Working together to support neurodivergent individuals

In an increasingly inclusive society, the unique perspectives of neurodivergent individuals – those with conditions such as ADHD, Autism, Dyslexia and others – are gaining recognition. Despite the progress made through education and real-life experience, there are many barriers that these individuals still experience, such as:

Stigma and Misunderstanding
A common occurrence is misunderstanding the conditions, leading to negative stereotypes and discrimination. For example, people with autism may be labelled as antisocial if they prefer to stay out of crowded situations, resulting in isolation and low self-esteem.

Challenges in Employment
Many workplaces have started implementing procedures to help their neurodivergent employees; however, many companies have little to no understanding or no practices in place. Candidates may not progress due to their behavioural styles or communication during recruitment. In the office environment, they may struggle if adjustments are not in place. Unless managers and team members are aware, they may not be understanding or empathetic to the needs of those individuals.

Healthcare Barriers
In a medical setting, the caregiver may not have the training or understanding to care for neurodivergent individuals. This leads to a lack of support for their conditions and the inability to receive the correct treatment.

The support we offer at PayPlan
At PayPlan, we pride ourselves on being inclusive and supportive of all our clients. To help our clients, we have introduced these practices:

• Vulnerability Support—Our advisors are trained to spot vulnerabilities, offer clients the advice they need, and signpost them to organisations if necessary. We work with a wider support network and have regular training to keep all our practices up to date.
• Plain Numbers—Many of our team members are plain numbers accredited. This ensures that we communicate numbers and the words around them clearly. This is vitally important for any documents we send out or information on our website.
• Coloured Paper—All our paperwork can be sent out on coloured paper, reducing the contrast between the text and the white background, making it easier for those with dyslexia to distinguish words. The contrast between black ink and white paper can be quite visually overwhelming, so if it is on a different-coloured background, this can reduce the visual stress of someone reading our paperwork.
• Different communication methods – we understand that not everyone communicates in the same way; this is why we offer many ways to receive debt advice. Clients can reach us via phone, email, live chat or WhatsApp at a time that suits them with no pressure.
• WCAG, web accessibility initiative—All payplan.com webpages meet the WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) standard, ensuring that our web content is more accessible to people with disabilities.
  

What you can do next
If you are struggling to repay debts and feel like you need some support call us on 0800 072 1206. We’re open from 8am – 8pm Monday to Friday and 9am – 3pm on Saturdays.
Alternatively, you can visit our website www.payplan.com/bfawu to speak to us via live chat or for more information.