Accommodations and Strategies for Neurodiversity in Government

Speakers

• Beverley Jandziol

  Commercial Director - Programmes at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

  United Kingdom

• Melissa Valencia

  Vice Chair of Outreach and Partnerships for the Infinity Network

  Canada

• David Hopkins

  FDA Union Equality, Diversity and Inclusion rep at UK Government Department

  United Kingdom

• Beverley Jandziol, after 19 years in the private sector, left her role as a Client Director in a Procurement and Supply Chain Consultancy to join the Civil Service. She joined as a Deputy Director in the Complex Transactions Team in Cabinet Office in 2019 and was quickly redeployed to set up Covid Testing where she worked for almost a year before returning to Cabinet Office. Bev joined FCDO in May 2022 as Commercial Director for Programmes covering all thematic areas and regions in International Development. Bev has had extensive experience in the following industries Transport, Construction & Infrastructure, Health & Social Care, Public & Private joint ventures, FMCG, Retail, Hospitality, IT and Facilities Management. She also has a PhD in Cell Biology. Bev is very motivated to drive equality and inclusion across all marginalised groups as well as being the SCS Neurodiversity Champion for FCDO. She is proud to have ADHD.

• Melissa Valencia, Vice Chair of Outreach and Partnerships for the Infinity Network, established in 2023 to support neurodivergent public servants in the Government of Canada. In this role, Melissa engages with representative groups on neurodiversity, both within and beyond Canada, promoting best practices and sharing innovative strategies to enhance neuroinclusion in the federal public service. With over ten years of experience as a public servant, Melissa is well-versed in human-centred design, strategic planning, advocacy, and partnership development.

• David Hopkins, has spent almost 20 years in government, with a career spanning local, regional and central departments. He cut his teeth in communications roles but has always specialised in connecting people and technology and is currently a senior digital performance analyst. Since getting an autism diagnosis going into the first lockdown, neurodiversity and disability inclusion have been a passion bordering on obsession. He harnessed this for the good of colleagues in HMRC (the UK’s tax authority), helping create a national neurodiversity network, a valuable online resource signposting support and guidance, and bringing together a hugely supportive neurodivergent community. A current cross-government project he’ll share more about is an interactive, accessible tool to help people request adjustments as part of the recruitment process.