Neurodiversity in accountancy: navigating your career

Key findings

• Organisations are beginning to recognise the significant strengths of neurodivergent individuals and the contributions they make to the workplace.
• Neurodivergent professionals themselves are reclaiming their own stories, reshaping expectations of what workplaces should provide, and proving that when the environment changes rather than the person, everyone benefits.
• Neurodivergent professionals bring immense value to the accountancy profession, but their success depends on a fundamental shift in how organisations approach inclusion. 
• Moving from awareness to action requires work at both organisational and individual levels, with neither alone being sufficient.
• The question isn’t whether workplaces will become more neuroinclusive – it’s how quickly, and which organisations will lead and which will fall behind.

Neurodivergent people are part of a significant proportion of the workforce: it’s estimated that between 15% and 20% of the population are neurodivergent. 

Here we present several stories from ACCA members and other professional accountants that illustrate how having a neurodivergent condition has presented both work-based challenges that needed to be overcome, yet also endowed individuals with unique strengths, capabilities and qualities they have used to their career advantage.

We also reflect on some of the practical strategies organisations can adopt to support neurodivergent employees better, as well as advice for individuals themselves. This narrative is at heart a good-news story, serving to remind all of us of the strength that comes from fully embracing neurodivergent talent within the profession

Organisations that genuinely invest in neuro-inclusion see tangible benefits: they attract talent who value authentic inclusion, retain people who might otherwise burn out from masking and access thinking styles that drive innovation.

The stories in this research demonstrate that when the environment changes rather than the person, neurodivergent professionals in accountancy don’t just survive, they thrive. 

Neurodiversity and language

The language surrounding neurodiversity can be emotive, powerful and at times even contentious. For a neurodivergent professional, understanding this terminology matters both for how they describe themselves and for navigating workplace conversations about cognitive differences.

Key terms

• Neurodiversity: Applies to everyone. It describes the natural variation among all human brains in how they are ‘wired’ and function. Most cognitive variation falls within a certain range considered typical, but the concept of neurodiversity acknowledges that all brains are different.
• Neurodivergent / neuro-difference /  neurominority: Describes those whose cognitive variation falls outside what is considered typical, affecting how the brain learns, processes information and experiences the world. This includes neurotypes such as ADHD, autism, dyslexia, dyspraxia (DCD), dyscalculia and Tourette’s syndrome. Many neurodivergent people have more than one co-occurring condition – you may recognise this in your own experience.
• Neurotypical/ neuromajority: Describes individuals whose cognitive processing aligns with what society considers ‘typical’ or within the most common range of variation. It applies to the majority of people.

From stories to action 

Based on stories and insights from neurodivergent accountancy professionals navigating the workplace, the research explores not just individual experiences but the conditions that enable success. The report also shares some of the practical strategies organisations can adopt to support neurodivergent employees better, as well as advice for individuals themselves. 

The report makes recommendations for employers and individuals which are structured around five strategic areas that emerged directly from these narratives. 

1. Systemic organisational change: the foundational shifts in management, processes and culture that create environments where neurodivergent professionals can contribute effectively. 
2. Individual empowerment: the strategies, tools and approaches that enable individuals to navigate their careers strategically, regardless of organisational readiness. 
3. Leveraging cognitive strengths: reframing attitudes from deficit-based accommodation to recognising genuine competitive advantages. 
4. Recognising diverse career paths: expanding what success looks like beyond traditional progression routes. 
5. Cultural context: acknowledging that neurodiversity acceptance varies dramatically across regions and culture.

Our stories

The research sought to understand the challenges individuals face at work and in education; their strengths; how organisations have implemented support at both the organisational and individual level; and thoughts about the future of neurodiversity at work.

These stories ultimately celebrate thinking differently. They demonstrate that neurodivergent professionals aren’t thriving despite their neurotype, but often because of the unique perspectives and approaches they bring.

Looking forward

The question isn’t whether workplaces will become more neuro inclusive – it’s how quickly, and which organisations will lead and which will fall behind. For neurodivergent professionals reading this: your experiences, challenges and successes are valid. You belong in this profession. The barriers you face reflect design problems in systems, not deficits in you. For organisations: the talent is there, the business case is clear and the tools exist. What’s required now is commitment to genuine transformation, not performative pretences of inclusion.