Skills Development Scotland launches a report and a new fund underlining the importance of neurodivergent individuals to technology companies. In this session you will hear:

• Key findings of the report, benefits of neurodiversity in tech and how to attract, recruit and support neurodivergent individuals
• The actions SDS and partners will take to support tech employers to increase neurodiversity including the Cyber Security Neurodiversity Skills Development Fund

Bev Harrow

Bev Harrow is a mother of three sons, a company director and a volunteer director of her local Citizens Advice bureaux. With a background in law, Bev became interested in disability rights and inclusion policy because as a mother of a disabled child she encountered many barriers to his schooling, and has had to advocate for his right to be treated fairly and equitably. She strongly believes that supporting neurodiverse children by creating alternative pathways to learning will allow them to achieve at their full potential through tertiary education and on to employment, and that disability should never be a barrier to achievement. 

Lee Hutchison

Co-Chair Neurodiversity Workstream for Digital Skills

Lee Hutchison has spent the past decade supporting individuals with disabilities and health conditions towards positive destinations within employment and education. Lee has worked previously as a student support worker collaborating with Edinburgh College, Napier University and Heriot Watt University providing student support exclusively to individuals on the Autistic Spectrum. For the past four years at Into Work, Lee has been an employment adviser supporting people with disabilities, health conditions and barriers into employment, volunteer opportunities and training courses. Lee has worked with clients to help them achieve employment within the Scottish Government, NHS, the tech industry, and much more while working with local businesses to make them more inclusive, diverse, and supportive for their staff.

Chris Hughes

Founder & CEO of Estendio

Chris Hughes is the founder & CEO of Estendio, creators of the Present Pal software. Created out of his own experience with dyslexia, Present Pal now supports disabled students in over 100 universities in the UK & Ireland and is now expanding into North America. Chris has a passion for accessibility, where he chairs Skills Development Scotland’s Neurodiversity in Tech Workstream. He has also delivered keynote presentations at Microsoft’s Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD), MIT’s Assistive Technology Hackathon and Harvard Business School.