring communication therefor is essential. In a one-to-one scenario, you can work together to find what works for everyone. In group settings you have to be more strategic and find that happy medium, as some may have conflicting needs.

7 Practical steps for implementing accommodations for neurodiversity

We have covered a lot of potential accommodations in this blog. Believe it or not, these are only some of the things you could be doing, and we encourage you to get creative! But we also understand that making these changes can be overwhelming, so where can you start?

1. Design for Accessibility

Digital and physical environments should be tested for accessibility. Use WCAG standards to ensure online content is user-friendly, and seek direct feedback from neurodivergent employees or clients to refine designs beyond compliance. You could start by comparing your designs to the Goverment's guidlines from 2016. Here is the link: Dos and don'ts on designing for accessibility

2. Embrace Multi-Format Communication

People process information in different ways, so you will never find a one size fits all solution. By providing options like video captions, structured meeting notes, and audio alternatives, you allow individuals to engage in ways that work for them.

3. Adopt Plain Language Principles

Accessibility isn’t just about design, it’s also about clarity in writing. Avoid jargon, industry slang, and unnecessary complexity. Doing this in all areas of communication from policies and contracts to client phone calls. Start thinking about your choice of words and prioritise direct, structured language to support neurodivergent individuals.

4. Review Existing Materials

It's likely that your existing documents contain barriers that you never noticed before. Be that your website or internal how to guides. Plan an audit of policies, guides, and training materials to ensure they follow inclusive communication principles. It's a good idea to do this regularly as knowledge and tools around accessibility are always changing and improving.

5. Seek Feedback and Begin Representing Internally

Inclusive communication requires constant improvement. Build in processes that allow neurodivergent voices to be heard and celebrated. Through things like regular staff reviews, anonymous surveys, and open discussions. Spread awareness and highlight potential advocates and allies, by encouraging the addition of neurotypes and accessibility needs in email signatures. For larger organisations this has the added impact of feeling understood by upper management, and showcasing how diverse your business truely is.

6. Team Awareness and Training

Inclusivity shouldn’t be an afterthought. Training staff on neurodivergent communication needs ensures accommodations are practiced daily, rather than treated as optional adjustments. Whilst it can be tempting to lean on the personal experiences of existing team members, this can be a lot of pressure and we recommend getting in an expert like we did with Ettie Bailey-King.

7. Start Inclusive Recruitment

If you are seeking your next employee, think about what your advert and interview process is saying about your business. Share interview questions in advance (with everyone), do not include executive function abilities as requirements on the ad and avoid AI screening. Which has been found to be discriminatory in the past.

Summary: Inclusive Communication Benefits Everyone

Accessible communication is about creating environments where everyone can engage effectively. Those businesses that prioritise inclusivity proactively;

• Foster better relationships
• Improve productivity and innovation
• Reduce misunderstandings
• Create stronger workplace culture, with lower staff turnover as a result
  

Your first step towards accessible communication is discovering what barriers already exist. Approach this challenge with curiosity, remembering that accessible language helps everyone not just those with disclosed disabilities. If you recall the statistics we shared at the start, then at least half the neurodivergent people you know will not be sharing their needs with you. So by being accessible first, you are enabling them to showcase their skills without fear of discrimination.

At Watmore & Co Accounting, we believe that poor communication around your finances, specifically accounting and bookkeeping, often leads to serious consequences. Internally, it can contribute to departments overspending and externally, it can disrupt critical relationships through poor credit control. Both of these things, lead to potentially damaging cash flow outcomes. Something that we saw supported in the UK Government's findings back in November 2023. 

Amongst others, the government’s report cited these key statistics:

• FSB estimates that 50,000 small to medium-sized enterprises close each year due to cash flow problems.
  
  
• Intuit QuickBooks estimates that across the UK, 56.4 million hours are spent annually chasing overdue and late payments. The equivalent to more than a single working week for a typical small business.
  
  
• Whereas Xero estimates that late payments cost small businesses £684 million each year.

You can read the full report here: Payment and Cash Flow Review 2023

The statics quoted from Xero were from actual from a two part series. In that research Xero were looking at the impact of cash flow to small businesses and how they compared across Australia, New Zealand and the UK. Here's what else they found:

Cash flow challenges undermine the growth and operations of at least 9 in 10 small businesses in the UK. They also reported that "the average UK small business faces cash flow crunches for more than four months each year, with almost one in four (23%) experiencing it for more than six months each year."

They describe a "cash flow crunch" as where your monthly expenses exceed your monthly sales. You can read the full report here: Crunch: Cash flow challenges facing small businesses part 1.

How can Watmore and Co. help? We offer support as external accountants to ensure that not only are your accounts complete on time, that they are also accessible to everyone in your business. We specialise in supporting neurodivergent and disabled individuals, ensuring that barriers are removed and confidence restored. Whether you are a solopreneur or a director of a medium sized business we can support you. Book a call today to see just how we can help you secure a more stable and accessible financial future.

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