We’re also delighted to announce that they’ve welcomed Anya to the team and are actively looking for more volunteers to support this unique organisation.

But firstly, did you know?

• Up to 1 in 7 (over 15%) of people in the UK are Neurodivergent.
• In 2021, just 21.6% of UK adults on the autism spectrum were reported to be in employment. 
• Neurodivergent employees at JPMorgan Chase were reported to be up to 48% more productive than their neurotypical colleagues.
• After 3 to 6 months, Neurodivergnt employees at JPMorgan Chase were working at speeds that typical employees needed 3 years to reach - while being more productive!

Dan Smith and James Stockbridge first met way back in 2014 when they started their cadetships at nautical college in Southampton and they’ve been firm friends ever since. 

Dan (27) hails from the North West and currently works as Mate on a harbour tug in the UK, but has an offshore background, and has worked in the dredging and RoRo sectors. James (39), is originally from Devon but now lives in Berkshire and has just completed an offshore role in the North Sea as Chief Mate. 

They’re both passionate about Neurodivergence for some very personal reasons. Dan was diagnosed with Autism at an early age and so has first hand experience of the struggles that the community faces, because he’s faced them himself. He understands how utterly soul destroying it can be when you’re singled out because you’re ‘different’, bullied because of who you are, discriminated against and generally mistreated. He recalls feeling upset and confused growing up - to the point of sitting in bed in tears and asking ‘why?’. Much of his motivation to make a difference is to stop anyone else having to experience the same.

Being Autistic means his experience of life has been… different to those without a neurodivergence. Sadly, most of that experience was negative; growing up in a world that wasn’t designed for people like him. It’s much the same working in the maritime industry and he’s found it difficult to even just do his job, because of a lack of understanding in the industry leading to discrimination. That said, he has noticed positive signs of change creeping in very slowly.

For James, it’s been finding out that some of the things he’s had to come to terms with personally are neurodivergent and actually a ‘thing!’ For him, this brought the realisation that on looking outward, his profession is rich in neurodivergent people. Yet the neurodivergent characteristics that made someone a brilliant seafarer were, for no good reason, socially and professionally limiting at the same time.  We have oceans of talent and human potential available to us, but far too much of it is still wasted.

James is horrified at this sheer waste of talent and human potential, though he agrees with Dan that being ‘different’ is both a blessing and a curse as a seafarer. On one hand he’s met brilliant seafarers who benefit hugely from neurodivergent traits - from hyperfocus to enhanced spatial awareness, creativity and numeracy. But on the other hand, many of these same seafarers struggle to progress; whether to get a ticket, to master a new IT system, or even basic presentation skills. These are the people who struggled without the right support, or only minimal support and understanding, to get them over the line.

He has encountered seafarers who have faced disciplinary action, been kicked out, and possibly black listed, purely because of neurodivergent traits - which are just the result of their brains working a bit differently. In many of these cases, knowledge, understanding and leadership could have resulted in better, safer and happier outcomes. 

While neither of the team have formal training in neurodiversity, their expertise comes from personal experience which could be considered to be even more relevant and important. Dan told us that his personal experience is in some ways better, but other ways worse. This ‘lived experience’ of being Autistic provides first hand knowledge of what the condition can be like and how it can affect someone. Some of his closest friends are neurodivergent which has been extremely helpful in expanding his own working knowledge and understanding how SpLDs or ADHD affect people day to day in the real world. 

James states he’s a seafarer first and foremost. His knowledge of neurodiversity from experience has been supplemented by study and guidance from others in the sector and he has some legal training. He believes that if you have the responsibility of a leadership role for seafarers today, then a sound understanding of neurodiversity and neurodivergent individuals is a practical and moral necessity.

The concept of NeurodiversAtSea happened as the result of a frustrating experience with a potential employer. Afterwards Dan realised that this was going to keep happening unless something changed. He was faced with a tough decision between staying in the industry and fighting to make that change happen, or leave and retrain for a job in IT!

After much internal debate, which he describes as “a scene that in my head looked like Mel Gibson’s ‘freedom’ speech from Braveheart’, he decided the only option was to fight the good fight!

So, the NeurodiversAtSea website was created (https://www.neurodiversatsea.org/index.html), together with the help of some friends who also have lived experience of Neurodiverse conditions. Then, he called James to ask how to take the concept from a website to a material change in the industry and they decided on the next steps. The NeurodiversAtSea charity.

Their aim is to help seafarers, their employers and managers to do the right thing. To shine a light on the positives and benefits that a neurodivergent workforce can bring, and to find simple, inexpensive ways to get the very best from the brilliantly neurodiverse talent within the seafaring profession. The neurodivergent community does exist and has as much right to be here, and be happy and successful, as everyone else.

NeurodiversAtSea has multiple audiences across the industry and the aim is to reach as many people as possible from ‘bottom plates to boardrooms’. Starting at the shop floor, seafarers have to live and work together which means an understanding of each other is essential. By and large, we’re pretty good at this. Seafarers are generally tolerant and understanding, curious and mostly respectful of each other. But we can and should be better at it. Our audience is those who work on deck or in the engine room, leaders, managers, ashore and afloat. It’s managers and policy makers; Masters, DPA, Auditors and commercial leaders.  We need more and better tools to understand, lead and manage effectively in light of what we now know about neurodivergence. In the maritime context these tools reside in ISM structures. 

It isn’t just from a practical perspective of increasing awareness and starting a change. The team has noted that crucially, you never know where you’ll find a potential ally. It’s been humbling in many ways to find that there ARE allies out there; people who want to drive change. Not just for their own good, or to further their own name, but genuinely for the betterment of everyone. 

Both Dan and James have been shocked at the journey experienced by other neurodivergent seafarers. Discrimination exists at every stage of the process from recruitment to promotion, through performance reviews to examination and treatment on board. Some seafarers have been found in crisis as a direct result of discrimination. Some have left the profession, or appear to have been blacklisted. For others, it has resulted in them being unable to meet their professional potential. Subsequent investigation often shows that these individuals have been exhibiting neurodivergent characteristics.

As a profession and as colleagues, we try to do the right thing. But so many of our efforts can seem ineffective or feel like theatre… how many videos promoting the latest buzzword do we have to watch? The fact that one fifth of the population's brains work differently - neurodivergent - is not a buzzword or an agenda. It’s a fact. This demands urgent, practical and evidence-based intervention. 

This doesn't mean we can sugar coat things and say that neurodivergence doesn’t, hasn’t or won’t cause issues at sea. However, the caveat is that those issues are most likely caused by a lack of understanding. 

Seafarers are robustly tolerant, mostly pretty respectful and have a very particular sense of humour! They are very practical, and quite rightly suspicious of agenda’s, jargon and bulls**t!! But, there is still capability for misunderstanding when it comes to neurodivergence. Let’s use the simple example of someone not making eye contact. Does this make them aloof? Unfocused? Rude or ignorant? Following a cultural norm? Or could they be exhibiting a neurodivergent trait? 

The reality could be an autistic person struggling to look someone in the eye, even though they are fully focused on the conversation and the task at hand. There are countless other cases of simple misunderstanding like this stacking up to the point where it can cause major issues. It’s easy to see how this can lead to significant misunderstanding, especially in a confined environment. This is what we’re keen to change. Thankfully we’ve found plenty of people who are willing to help by starting the conversation. Sadly we’ve also come across numerous others who believe that “neurodivergent people shouldn’t be at sea; period”

There are still far too few positive stories, but we can see the beginnings of change. As a result of ISM, we as a profession have the means to hold ourselves accountable in doing the right thing, and get better at what we do. People are beginning to understand that different brains are more than OK, they can be an advantage at sea and in other work environments. Progress is slow but change is happening and we’re working on a way to highlight the positive stories we’ve found, so watch this space!

As a relatively new organisation, the reception has been very reassuring and a little humbling. The team has received support from a whole range of professionals from around the world, which has been absolutely fantastic. In particular, Dan and James love the fact that so far, everyone has approached them with their own stories of neurodivergence, whether that be their own neurodivergent difference or that of someone they know. It seems that everyone has a personal story to tell and is united in the need to change the industry. The most unexpected thing they’ve noted is the joy of people reaching out to say that they no longer feel alone, because through NeurodiversAtSea, they’ve learned that there are other neurodivergent people out there on the ocean. They quite rightly take great pride in this. 

It’s difficult to describe a typical day at NeurodiversAtSea as no two days are the same! Because everyone has busy working lives at sea, plus family commitments, we have to make the most of the limited time we have, which can lead to a fairly uncommon approach to managing things! Our way is to allow each person to do the work they excel at, so we get the most accomplished in the least amount of time.

Tasks could include working through our research and whitepaper (more on that later!), maintaining and updating the website, working on top secret projects, planning, research, or doing PR and outreach to further the aims of the charity. Some of this includes daily time to directly engage with the community members who have contacted the team directly. We’re bringing in some brilliant new talent, and recently welcomed Anya to the team. The next phase will be canvassing industry leaders for their commitment. 

We’re all aware of the increase in adults discovering that they are neurodiverse later in life and the team fully supports this. But if you are looking for a diagnosis, their advice is to research the process thoroughly and think about what you want from it first – whether it’s support, answers, closure or something else. 

In the UK there are a number of routes and you may be able to take through occupational health, or through the NHS. If you’re lucky enough to have the funds, a private health route could be open to you. But, the team reiterated that even if you still can’t get a diagnosis, it’s important to remember that you’re still valid, you still matter and you’re still seen. Plus, you can contact the NeurodiversAtSea team directly for more information and support.

Research was mentioned earlier, and the team is about to publish their first White Paper. The evidential backdrop is fascinating, though of variable quality. For example, there is evidence that certain social and professional groups are particularly neurodiverse or value neurodivergence.

There’s evidence that employers who harness neurodivergent talent reap spectacular rewards in terms of productivity and creativity. On the other hand, some neurodivergent groups face statistically dire social outcomes. 

We started our research with open minds and with an eye towards straightforward problem solving. We wanted to test hypotheses that there are neurodivergent seafarers who face significant social and professional hurdles, and who are discriminated against - right from initial entry, through underemployment, to promotion prospects. Sadly, we now have the evidence to support each hypothesis. But on the positive side, we have a strong evidence base which we can use to start doing something about it, whether that’s changing individual empowerment, company policy or regulatory intervention.

In some way the results were even worse than expected. But that actually fills the team with hope. It provides a firm starting point. It has provided evidence that there is a problem, and this understanding will help to focus efforts to bring about the most change in the shortest time. 

We’d like to thank Dan and James for their time in helping us to put this Guest Blog together, on such an important topic. . They’ve also been delighted to work with us in helping to shine a spotlight on their work and the neurodiverse community as a whole.

NeurodiversAtSea is the seafarers’ neurodiversity charity. Founded by seafarers and informed by leaders in industry, academia and the charitable sector, it champions neurodivergent seafarers and the ‘neurodivergent advantage’. It aims to end discrimination and prejudice, and to enable neurodivergent individuals to succeed in maritime professions.

You can find out more about NeurodiversAtSea here: https://www.neurodiversatsea.org

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