The WHY of The Canary Code
STEVE SILBERMAN, author of NeuroTribes
About
What Leading Practitioners Say:
The last several years have produced a sad spate of promises from companies to level the playing field, to make diversity, equity and inclusion a priority, and to create workplaces where everyone feels they belong.
Sadly, those promises proved empty.
Many companies gave it the old college try, and some failed simply because our approaches to inclusion fail to account for how organizations actually change.
You simply can’t campaign your way to an inclusive workplace.
Fortunately, Dr. Ludmila Praslova has shown up with a playbook that works. While embracing neurodiversity is a pioneering front, she throws open the doors of understanding to a world of intersectionality that arms us with strategies and approaches that actually work to design inclusive workplaces where we all can thrive.
Give everyone in your organization a copy of this, read it together, and then open your eyes to the magic of the multiple layers of diversity in people with whom you’ve been gifted. Embrace them, welcome them, and ultimately, learn to include them.
None of us are included until we’re all included.
— RON CARUCCI, Managing Partner, Navalent, best-selling multi-award winning author of Rising to Power and To Be Honest.
Praise for The Canary Code
“The Canary Code is a game-changing look at organizational leadership and diversity. This work is a paradigm shift in moving away from outdated practices and developing inclusive talent systems where everyone can thrive.”
“The Canary Code fills an important gap in management literature about neurodiversity and inclusion at work. It illuminates and inspires, and it provides practical guidance for leaders who want to create systems that support different types of talent.”
“This book will cause you to rethink everything you thought you knew and believed about neurodivergence. It is transformational.”
“Where has this book been my whole life? As a family member of and friend to many neurodivergent people, and as a coach to neurodivergent leaders, I wished this thoughtful, helpful book had been written decades ago. But it's here now, and nobody should wait another minute to dig into the rich insights and practical approaches that Dr. Praslova offers.“
“The Canary Code is a timely, wise, and life-giving book—a must-read for those seeking to grow as leaders, especially those in marginalized populations who identify as neurodivergent, highly sensitive, or introverted—and for everyone aiming to make a positive difference in their organizations.“
“The Canary Code book is a roadmap to creating more compassionate workplaces that bring out the best in everyone. This is a must-read for all who want to be effective allies.”
“As the Head of People Operations at a Financial Services company, I find The Canary Code both informative and practical. This hands-on information can assist companies in cultivating cultures of belonging, attracting top talent and retaining diverse employees, providing an edge in today's competitive business world. The Canary Code delivers on arming companies with the facts about neurodiversity and offers salient executable ideas.”
“An enlightening guide for holistic neuroinclusion at work.”
“A next-generation approach to talent and culture is now a primary source of strategic advantage. Ludmila Praslova has crafted a compelling, thoughtful, and effective way to approach meaningful inclusion, build psychological safety, and fully unlock human potential and talent. A must-read!”
Receive a link to the constantly updated collection of worksheets, checklists, conversation scripts, and other reader resources
By opting-in, you permit me to email you.
This book is for…
Board Members and CEOs
As leaders, you have the leverage to effect meaningful change. The Canary Code equips you with cutting-edge knowledge and strategies to create truly extraordinary, talent-rich and neuroinclusive organizations where everyone can contribute their best work.
HR and DEI Professionals
In The Canary Code, you will find practical insights and evidence-based tools for designing neuroinclusive and intersectionally inclusive workplaces. With these tools, you can attract, retain, and develop unique talent, fostering a culture of belonging and innovation.
Aspiring HR, Management, Leadership, or Organizational Psychology Professionals
The Canary Code will introduce you to cutting-edge developments in organizational science and help you prepare to become workplace leaders and changemakers for a more inclusive future of work.
Neurodiversity Activists and Self-Advocates
The Canary Code provides examples that reflect and validate neurodivergent work experiences, along with terminology and evidence-based advice to empower your changemaking. Using the models offered in this book, you can more effectively advocate for neuroinclusion and neuroequity.
The Author
Ludmila N. Praslova, Ph.D. is named a member of Thinkers 50 2024 Radar, a global group of 30 management thinkers leaders whose ideas are most likely to shape the future of work.
She is a Professor of Industrial-Organizational Psychology at the Vanguard University of Southern California and regularly writes for Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, Psychology Today, and Forbes.
She is the first person to have published in Harvard Business Review from an autistic perspective.
Dr. Praslova is a talent strategy expert with extensive experience in global diversity and neurodiversity. Her early experience in global diversity taught her the importance of creating culture-add work environments. However, the same experience and her continued career have shown that focusing on one aspect of diversity is not enough. Globally aware organizations are not always gender-inclusive, gender-focused advancement programs can exclude based on disability or socioeconomic origin, and neurodivergent people are often forgotten or segregated even in organizations considered champions of inclusion.
As a first-generation academic and a neurodivergent woman, Dr. Praslova knows first-hand that single-focus “inclusion initiatives” leave people behind. However, the principles of creating culture-add organizations can be applied to building systems for intersectional and holistic inclusion.
Her consulting is focused on creating organizational systems for supporting human dignity and well-being, and providing neuroinclusion training to organizations such as Amazon, Bank of America, and MIT.
She has a PhD in Industrial-Organizational Psychology from the University of Akron and is a Senior Certified Human Resources Practitioner (SHRM-SCP).
Dr. Praslova is an avid open-water swimmer, a gardener, and a poet.
She is a LinkedIn Top Voice in Thought Leadership
My Story
By the age of 25, I was a Director of Intercultural Relations for a complex, growing multinational organization. We had built a wonderful, culture-add environment – at least when it came to national-level cultures.
But I was also told point-blank that as a woman, this was as high as I was ever going to advance.
That was not going to work for me. I wanted to do more – and I wanted to figure out how to create organizations inclusive of all aspects of who we are. So, I applied and was accepted to a doctoral program in Industrial-Organizational Psychology.
Since then, I worked with many organizations. Some were inclusive of gender – but not of culture. Some were inclusive of culture and gender – but not of disability.
Everywhere, someone always seemed to be left out.
Women’s initiatives left disabled women behind.
And almost all initiatives left neurodivergent people behind.
When I started researching neurodiversity employment, I came across shocking statistics - 30-40% of neurodivergent people and 85% of autistic college graduates struggle with unemployment. Surely, if there was a way to solve the autism employment paradox – the drastic disconnect between the performance and the potential of autistic people and employment – this could inform how organizations could be more inclusive of other people as well.
I dedicated myself to cracking the code for creating neuroinclusive and intersectionally inclusive organizations. Because every human should be treated with dignity, and every talent deserves an opportunity to develop. Because organizations truly flourish when all employees truly flourish. And that passion, research, and a lifetime of experience resulted in The Canary Code: A Guide to Neurodiversity, Dignity, and Intersectional Belonging at Work.
