ADHD and reasonable adjustments
Image: Teodor Kuduschie vita Unsplash
what a spider can teach us about neurodivergence at work
The diving bell spider is unique among arachnids, in that it’s the only one to spend its entire life under water.
It hunts there. Feeds there. Has sex there. Lays eggs there.
Basically, it lives its best life in the rivers and ponds of Europe, blissfully undeterred by the fact that it’s a spider and absolutely needs to breathe air.
But it is one. And it does need to. And so it has developed the ability to remain in its hunting ground of choice almost permanently by building its very own underwater breathing chamber. Or diving bell, if you will.
First, it spins a dome-shaped web between underwater plants.
Once happy with the structure, it floats upwards to make a rare appearance at the water’s surface, before immediately sinking back down again – only now it has tiny air bubbles attached to the hairs on its legs and belly.
These it releases into the web, where they bond together to create a single large bubble.
After a few further trips to the surface and back, the spider has created a diving bell so big, it’s able to climb inside and catch its breath before getting down to the important businesses of hunting and feeding and having sex and laying eggs.
Unlike human diving bells, which require oxygen to be piped down by a support crew, the spider design is entirely self-replenishing, as oxygen from the surrounding water diffuses into the air in the bell.
Likened to a vital organ that the spider wasn’t born with but can recreate whenever and wherever it pleases, the arachnid diving bell is nothing short of ingenious.
And a shining example of how a bit of clever adaptation can reap untold rewards when it comes to thriving in an environment to which we’re not naturally suited.
Take the reasonable workplace adjustments put in place for ADHDers.
A shift in working hours, let’s say. Or the addition of a bit of transcription tech. Perhaps an accountability partner to help stay on task and up to speed.
Despite it being a legal requirement of employers to provide such accommodations, it’s still occasionally claimed that the introduction of reasonable adjustments offers some kind of unfair advantage to an employee.
But it’s a point of view that almost entirely misses the point.
So often, ADHDers find themselves struggling to shine because the environment doesn’t work for them.
They might have skills and talents that are incredible – but those are not even being seen, because the ways of working and limitations the person is forced to operate within are weighted towards a one-size-fits-all approach to doing anything.
In other words, set up to facilitate the neurotypical mind – and only the neurotypical mind.
So these folks have to adapt. They have to find ways to hack the system if they’re to stand any chance of thriving in the first place – to even compete with the natural-born swimmers and underwater dwellers all around them.
Reasonable adjustments don’t offer an unfair advantage in the workplace; they simply put everyone on the same footing before the work begins.
But the real benefit to putting them in place is that they can allow a previously misunderstood person to finally breathe.
Copyright © Kevin Exley 2023
You should not regard the information contained in this article/post as being, or as a replacement for, professional medical advice or treatment. The words contained herein represent the thoughts and opinions of the author, who is not clinically or medically trained.