The Framework

How NEI works

NEI is built from indicators — observable signals that describe organisational practices — organized into a taxonomy and governed through a transparent, version-controlled process.

Indicators

An indicator is a description of an observable organisational signal — something that can be seen, inferred, or verified from the outside. Indicators describe organizations, not individuals. They assess whether the structural conditions for neurodivergent workers exist, not whether any individual is neurodivergent.

Indicators are not survey questions. They are specifications. Each indicator has a precise, versioned definition that is stable enough to be cited, compared across organizations, and evaluated by third parties.

Each indicator belongs to exactly one taxonomy domain. The concept definition is permanent; the versioned specification can evolve as evidence improves.

Anatomy of an indicator

NDI-hgbbzn-v1

Performance evaluation is based on output rather than style

The organisation assesses employee performance based on the quality and outcomes of work rather than stylistic conformance — such as communication style, social presentation, or adherence to unwritten behavioural norms.

Domain: Performance Evaluation

Status: Standard

Evidence layers: Inferred · Declared · Validated

Domains

Indicators are organized into a taxonomy of domains. Domains group related indicators without constraining them — an indicator's domain assignment reflects its primary organisational context, not a rigid classification system.

Separating the taxonomy from indicator definitions means the taxonomy can evolve without invalidating existing indicators. New domains can be added; domains can be refined. Neither action requires changing indicator definitions.

The current taxonomy (NDT-1.0.0) has six domains:

NDT-zk3lhx Administrative Accessibility
NDT-wcjtfz Performance Evaluation
NDT-znf2v5 Organizational Clarity
NDT-xyrxwd Sensory Environment
NDT-6zfsxi Governance and Justice
NDT-dxjmnq Support Infrastructure

Evidence layers

Each indicator can be assessed at three levels of evidence, reflecting different degrees of observability and verification.

Inferred

Observable from public sources — employee reviews, job descriptions, public reports, and legal filings — without requiring organisational cooperation. The baseline level of assessment for any organization.

Declared

The organization publicly states that a practice exists — in policies, employee handbooks, sustainability reports, or public statements. More reliable than inference, but unverified.

Validated

Evidence submitted to an accredited verifier who confirms that the stated practice is in place and operating as described. The highest confidence level.

Releases and versioning

Indicators are released as part of named releases (NDR). A release is a snapshot of the framework at a point in time — a defined set of indicators, each at a specific version, with a stable identifier for the release itself.

Once an indicator version is included in a Standard release, it is immutable. The specification file is never modified. If the indicator needs to change, a new version is created and the old version remains accessible. This means any citation to a specific indicator version is permanently valid.

Active indicators (March 2026): 26 total — 13 Standard · 13 Candidate. See What changed for the March 2026 review summary.

Industry applicability Draft

NEI practices are relevant across all industries — but the ones most urgently applicable vary by context. A hospital, a software company, and a financial services firm all benefit from the same practices, but the ones most critical in each are different.

The industry applicability layer makes these patterns explicit. Each mapping identifies which indicators are likely to be most relevant in a given industry, with a brief rationale. Mappings are based on practitioner judgment and are open to community review.

Industry applicability is separate from the taxonomy. The taxonomy groups indicators by theme. Industry applicability maps indicators to real-world contexts. These are orthogonal: the same indicator can be a primary concern in one industry and moderate in another, without any change to its definition.

Industry applicability is advisory, not a scoring methodology. Relevance labels describe likely applicability — not numeric weights. Future assessment methodologies may draw on this layer.

Best practices by industry →

Who uses the framework

Organizations

Browse indicators Full documentation