Survey 3: Konclusion- Researching the barriers for Neurodivergent creatives in the arts.

The purpose of this study was to gather information on the diversity of neurodivergent individuals within the Arts and Cultural landscape. The findings of this questionnaire will work in conjunction with our companion survey, looking at the common barriers Neurodivergent people face within the arts and cultural landscape. We hope that this study will allow us to better establish a compendium and comparison of experiences. After analysis, these will be fed back to Arts Council England and published in a publicly available report. We can then identify a route for the second stage of this research; to work with organisations, identifying their needs and to enable the facilitation of the solutions.

'I struggle with flipping between low
executive function for mundane
but necessary work, and hyper-focus on art projects.' - Anon.

Recognising barriers additional questions:

Nearly 90% of survey 3 respondents said they faced executive (dis)functioning challenges that impacted their ability to move forward in their career
55% of respondents said they found their memory a barrier
46% of respondents said that, if unsupported, they would if possible avoid form filling online
Nearly 53% of respondents said that, if unsupported, having to fill out a paper-based form prevented them from applying for and finding work?
72% reported that they found it an issue to formally prioritise and plan a piece of work

‘There is a pressure to network and market myself which makes me very anxious to the point where I have panic attacks.' - Anon.
91% of respondents said they found the pressure to network in the traditional way a barrier
Just over 92% said they felt overlooked from opportunities because of issues with traditional networking
91% said they struggled with the unspoken rules often underlying social engagements when networking
91% found they were often misunderstood in social engagements
Just over 95% found it difficult to talk about their work and market themselves at a network event
91% said they found the physical environment of a networking event overwhelming
85% reported having a high level of anxiety, induced by the thought of networking, that stops them from taking part
50% said they found it difficult to translate their ideas down on paper
91% said they found it difficult when expected to apply for work in ways that didn't take their neurodivergent culture into account

'Being overwhelmed (in terms of there being too much information for me to absorb like an overfull sponge during conferences and at big exhibitions and long meetings)' - Anon.
Nearly 87% felt they were at a disadvantage needing to take more time to process written information including funding guidelines.
Nearly 96% Thought there was a lack of understanding of Neurodiversity and Neurodivergent creatives by arts organisations which was a barrier to their potential engagement with them
94% felt all arts organisations and funders needed a Neurodivergent arts strategy
Nearly 87% felt a Neurodivergent arts strategy should be written in co-production between the organisation and Neurodivergent creatives, 13% externally by Neurodivergent creatives.
No respondents felt it should be produced Internally by the organisation.
94% felt the representation of any Neurodivergent culture's narrative by non-neurodivergent people was problematic
55% felt members of Neurodivergent cultures other than their own did not own understand their ways of working
94% said they found their communication needs were often misunderstood and not supported properly
Nearly 90% felt a lack of support for low self-confidence, anxiety, or depression had stopped them from engaging in the arts
53% felt that a traumatic experience had prevented them from engaging in the arts
Nearly 65% said their sensory sensitivities prevented them from attending a live performance, exhibition, or workshop

‘We recognise that recovery time is important to Neurodivergent people and may become a barrier if it is not understood and appropriately accommodated for.’

2. Recovery time additional questions:
Nearly 93% said that recovery time was or had been an issue for them

80% found the lack of understanding of recovery time stops them from engaging in projects
100% said they would like to see ‘recovery time’ issues recognised and addressed by Arts Organisations
Nearly 48% said working with someone from their own neurodivergent culture found their recovery time lessened but 47% felt unsure

'There is the expectation that since we cannot go anywhere, we must constantly be working and not take any breaks from our artistic projects and I'm overwhelmed.' - Anon.

3. The impact of COVID-19 additional questions:

Of those who answered questions in survey 3, we found 65% were Freelance or self-employed 18% employed and 32% Unemployed.
35% found translating to working online difficult due to the Covid19 situation
Nearly 48% said being unable to access live events had a detrimental effect on their well-being
Nearly 54% reported quarantining disrupted their routine to the extent that it affects their creativity
Nearly 68% felt overwhelmed by the assumption they should be more productive during the lockdown
Nearly 68% felt most of their creative energy was going into 'survival mode' rather than productivity
Nearly 48% reported quarantining affected their mental health due to being unable to interact with other creative people as they had before
Just over 74% said they experienced 'Zoom-Fatigue' or similar exhaustion while using video conferencing
50% said they found the technical aspects of working online difficult
Nearly 63% reported having had work canceled due to Covid-19? (this could be performances/projects/exhibitions etc.)
70% said they'd found obtaining support whilst in lockdown difficult
During Lockdown 1, before Christmas and 2 nearly 51% received zero financial support, 12% Universal Credit, 12% Self Employment Support and 5% Furloughed.
Nearly 82% said they found it difficult accessing live events, museums, exhibitions, that had been open due to concerns with social distancing, mask-wearing and general safety
Just over 51% said they had to take a 'creative pause' due to restrictions arising from Covid-19
75% felt they have been 'left behind' by not being able to access live events and arts activities due to issues including finances, lack of technical ability, mental health, safety and travel
Over 57% said they had been able to access peer-support online

Survey 3: Text