ND dictionary

A government scheme in Great Britain, with a separate scheme in Northern Ireland, that can pay for practical support at work for disabled and neurodivergent people, such as equipment, coaching or a support worker. Some other countries have similar schemes.

Funding for support at work

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. A neurodevelopmental condition that affects attention, activity levels and impulse control. It can bring energy, creativity and the ability to focus intensely on things of interest.

About ADHD

Difficulty recognising, describing or naming your own emotions. It is common in autistic people, but not limited to them.

Not autistic. Sometimes used to describe people who are not autistic but may be neurodivergent in other ways.

A formal process, usually by a qualified clinician or specialist, to find out whether someone has a particular condition. For learning differences this may be called a diagnostic assessment.

Getting a diagnosis

A lifelong difference in how people communicate, interact, process sensory information and experience the world. Autistic people often have strengths in focus, detail and pattern recognition.

About autism

A state of long-term exhaustion, reduced ability to cope and loss of skills, caused by the ongoing effort of meeting demands that do not fit how a person works.

When someone has more than one condition at the same time, such as ADHD and dyslexia. Co-occurring conditions are very common.

Choosing to tell someone, such as an employer or crewmate, that you are neurodivergent. Disclosure is always a personal choice.

When someone tells you

A specific learning difference that affects understanding numbers and doing calculations.

About learning differences

A specific learning difference that affects handwriting and putting thoughts into written words.

About learning differences

A specific learning difference that mainly affects reading, spelling and processing written information. Many dyslexic people are strong at big-picture and creative thinking.

About learning differences

A specific learning difference that affects movement, coordination and sometimes organisation. Also called developmental coordination disorder (DCD).

About learning differences

The law in Great Britain that protects people from discrimination at work and elsewhere. It requires employers to make reasonable adjustments for disabled people, which often includes neurodivergent people. Other countries have similar laws.

Your rights

The mental skills used to plan, organise, start tasks, manage time and switch between activities. Differences in executive function are common in ADHD and autism.

The country a ship is registered in. Its laws usually apply on board, and it approves the doctors who issue medical certificates for its seafarers.

Your rights

Intense, sustained concentration on one task or interest, sometimes to the point of losing track of time. Common in ADHD and autism.

An international agreement, adopted in 2006, that sets minimum working and living conditions for seafarers, including rights to fair treatment, medical care and to complain. Sometimes called the seafarers' bill of rights.

Your rights

Hiding or suppressing neurodivergent traits to fit in, for example copying others or forcing eye contact. Masking can be exhausting over time.

The certificate every seafarer needs to show they are medically fit for their duties. Rules come from the MLC and STCW conventions, and each flag state issues or recognises its own, such as the ENG1 in the UK.

Medical fitness at sea

An involuntary response to being overwhelmed, which can look like loss of control. It is not a tantrum or a choice. A shutdown is a quieter version, where someone withdraws or stops responding.

Having a brain that works differently from what is considered typical. Usually includes autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia and Tourette syndrome, among others.

What is neurodiversity?

The natural variation in how human brains work. It describes everyone, not just neurodivergent people.

What is neurodiversity?

Designing workplaces, processes and communication so that neurodivergent people can take part and succeed on equal terms.

Having a brain that works in the way society generally expects. The opposite of neurodivergent.

Another name for a reasonable adjustment, used in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and in many countries' laws.

Reasonable adjustments

A change to how work is done, or to the working environment, that removes or reduces a disadvantage. Many adjustments cost little or nothing.

Reasonable adjustments

Intense emotional pain in response to real or perceived criticism or rejection. Often described by people with ADHD. It is not a formal diagnosis.

How the brain takes in and responds to information from the senses, such as noise, light, touch and movement. Some people are over-sensitive or under-sensitive to certain inputs, which matters on a noisy, moving ship.

A pattern of strong abilities in some areas and greater difficulty in others, much more uneven than average. Common in neurodivergent people.

The international convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers. It sets standards for training, exams and medical fitness.

Repetitive movements or sounds, such as tapping or rocking, that help someone regulate emotions or sensory input. Short for self-stimulatory behaviour.

A sudden, repeated movement or sound that a person cannot easily control. Tics are the main feature of Tourette syndrome.

About Tourette syndrome

A neurological condition in which a person has both movement and vocal tics for more than a year.

About Tourette syndrome

An international human rights treaty ratified by most countries. Article 27 covers the right to work, including reasonable accommodation.

Your rights