The potential to excel: thoughts about neurodiversity at sea

In October 2023, members at Nautilus's general meeting in Liverpool voted for a motion that commits the Union to supporting neurodivergent seafarers. But what is neurodiversity, and are you already working with a neurodiverse seafarer without even realising it? Rob Coston spoke to Daniel Smith from charity NeurodiversAtSea to find out

Rob Coston (RC): What is meant by 'neurodiversity'?

Daniel Smith (DS): Essentially, it's a newfangled way to describe an old thing. 'Neuro' just refers to the brain – it's about the way in which we think, whether that's how we interact with the world around us, or how we interpret what happens to us. 'Diversity' is just a fancy way of saying 'difference'. So 'neurodiversity' is just a fancy way to say 'different ways of thinking'.

From there, we can look at essentially two groups of people – neurodivergent and neurotypical. That first group consists of people who think and interact with the world around them differently than everybody else – it includes autistics like myself, those with ADHD, dyslexics, dyspraxics, dyscalculics and dysgraphics.

Those people are currently our primary focus at NeurodiversAtSea. There is also some research out there to say that Tourette's may also be a part of the spectrum, and there's debate about whether it includes things like anxiety and OCD, or whether it includes acquired conditions as opposed to the conditions that you had when you were born.

RC: One estimate is that perhaps 15% of people are considered neurodivergent in one way or another. How common is it to be a neurodivergent seafarer, or to meet someone else who is neurodivergent while onboard?

DS: Unfortunately, there's no concrete data at the moment from the likes of the MCA or different training institutions. The data we've got from our own research suggests that it could be as high as 50% – although that number should be treated with caution as it comes from research done using our own networks, which contain people who are very interested in the topic. I'd say, in reality, you're looking at 20%-30%.

RC: So you'd be more likely to meet someone neurodivergent at sea than ashore?

DS: Yes. One of the things about seafaring is that a lot of it appeals to divergent individuals: rigid routine that's predictable months in advance; the same work with the same people, and living in the same cabin, day in and day out. A lot of neurodivergent people find that quite appealing, so it does tend to attract them into the industry.

I've met neurodiverse people who could absolutely excel. They're already having to work twice as hard to just keep up, because the environment's holding them back. Remove the disabling aspects of their environment and they'll just charge ahead.

RC: What kind of impact does being neurodivergent have on seafarers?

DS: I like to rephrase that question. It's not that the person is impacted by their condition – it is the environment around them that impacts them because of their condition.

For example, a lot of autistic people have sensory processing differences; either we're hypersensitive or hyposensitive to certain things. For me, heat is a big one, which unfortunately means that I need vessels that are air conditioned. I haven't always got that, and that has had a really negative impact on how I performed onboard, despite still being able to do the job and keep up with my duties. It's meant that I've had to go to my cabin straight afterwards and just crash in bed and hope I can sleep and recharge a little bit.

Other people may have different experiences; you may have felt more socially excluded or isolated because you're not as outgoing as everybody else. You could end up being viewed as a bit weird because you're not engaging in the karaoke every night in the bar.

Even someone who's dyslexic can sometimes have challenges because they don't have access to the aids they need to help them flourish – something as simple as a bit of coloured overlay to put on top of the paper they're reading from. That means it will take them longer to read, and they may make spelling mistakes. They have to work twice as hard to get the same thing done, despite the fact they're more than capable of doing the job.

I hope an example like that makes it clear that the person is not disabled by their condition, it is the environment around them that is disabling.

RC: Do these issues tend to hold people back in their careers?

DS: Yes, they do. You tend to find that a lot of people who would absolutely excel in higher ranks are being held back, because the industry doesn't understand them or what neurodivergence is.
For example, if you're autistic there is more likelihood of you losing your job or being held back purely because of misconceptions about what you need.

For example, I was recently asked 'How do you get a medical if you're autistic?' Quite easily – you just say you're autistic! But people seem to think that it's such a disabling condition, even though, again, it's not the condition that disabling, it's the environment. They don't know that you're absolutely fine to work at sea.

In fact, I've met neurodiverse people who could absolutely excel. They're already having to work twice as hard to just keep up, because the environment's holding them back. Remove the disabling aspects of their environment and they'll just charge ahead.

That's one of the things we're trying to do – get across the message that if you make some small changes to the environment onboard, the way you recruit people, or the way you retain people, you'll find that all of a sudden those who have just been keeping up will start to flourish.

RC: How does NeurodiversAtSea aim to improve the situation?

We campaign publicly and work behind the scenes in the maritime industry on behalf of neurodiverse people, lobbying organisations to make changes to the way things work, to try and remove some of the barriers that we've identified.

We try to get companies to understand there's a human element at play, and they have to listen to it – I'm sure that people in crewing, HR, or at boardroom level in companies who treat people badly would be horrified if it was their son, their daughter, their wife, their husband affected. We have to get them to realise the connection.

The solutions are simple, and the biggest one is just to treat people how you want to be treated.
It's also very much the case that, although we focus on divergence because that's what we have experience in, we want to make maritime a better place for everyone, not do things at the expense of others.

RC: What advice would you give to a seafarer who is neurodivergent?

DS: It depends a little bit as to where you are in your career. If you are a cadet, pretty much every college in the UK has a fairly robust system in place to provide help and support, so absolutely ask for that during your exams.

You're entitled to it if you need it, so don't be scared to ask. Don't let yourself have a harder time because you're scared to ask for help when it comes to then working onboard.

Later in your career I'd advise people to be picky. When you find a good shipowner/ship manager who understands the human element, you won't be apprehensive about asking for help and support from them, and they'll be receptive rather than dismissing you. It'll be a two-way conversation, whereas shipowners who don't think like that will just say 'No, you don't deserve to be at sea, bye bye.'

I guess the other thing is, don't be scared to stand up and say who you are. I know I've just said that people will probably treat you badly at bad places, but at the same time, don't be afraid to say 'I am this. I deserve this, and if you can't give it to me I will find somewhere that can.'

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Watch the full interview at NautilusTV on YouTube