Guest Blog: Reasonable Adjustments in the Outdoors: Simple, low-cost changes that make a big difference

Mar 16 / Nat Hawley @ Divergent Thinking
For Neurodiversity Celebration Week (16th – 22nd March 2026), Learn the Ropes has handed the blog over to us at Divergent Thinking for a reason that feels especially relevant to the outdoor sector: climbing walls and outdoor centres are full of neurodivergent staff, instructors and participants, but practical guidance on what neuroinclusion looks like day-to-day is still too rare.

That matters because this is a sector built on communication, trust, judgement, teamwork and safety. If those things are unclear, rushed or overly dependent on people simply “picking things up”, neurodivergent people often feel the cost first.

The good news is that outdoor teams already have many of the instincts needed to get this right. You are used to adapting to weather, risk, confidence levels, group dynamics and changing conditions. 

Neuroinclusion is not a completely separate skillset. At its best, it is just good outdoor practice applied more thoughtfully.

That is why Learn the Ropes and Divergent Thinking are using this week to start a more practical conversation about reasonable adjustments in the outdoors — not in an abstract HR sense, but in the real world of wall shifts, instructor handovers, centre briefings and staff induction.

And because we know this needs to go further than one blog, Learn the Ropes and Divergent Thinking are also currently developing a course on neuroinclusion in the outdoors.
We’re mentioning that here because we’d love to gauge interest from centres, walls and instructor teams as we shape it.

Outdoor centres and climbing walls are already used to thinking practically.

You adapt to weather, confidence levels, group dynamics, kit issues, timing pressures and changing conditions.
You read the group, make quick decisions and find ways to help people participate safely and successfully.

That is why neuroinclusion in the outdoors should not feel like a huge leap.
In many cases, the most effective reasonable adjustments for neurodivergent staff, instructors and participants are not expensive or complicated. They are small, practical changes that reduce confusion, overload and avoidable friction.

And that matters, because outdoor environments can be brilliant for many neurodivergent people, but they can also be noisy, fast-moving, socially demanding and full of last-minute change. A few thoughtful adjustments can make the difference between someone merely coping and someone genuinely thriving.

At Divergent Thinking, we spend a lot of time helping organisations understand that neuroinclusion is rarely about special treatment. More often, it is about clearer design, better communication and more consistent ways of working.

What do we mean by neurodivergent? 

Neurodivergent is an umbrella term for people whose brains process, learn or respond differently from the dominant “neurotypical” norm.

This can include autistic people, people with ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and other cognitive differences.

In an outdoor setting, this might affect how someone:
  • processes verbal instructions
  • remembers multi-step tasks
  • copes with noise and unpredictability
  • manages transitions between activities
  • reads implied expectations
  • organises equipment or admin
  • communicates under pressure
That does not mean they are less capable.

It means that if the environment is unclear, chaotic or overload-heavy, they may have to work much harder than other people just to do the same job or access the same session.

Reasonable adjustments are not a big, dramatic thing...

One of the biggest myths is that adjustments are expensive, awkward or only relevant once someone shares a formal diagnosis.

Usually, they are much simpler than that.

A reasonable adjustment is just a change that reduces disadvantage.
In practice, outdoor teams already do this all the time. You change your communication style for different groups. You adjust pace. You adapt the environment. You change how you brief depending on age, confidence, ability and context.

Neuroinclusive adjustments are often just an extension of good instructional practice.

1 - Make briefings shorter, clearer and more structured

Many outdoor briefings contain too much information at once.

When staff or participants are given a long, fast verbal explanation with multiple safety points, instructions and expectations bundled together, it is easy for key details to get lost.

Helpful adjustments include:
  • breaking instructions into chunks

  • giving the most important safety points first

  • using the same wording for key instructions each time

  • checking understanding without making people feel singled out

  • avoiding vague phrases like “just use your judgement” unless you explain what that means


A clearer briefing is not dumbing anything down. It is making the information more usable.

2 - Use visual cues as well as verbal ones

Outdoor settings are often highly verbal, but visual support can reduce a huge amount of friction.

This might include:
  • a whiteboard with the session flow

  • kit laid out in the order it will be used

  • simple diagrams

  • visual checklists

  • labelled storage

  • colour coding for key processes

  • written handover prompts


This can be especially useful for dyslexic, dyspraxic or autistic staff and participants, but it usually helps everyone.

If you are trying to build a more neuroinclusive culture in your organisation, this is one of the easiest places to start.
It is also one of the themes we explore in Divergent Thinking’s workplace support work: where can structure replace guesswork?

3 - Improve induction for new instructors and team members

A lot of neurodivergent staff do not struggle because they cannot do the job. They struggle because induction is too vague.

Many new starters are expected to “pick things up” informally:
  • watch how others do it

  • absorb the social culture

  • remember lots of unwritten rules

  • work out priorities without being told


That can create a lot of unnecessary stress.

A more neuroinclusive induction might include:
  • a simple written outline for the first few shifts

  • clear explanation of routines and expectations

  • structured shadowing

  • named people to ask for help

  • written follow-up after key induction conversations

  • clear guidance on what “good” looks like


That does not only help neurodivergent staff.
It makes induction stronger, full stop.

4 - Make handovers more consistent

Handovers are one of the easiest places for misunderstanding to build up.

In busy outdoor environments, information is often passed on casually and quickly. Important details can get buried in chat, assumptions or rushed verbal updates.

A stronger handover process might include the same three questions every time:
  • What happened?

  • What matters now?

  • What needs doing next?


That structure can make a big difference.

If a team member struggles with processing lots of spoken information quickly, a simple written or visible handover prompt can reduce mistakes and improve confidence at the same time.

5 - Reduce unnecessary last-minute surprises

Outdoor work is never going to be completely predictable. Weather changes. Groups change. Timing changes.

But there is a difference between necessary unpredictability and avoidable chaos.

Neurodivergent staff often cope better when change is:
  • flagged as early as possible

  • explained clearly

  • linked to what stays the same

  • followed by a moment to regroup


For many people, change itself is manageable. What is hard is change that arrives with no warning, no structure and no clarity.

6 - Think about sensory load

Climbing walls and outdoor centres can be exciting, energetic places. They can also be loud, echoing, visually busy and socially intense.

That can affect neurodivergent people in ways that are easy to miss.

Helpful adjustments might include:
  • choosing quieter places for briefings where possible

  • reducing unnecessary background noise

  • allowing staff to take short reset breaks

  • being thoughtful about where people are positioned

  • not assuming everyone can stay socially “on” all day without cost


Again, this does not have to become overcomplicated. It is often about being a bit more deliberate.

7 - Be clear about expectations, not just standards

A lot of workplace stress comes from uncertainty.

If someone is told:
  • “be more proactive”

  • “take more initiative”

  • “be better organised”

that may sound clear to the manager, but it is often not clear enough to act on.

A better approach is to explain:
  • what should be done at the start of shift

  • what good session prep looks like

  • what needs to be handed over at the end

  • what should be escalated and when

  • what the priorities are during busy periods


That clarity helps reduce anxiety, repeated mistakes and avoidable correction.

You do not need to wait for a diagnosis

A lot of organisations assume they need to wait until someone discloses a diagnosis before making any change.

But many useful adjustments do not need to begin with a diagnosis at all. They can begin with better systems.

If your briefings are clearer, your induction is stronger and your handovers are more structured, you are not only helping people who have formally identified as neurodivergent. You are building a better environment for everyone.

That is one of the reasons we often say at Divergent Thinking that inclusion is not only about reacting well to individual needs. It is also about proactive design.

Why this matters so much in the outdoors

Outdoor learning is often at its best when it helps people feel capable, included and stretched in the right ways.

If we want that value to apply to staff teams as well as participants, we need to think about how our centres, walls and instructor cultures are set up.
Because neuroinclusion in the outdoors is not really about making things softer.

It is about making things clearer.

And in safety-critical, people-centred environments, clarity is a strength.

That is especially relevant in outdoor settings, where poor communication is not just frustrating. It can affect confidence, consistency, team trust and safety.

Looking ahead:
A course in development

This guest post is part of Neurodiversity Celebration Week 2026, but we hope it is also the start of a wider conversation in the sector.
Learn the Ropes and Divergent Thinking are currently developing a course on "Neuroinclusion in the Outdoors" for outdoor centres, climbing walls and instructor teams.

The aim is to create something practical, relevant and realistic for the sector — not abstract policy language, but guidance teams can actually use around:
  • briefing

  • induction

  • handovers

  • communication

  • reasonable adjustments

  • neuroinclusive culture in outdoor environments


If that sounds useful to your centre, wall or team, we would genuinely love to gauge interest.

Final Thoughts

Reasonable adjustments in the outdoors do not need to be dramatic.

Often, they are simple, low-cost changes:
  • clearer briefings

  • better induction

  • stronger handovers
  • more predictable communication
  • lower sensory load

  • more explicit expectations

But those small changes can make a very big difference.

Because when people spend less energy decoding the environment, they have more energy for what really matters: safety, learning, teamwork and doing the job well.

And that feels like exactly the kind of conversation worth having during Neurodiversity Celebration Week.
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