Kay Sargent, director of thought leadership for Interiors at HOK, has written a new book, Designing Neuroinclusive Workplaces: Advancing Sensory Processing and Cognitive Well-Being in the Built Environment.
Scheduled to be published by Wiley in early March 2025, this groundbreaking work explores the intersection of neurodiversity and workplace design.
Neurodiversity affects a significant portion of the population, with approximately 20 percent of people considered neurodivergent. According to a recent CDC report, 15.5 million U.S. adults, about 6% of the adult population, are currently diagnosed with ADHD.
Sargent’s comprehensive guide examines how workplace environments influence employees with neurodivergent conditions such as ADHD, autism and dyslexia. The book covers a variety of topics, including defining neurodiversity, explaining why it’s great for business and offering actionable design strategies that leverage the strengths of neurodivergent employees while helping to alleviate their challenges.
”Sensory stimuli are impacting everyone today,” Sargent said. “When we design for the extreme, we benefit the mean—and we can create spaces that enable us all to thrive.”
Designing Neuroinclusive Workplaces weaves together research, best practices and practical implementation advice with client stories, expert interviews and profiles of well-known innovators. Sargent, an interior designer with 40 years of experience and the mother of neurodivergent children, infuses the text with plenty of personal insights and passion.
“This conversation started for me in 2016 when a client asked, ‘How do you design space for someone with ADHD?’,” remembered Sargent. “Sparked by that question and my experience raising five children with diverse cognitive profiles, we started reviewing existing neurodiversity research. While there was plenty of material related to hiring diverse individuals, there was almost nothing about how to design neuroinclusive environments to help them succeed. We began filling this gap with our own research, which took us down a path leading to this book.”
Designing Neuroinclusive Workplaces serves a diverse audience, including:
- Designers and architects
- Organizations seeking to create neurodivergent-friendly space
- HR professionals
- Neurodiversity consultants
- Neurodivergent individuals, their families and friends
- Academics and students interested in neuroinclusive design
“Combining the insights of neuroscience, research, evidence and the expertise of design, this book sets out considerations and recommendations for those who are building, designing and operating offices,” said Despina Katsikakis, executive partner and global head of total workplace at Cushman & Wakefield in the United Kingdom.
Sargent and her team at HOK have received numerous industry accolades for their pioneering work in neuroinclusive design. Most recently, their efforts were recognized with a 2024 Best of NeoCon Gold Award and an Innovation Award. In the same year, Interior Design Magazine honored Sargent with a Lifetime of HiPness Award.
Sargent’s expertise is widely acknowledged in the design community. She is a member of both the American Society of Interior Designers’ College of Fellows and the International Interior Design Association’s College of Fellows, a select body of designers whose work has significantly influenced the profession. ASID has also honored Sargent with its highest accolade, naming her a “Designer of Distinction,” recognizing her exceptional contributions to interior design.
Find out more and pre-order Designing Neuroinclusive Workplaces at inclusiveworkplace.design.