Celebrating Neurodiversity Week

What's the difference in neurodiversity and a neurodivergent person? On this episode, Chad and Miriam explore that topic and what programs need to know about their neurodivergent traveler population. Joining the conversation are Yvette Bryant, SVP of DE&I at BCD Travel as well as Robert Shen and Sandra Kaspar from United Airlines. Both Robert and Sandra serve on United's DE&I board and discuss what the airline and the travel industry as a whole are doing to ensure that neurodivergent travel is enjoyable and inclusive for all. 

Learn more by visiting https://www.bcdtravel.com or https://www.linkedin.com/company/bcd-travel/

Transcript

Intro:

Welcome to Connections with BCD Travel, an ongoing conversation about the modern day travel program, the impact of technology, and how travel buyers can take control and drive change. What are we waiting for? Let's start connecting.

Miriam Moscovici:

Welcome back to Connections with BCD Travel. My name is Miriam Moscovici. I lead the Partnerships and Intelligence team at BCD Travel.

Chad Lemon:

And I'm Chad Lemon. We love connecting with you, so please head to bcdtravel.com/podcast to leave us a comment or some feedback. Okay, we have a big episode today, so let's jump right into the Quick 60 in Business Travel, Miriam. In the latest travel market report that your team just published, I stopped to read the five travel trends to watch out for as outlined by Amadeus. It talked about music tourism, business light travel, electric skyways, technologies, and how they're influencing generations, all kinds of things. And I'm curious to know what page made you stop and why?

Miriam Moscovici:

Well, there's a couple places. The first piece was around the economist predictions and the fact that this year is an Olympic year. So that does a few things I think. First we're going to have the natural spike in activity in Paris around the Olympics in late summer. But I think also just the Olympic season really inspires people to take a look around the world and be inspired to travel. There is a forecast for increased leisure travel in this year, and a lot of that is due to the Olympics and what it inspires in people to check out their neighbors. So I think that's one piece that's exciting and something we're looking at for the rest of the year and how that's going to affect business travel specifically. The other issue I thought was interesting was the Amadeus prediction around that business lux light category, that premium economy segment in an airplane.

It just reminded me recently of a few years ago, the research team at BCD was collaborating with a company that in fact builds airplanes and in fact builds inside of interior aircraft. And one of the things we spent a lot of time talking about was what we thought about the distribution in the cabin between business class and coach and premium economy and how we thought that was changing over the last several years. And the hypothesis they were operating under was that premium economy would be a segment that would grow a lot, and that they were looking at redesigning aircraft cabin for commercial airlines that would accommodate more premium somewhere in the middle between business class and coach. So kind of saw that a few years ago as the folks building interiors of aircraft were thinking about it. Now we're really starting to see it materialize in the market and I'm one of those passengers that somewhere between business and coach is all right for me, especially on most trips. So that's exciting to see that coming to fruition and being an official trend called out by Amadeus.

Chad Lemon:

Be sure to check out the Q1 Travel Market Report on the BCD website.

Miriam Moscovici:

Okay, on today's topic, in observance of Neurodiversity Celebration Week, we're connecting with one of our BCD colleagues and our friends at United Airlines to talk all things neurodivergent, awareness and inclusion.

Chad Lemon:

That's right from BCD we are so excited to have Yvette Bryant, SVP of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion joining us again.

Miriam Moscovici:

And we're really excited to invite our first industry supplier partner into the podcast. From United Airlines, we have Sandra Kaspar, leisure agency sales director and Robert Shen, global account manager, and they both serve on the board of United's Business Resource Group called BRGs, which is committed to being an advocate educator and ally to support employees and customers with different abilities.

Chad Lemon:

Yvette, I have two questions for you to kick things off. Can you quickly explain the differences between neurodiversity and being neurodivergent? And second, how did neurodivergent travelers fit into BCD's DE&I vision?

Yvette Bryant:

So first of all, thanks Chad and Miriam for having me back. It was a blast last time and glad to be back now. Yeah, so neurodiversity, I would say is an umbrella term that's really used to describe, let's say, the differences in how people's brains work. For me in DEI work, it's really a relatively newer focus of overall workplace diversity. Diversity has many dimensions, and this is another dimension that we're focusing on. The idea, if you think about it, is that there's no one correct way in how people's brains work. People are different. Brains function differently. So in that wide range of diversity, there could be people who are considered neurotypical and people who are considered neurodivergent. And typically that's folks who have had a diagnosis of ADD or ADHD or dyslexia or Tourette syndrome, for example. And certainly there are other conditions as well.

So again, the idea is neurodiversity is a broad way of talking about differences. Neurodivergent is when we talk about people with a specific condition. For the second part of the question and how it fits in, well, I've been doing some research because this is also a learning area for me as well. And there's data out there that says 15 to 20, maybe even as high as 25% of the world's population is in fact neurodivergent. That's a lot of people. That's a lot of people. So for our perspective, we are really working to ensure, if you will, that neuroinclusion is also a key part of our DE&I work both within our own workplace at BCD, but also when we think about our customers and all of their travelers

Miriam Moscovici:

As a global TMC we have all the best intentions, but if you can't count on those industry suppliers that share our vision, we can't really deliver those best experiences. So Robert, why don't you tell us more about what United's up to, how is United Airlines embracing DE&I and more specifically your neurodivergent travelers?

Robert Shen:

Sure. Thanks, Miriam. And thank you to BCD for having United Airlines as part of this podcast today.

Miriam Moscovici:

Welcome.

Robert Shen:

So United is a global airline and we're driven by our shared purpose and what we call our core four values, which are safety, caring, dependable, and efficient. We are in the primary business as we like to see it, of bringing people together and we're committed to doing our part to create a diverse, equitable and inclusive, so DE&I culture where all of our employees feel safe to be their authentic selves. And that way if we embrace that, our customers and employees will see themselves as part of the communities that we serve and fly to all over the world. So that's kind of how we are aiming to build inclusivity in our business on a daily basis.

And as Yvette mentioned, when we come to the topic of neurodivergence, it covers a variety of atypical development norms, but most commonly I would say neurodivergent travelers experience some physical or mental barriers when traveling or when they're in unfamiliar circumstances. So what United is trying to do is improve communication and offer as many resources as possible to make the airport and airplane experience, which we all know can cause a lot of anxiety and stress even for the most seasoned travelers. So make it as familiar and comfortable as possible so there's less anxiety when flying.

Chad Lemon:

Sandra, I was having a conversation with a colleague as we were planning this podcast actually about the Sunflower program. Can you tell us a little bit more about it? And I know it extends well past airlines and that awareness could even benefit fellow travelers.

Sandra Kaspar:

Yeah, that's right, Chad. The Sunflower program allows people that have some sort of invisible disability, including the neurodivergent population to self-identify. It's basically a green lanyard that has sunflowers all over. So if they're going through the airport or they're taking a flight or even if they're going through a business, it allows for that business to know that that person may require some sort of assistance. They don't need to disclose it on the behalf of the person, but maybe that person needs some sort of support. And it's also a security for the passenger itself. They know that if they're wearing that, someone is going to take good care of them.

Miriam Moscovici:

Hearing that makes me think about how the experience really affects the trip. So Yvette, what should travel programs consider knowing that they likely have multiple employees who identify as neurodivergent?

Yvette Bryant:

I think with all things, it's really about starting with your own awareness. We need to raise our own awareness about this. And the good news is there's really a lot of great information that's widely available. You could just Google on neurodiversity or neurodivergent people and you can find lots of good information on the topic. But I would say be a little bit cautious. Don't just read and make general assumptions because neurodivergent people are people first and foremost, and people are different. And even though there may be some similar characteristics, the reality is all neurodivergent people aren't the same. So we got to be cautious that we don't just lump people into a bucket. And then with that, I would say I love the mantra, nothing about us without us, and that's really talking about the fact that you need to seek out and understand from those with the lived experience, what their needs may be.

Miriam Moscovici:

Would you add anything to that, Sandra? What are some examples of United Airlines and what they're doing in this space?

Sandra Kaspar:

We're doing lots of things. I think it starts by the fact that we do have a safe culture within United. So employees that are neurodivergent, they come to us at BRG and they provide input on things that we could do better as a company for employees and for the travelers as well, which is very, very good. So last year we launched for example, what we call a social story. It's a tool that supports people in the autism spectrum or if they have anxiety or ADHD to prepare for travel. It's kind of a know before you go document. It was created by United and it was actually tested by our partnership with Special Olympics. So if someone is going to the airport and they know what to expect of that experience.

We also have an app for our flight attendants that they can identify if someone has a non-apparent disability. So the same way that a flight attendant can identify if someone is a premier and if they can also identify if someone has an invisible disability that they disclosed at the moment of booking or even before their travel too. And I think most important is training because we can have all the tools in the world, if we don't have training and don't have that individual look that everybody's unique and be attentive to the needs of someone that may require special accommodations, then we're not doing good by those. So training is key too.

Miriam Moscovici:

And Robert, when we were talking about how we wanted to approach this episode, we kept talking about things like intentional design, things that folks might or might not notice during their travels. Can you give us some examples of those and how United is putting that plan into practice?

Robert Shen:

So you may have noticed that last year, United launched a broader rebrand. So we have a new slogan, which is Good Leads the Way, which kind of ties in to how we want to be involved in our communities and do the right thing for travelers. And as part of that rebrand, it includes a purposeful selection of a color palette as well as iconography that we use in all digital channels, our app and airports to provide some visual consistency for our traveler.

Miriam Moscovici:

Oh, okay.

Robert Shen:

So for example, the color assigned to our bag drop shortcut feature so this allows you to indicate when you check in that you're going to check a bag and then instead of having to go print out all the stuff and then tag your bag, you can actually just go to the airport in the area that says bag drop shortcut. You show your ID to the agent and then they tag your bag. And we've calculated that this saves anywhere from three to five minutes.

Miriam Moscovici:

I just did it last week, twice.

Robert Shen:

Yeah, great. So the color we've assigned to that is a bright green color. So when you check in using the app or on the website, there's going to be a bright green prompt with an icon of a bag asking if you'd like to use the service. And then when you arrive at the airport, you'll also see that same icon and green signage directing you where to go. And so that way it provides some sort of consistency. And we have colors and icons assigned to all the key parts of the airport experience and travel journey. So they're complimented by all of our digital channels to provide that familiarity, which will hopefully make the overall airport experience less stressful.

Chad Lemon:

And speaking of that example, I kind of want to outline a trip and put all of this into context. So let's say that one of our travelers who is a BCD client, from our end as a TMC, they can engage with us on our commerce platform, TripSource, and we have a variety of accessibility tools that help them in the shopping and booking phase of travel. And they have the option to make some specific requests, things that they might need during their travel, but then when they're ready for the trip and let's say they're flying United, what happens next?

Robert Shen:

So, I think if somebody is booking a trip with United, we offer a lot of great resources to kind of get them comfortable. And the whole point of this is providing transparent communication to make sure that the travel experience is less stressful. So before the trip, if you look on United's website, we actually have a special section under travel info called Traveling with Special Needs. And so this provides a lot of information.

The social story that Sandra mentioned is also accessible here, but right on the top of the page we have a contact link as well as a 1-800 number for our accessibility desk. And this is a 24/7 staff desk that if anybody that has additional needs or questions regarding the travel experience can reach out to, and these are trained that know exactly for any neurodivergent or any other potential physical disability what they would need to do and provide advice on how to prepare. Another thing that you will see is once they go through the airport, they go through security we also have added in recent times priority boarding for people with disabilities, including their caretakers. And so this includes people that identify as neurodivergent because the airport is very sensory stimulating place.

Chad Lemon:

Absolutely.

Miriam Moscovici:

That's right, yeah.

Robert Shen:

They may prefer to board a little bit earlier, get settled, get a little bit more calmed down, and I'll pass it over to Sandra to talk about the in-flight experience and afterwards.

Sandra Kaspar:

Thank you. Thank you, Robert. Yeah, I think it's important for us to recognize that the journey doesn't start at the airplane. It goes through the entire path. On the flight I have mentioned before, the flight attendants are equipped with an app, it's called My Flight, and they can discreetly identify if someone has a disability, if the person self disclosed, and just be aware if they need some support. It could be even someone that has epilepsy, it can be someone that is neurodivergent and may have a reaction to the lights or something else. But not only to support that passenger, but to bring calmness to the other passengers. That means the situation that is under control too. So the tool is extremely important for that. And we have in our in-flight entertainment systems that we're going to install in all seats now to accessible features that also benefit the neurodivergent population too, to think about color contrast, close captioning depending on the neurodivergent condition, it's something that is important as well, and something that we see as an accessible tool that makes flying with us more inclusive.

Chad Lemon:

In my heart, I believe that most people want to do good, but in business travel, ensuring inclusion for the neurodivergent population is vital. Yvette, why is this topic important to the travel program or why should it be important to the travel program?

Yvette Bryant:

All of us are close to this and have vested interest in this topic. If you yourself are not a neurodivergent person, the chances are pretty high that you likely know someone who is. And so on a human level, I think the more we educate ourselves about this and about each other, I believe the more we know, the more we want to do, the more it prompts us to want to take those actions to really ensure an inclusion and an inclusive world for everyone. From a business perspective and a business travel perspective, it's important to consider the needs of the individual. It matters what my travel experience is because that's going to impact how I show up when I get off that aircraft or arrive at my destination or whatever the case may be to represent my company.

I'm going to be my best self if I have had a good travel experience. So it's really, I think, important for us to think about that as well in terms of how does this affect the individual representing my organization and ultimately making sure that everyone, no matter what their needs may be, have that feeling that they truly belong in your organization. And I firmly believe that when people feel they belong, they show up and they do their best work every time. So it's really, I think, fundamental to achieving business goals as well.

Chad Lemon:

It's interesting you mentioned the word belong. I was just reading an article on LinkedIn and someone said that they hope we get past a point of inclusion to belonging. And I thought that was really impactful. Moving beyond people as a focus and including everyone to a person focused where we include everyone and know their story and ensure that their voice is heard and they belong. So I love that you said that.

Yvette Bryant:

Love that, Chad. I couldn't have said it any better.

Chad Lemon:

All right, everyone, last question in just a sentence or two, what's the one thing you want our listeners to know when it comes to neurodivergent travelers? Robert, we'll start with you.

Robert Shen:

A neurodivergent traveler is traveling for the exact same reasons everybody else getting on the plane is. So whether it's a work trip, you're visiting family, you're going on vacation, it's all the same, and United is in the business. Our mission statement is connecting people and uniting the world. And that mission applies to everybody. So as people, we're really not so different, we really just don't know enough about each other. And so don't be afraid to ask questions, listen to the stories of your colleagues and in general, just be an ally because that just makes the travel experience much more enjoyable for everybody.

Chad Lemon:

Sandra.

Sandra Kaspar:

Travel is for everybody. Everyone. It should be enjoyable. I do believe there are people that don't travel today because they're concerned of the barriers that they're going to find along the way, and it's our job to communicate and give them confidence that travel is enjoyable.

Chad Lemon:

Yvette, why don't you close this out.

Yvette Bryant:

All right. What a great conversation today. And piggybacking on both what Robert and Sandra said, being a good ally doesn't mean you have to be perfect.

Miriam Moscovici:

That's true.

Yvette Bryant:

In fact, you won't be. I can guarantee it. So it's okay to make mistakes along the way while we're learning, but that learning should never end. And we should constantly ask ourselves, even we make the mistake, how can I learn from this? But my encouragement would be, don't let the fear of making the mistake keep you from taking the action that is going to drive greater inclusion for everybody. And then the last thing I would say is, yeah, let's keep working to create a culture of safety so that our travelers, our colleagues, our friends, our family, everyone feels comfortable saying, you know what? I feel safe. This is a safe space for me and these are my needs.

Chad Lemon:

Wow, what an important topic and one that demands much more than a 20 minute podcast. But I'm glad that we were able to start the conversation, and I know that you agree that there are many more to be had on this topic.

Miriam Moscovici:

Absolutely. When it comes to equity and inclusion, the conversation never stops. So this time I'll just say that we have to pause this discussion for now. If you have feedback on what you heard today, head to bcdtravel.com/podcast and connect with us.

Outro:

Thank you for connecting with us. BCD Travel helps companies travel smart and achieve more. We drive program adoption, cost savings, and talent retention through digital experiences that simplify business travel. Learn more about the topics you heard on this episode by visiting bcdtravel.com/podcast.