Change text size:

Choose Style:

Company Corner: Social Cipher

Company Corner: Social Cipher

Here at Patchwork Hub, we believe it’s important to share the work of revolutionary technology organisations. Continuing our Company Corner series, we recently caught up with Vanessa Castañeda Gill from Social Cipher. Social Cipher is a game-based social-emotional learning platform for youth of all neurotypes and the professionals who work with them.


What is Social Cipher?

Social Cipher is a game-based social-emotional learning platform for youth of all neurotypes and the professionals who work with them. In other words, we build space pirate video games to help youth understand themselves and those around them. Our software also helps the professionals who work with them better understand their students’ social-emotional well-being.

What led to the creation of Social Cipher?

I started this company because of my own experiences as a neurodivergent individual (autism/ADHD). After 6 years of being ashamed of my conditions, I realised through the power of play and imagination that I never needed to be fixed; I just needed a different way to learn. I started Social Cipher to make sure that every young person finds that truth.

Why are accessibility and disability important to your company?

As a 50% neurodivergent team, disability inclusion is super important for us. The reason we’re able to create such nuanced characters and moving stories in our games is that we include neurodivergent voices in our team from the beginning. We believe in the idea of ‘nothing about us without us’ and test with neurodivergent youth because they’re the experts in their own experiences. 

We know that with the right support, folks of all neurotypes can absolutely thrive. If that means flexible/remote work, having tasks organized in a visual manner, or simply being able to turn your camera off during video meetings, it's a no-brainer. We encourage those supports, even if it's not the "norm”, whatever this means.

Do you have any tips/advice on how to create a more inclusive working environment?

Definitely! Here are a couple of things that Social Cipher has done to build a 50% neurodivergent team:

  • In job descriptions, include neurodivergence as a strength/something you're looking for.

  • Not assuming that every neurodivergent person wants to be a consultant on their experiences (unless they're hired as a neurodiversity consultant, of course). It's more about leaving the opportunity open if they'd like to give feedback/share about it.

  • Getting feedback from neurodivergent team members on your hiring process! 

  • Encourage folks to give feedback on current processes and how they work out for them. Do your processes work well with their own learning styles/preferred ways that they process information?

  • At the interview stage, we're working on incorporating accommodations into the interview itself! As a neurodivergent person myself, when I've been on the applicant side of things, this step has been a huge indicator to me of a company's inclusivity.

  • These accommodations during interviews can include:

    • Identifying audibly who is talking/asking questions. 

    • Sending questions in advance.

    • Writing questions in chat as we ask them.

    • Closed captions.

    • Sending questions afterwards for more elaboration.

    • Camera off/phone call instead.

What do you think is the biggest challenge your industry will face in the next 5 years?

I believe there exists polarization in the neurodiversity space. The thing is, we all want the same things for neurodivergent folks: to thrive and live happy, healthy lives where people feel supported. The issue is that there's disagreement on how to achieve those goals. There are some amazing disability advocates and organizations doing the work every day to make progress on that though, and with the rise of the Neurodiversity Movement. I have faith that we'll see a lot of positive change in the coming years.

What have you found most helpful in the progression of your company?

We meet monthly to do what we call product roadmap refreshes, which allows us to look at a visual timeline and see all of the goals of each department lined up together in one place. It really allows us to be real about our goals and what may have to change, and it bridges the natural divides that occur between the product and business sides of our company. We also love doing show and tells during our core team meetings – we have super talented and passionate people on our team. This really helps us bond when we share our passions and interests!

Is there anything else you’d like us to share?

Our team is full of a bunch of amazing geeks! We have a fossil hunter, an escape room builder, a master cosplayer, and many more interesting talents on the team. The creativity and passion we have is truly this team's greatest strength (as a bonus, they're incredibly fun to work with!)

 

Want to find out more about Social Cipher? Check out the links below:

Social Cipher’s Website

Follow Social Cipher on Instagram

Follow Social Cipher on Twitter

Follow Social Cipher on LinkedIn

 

Published: 4th October 2022

All Tags
4-day week 9 to 5 A Shorter Working Week Ability Ability Connect Ableism Academia Academy for Disabled Journalists Academy for Disabled SEO Specialists Access All: Disability News and Mental Health Access2Funding Accessibility Accessibility information Accessibility int he workplace Accessibility ramps Accessible education Accessible locations Accessible places Acid reflux Adaptive fashion Advocacy AI Aleto Foundation Alex brooker All Saints All-Party Parliamentary Group for Inclusive Entrepreneurship Allyship Alt text Amazon Amnesia Andrew Barnes Anglo-norman Announcement Annual appraisals Annualised flexibility Annualised hours Anxiety Apple Aspiring Entrepreneurs with Disability Development Programme Assistive technology Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Autism Award Awareness Balance work Baroness Jane Campbell Barriers Beth Kume-Holland Billy Caldwell Blog British Banking British Territories Brooke Millhouse Brooklyn Budgeting Bullying BUPA Burnout Business Business Disability Forum Business model creation Business skills Business workshop Businesses Cancer Candidates Cape Town Captioning Captions Careering into Motherhood Carers Caring responsibilities Cash flow Cerebral palsy Characters Charity Charity sector Chronic anxiety Chronic health conditions Chronic migraines Chronic pain Closed captions Clothes Clothing Coca-Cola Cognitive disabilities Comfort zone Communal working Communication Community networks Companies Company Company Corner Company culture Concentration problems Confidence Confucius Consultant Consultation Content creator Content designer Contract work Coping mechanisms Core hours Covid Covid-19 Createive pboelm sovling Data talent Day centres Depression Desert Island Discs Diagnosis Difference Digital and social media marketing Digital transformation Disabilities Disability Advisory Service Disability advocate Disability advocates Disability and Neurodiversity Network Disability awareness Disability Awareness Month Disability Awareness Training Disability community Disability confident Disability Confident Leader Disability employment Disability inclusion Disability law Disability news Disability Policy Centre Disability Pride Disability Startup to Watch Disability talks Disabled Disabled and Proud podcast Disabled candidates Disabled community Disabled entrepreneurs Disabled founders Disabled people Disabled People’s Direct Action Network Disabled talent Disabled team Disabled-led Disabled-led organisations Disbled Students Allowance Disclosure Diverse Diverse workforce Diversity Diversity and inclusion Diversity Project Diversity Recruitment Platform Dizziness Domestic violence Downing Street Dysfluency ED&I EDDP Education Education and resource platform Educational institution Emotional intelligence Employees Employers " Employment opportunities Employment platform Empowerment Energy-limiting condition Equality Act 2010 Ethnic minorities European Union Eventbrite Exams Executive dysfunction Expert teachers Expert training Extreme tiredness Fashion Fashion industry Fathom Fatigue Feedback Finance Finances Financial goals Financial planning Financial plans Financial services Financial services sector Financial Times Flexibility Flexible work Flexible working hours Forbes Freelance FTSE 100 Fund management Funding GAIN Game Gaming Gareth Walkom Garment technologist Gastrointestinal conditions Gem Turner Gender Gender Networks Global Diversity Leaders Gradute Grant Logan Guide dog Harvard University Heaches Health and disability Health issues Healthcare Healthcare professionals Healthy living Hearing loss Hidden talent pool Homeworking Hospice UK Compassionate Employers Programme House of Lords Houses of Parliament HR Human rights Hybrid working Ian MacKenzie Illness Inclusion Inclusive culture Inclusive workforce Inclusivity Income loss Incomplete Tetraplegia India Inspiration Intellectual capabilities Intensive care Internships Interview process Interviews Investments Investor Invisible disabilities Invisible disability Invisible illness Irwin Mitchell Isaac Harvey Isaac Harvey MBE Istituto Marangoni Jack Wills Job applicant Job descriptions Job interviews Job opportunities Job vacancies Journalism Journalists Kennedy Scholarship Labour market Learning disability Lee Ridley Leeds Leeds trinity university Legislation Let’s Talk About It LGBT Great LGBTQ+ Limb-pelvic hypoplasia LinkedIn LinkedIn influencer Listening service Liz Carr Lloyds Bank Loeys-Dietz Syndrome London London Fashion Week Long-term health condition Long-term health conditions Long-term illness Mapping days Mark Esho Maths Matt Pierri Maya angelou ME ME/CFS Medical condition Medication Meta Metaverse Metro Migrants Misconception Mobility aids Motivation MRI Multinational firm Musculoskeletal conditions National Council for the Training of Journalists National Health Service Nausea NCTJ Neurodivergence Neurodivergent Neurodiverse Neurodiversity consultant Neurodiversity space Neurotype Neurotypes Neurotypical New Delhi New York News NHS Non-disabled founders Non-profit Novos OBS Occupational health Office environment Online internship Online lecture Opportunities Organisations Oxford university Pain Palpitations Pandemic Paralysis Parents Partially sighted Partnership Pastoral support Patchworker Spotlight Patchworkers People Perception of disability Perceptions Performance reviews Personality Phase Eight Phone calls Physical disabilities Pirate video games Policy Policy expert Poverty Presentations Pride Network Primark Processes and systems Productivity Professional Women’s Network Progress Together Public speaking Pulmonary embolism Puneet Singh Singhal Race Race and Ethnicity Network Radio Raising awareness Recruiters Registered blind Relationships Remote course Remote education Remote learning Remote work Removing barriers Research Residential care Residential colleges Resilience Respite Revenue streams Rights Rowena the Wonderful School Scoliosis Scope Search engine optimisation Secretary of State for Disabled People Selection process Self-care Self-employed Self-employment Senators Senior staff Sexuality Shaw trust Shaw trust power 100 list Sign language SJP Sleep Sleep problems Small Business Britain Social enterprise Social entrepreneur Social good Social impact Social mission Social mobility Social network Social-emotional learning Social-emotional learning platform Software Speaking situation Special Advisor Speech Speech differences Speech disabilities Speech impediment Spinal stroke Spotlight series Spotlight stories Ssstart St. James’s Place Charitable Foundation Staff Stammer Stammering Stoke Mandeville Stonewall Stories Story Strategy Student disability representative Stuttering Style Supportive network Sustainable change Sweaty Betty Target market Tech for good fellowship Tech industry Tech talent TechRound TEDx Temporal lobe epilepsy Tesco The Pursuits of Darleen Fyles Think tank Tinsel Girl Training Transcription UCL UK Government Underrepresentation Unhidden Unhidden Clothing United States Congress Universities University lectures University of Leicester Unlearning Ableism Vanessa Castañeda Gill Victoria Beckham Video editor Video game Vimeo Violence Virgin Virtual reality VR Walks Like a Duck Wealth management Web accessibility What If Everyone Was Disabled Wheels and Wheelchairs Women Women’s Hour Work environment Work experience Work from home Work location Working conditions Working day Working Families Group Working from home Working hours Working week Workplace Workplace adjustments Yale University Youth Zoom Abc Ability Today Access to work Accessibility in the workplace Accessibility test Accessible work Acting Adhd Adjustments Administrative Adrian lord Advice Advocacy and campaigns Allparty parliamentary group for inclusive entrepreneurship American civil rights movement Android Anglonorman App Artificial intelligence Bad grammar Barriers to work Bbc Benefits Blind persons act Blue badge Blue badge service specialists Care Career Carer Celia Chartres-Aris Celtic languages Center on everyday lives of families Ceo Cfs Chloe tear Chronic fatigue syndrome Chronic health condition Chronic illness Commodo aute beatae Community Community story Community, community story, founder, feature, accessible work, disability employment gap, making a difference Companies house Compressed hours Computer science Computers Coronavirus Councils Covid19 Crystal mark standard Deaf Design Dialects Dictionary Digital accessibility Disability Disability discrimination act Disability employment gap Disability rights movement Disability services Disabled peoples direct action network Disabled persons employment act Disabled-led organisation Easy read Edit Tag Test 2 Email address Employer Spotlight Employers Employment English English speakers Entrepreneur Entrepreneurship Epilepsy Equality Equality act Equality and diversity Equality of access Esources, disability, disability services, support services, community story, features, adjustments, social support network Esse vero eum nisi a Eugenics Facebook Feature Features Fibromyalgia First world war Flexi Flexible working Flexitime Flextime Founder Francesco cirillo Freelancing French Gcses Gdpr General data protection regulation Good Good grammar Google Government policy Government support Graduate Graduates Grammar Grammar schools Health Health condition Health conditions Hearing impairment Help And Support Tags History History of language Holistic Ico Impact Impactful Imposter syndrome Inclusive entrepreneur network Inequalities Inequality Information commissioners office Information governance Instagram Internet Jacqueline winstanley Laborum Magna moles Language Latin Law Learning difficulties Lexicographers Limited company Local councils Local government Making a difference Marketing strategy Mecfs Medical conditions Medical model of disability Medical vs social models of disability Medicines Mental health Middle english Mindfulness Mlm Mobility issues Molestias quod sapie Multilevel marketing Nam eaque iure aut v National league of the blind Neurodiversity Nihil corporis aliqu Niya Normans Not Your Grandmas Old english Old french Onboarding and retention Online Out of work Oxbridge Oxford University Parent Passwords Patchwork hub Payment details Planning Planning for work Podcasts Pomodoro Preposition Press release Private schools Psychiatric Psychiatry Punctuation Qui voluptatem debi React Reasonable adjustments Recruitment Remote working Resources Resources and support Rest Retinopathy of prematurity Sales Scam Search engine Second world war Shell shock Slang Sociability Social Cipher Social interactions Social media Social model of disability Social support network Socialising Spelling Spoken language Spotlight series Spotlight stories St. James’s Place Standard english Startup State schools Student Students Studying Suffragette movement Support Support services Symptoms Syntactician Syntax Tag Technology The Disability Policy Centre The elderly Then barbara met alan Trafalgar square Turkish United nations Universal inclusion University University of arts london University of cambridge University of hertfordshire University of hull University of leeds University of oxford Victoria Jenkins Visual impairment Waltham Forest Disability Resource Centre War Ways of working West germanic dialects William shakespeare Windsor consultations WithVR Wordpress Work structure Workforce recruitment Working environment Workplace barriers World war one World war two Yes "Community Young carer

Our use of cookies

We use necessary cookies to help our site function. We’d also like to use analytics cookies that help us make improvements by measuring how you use our website.

For more detailed information about the cookies we use, see our Cookies page.


Necessary cookies

Necessary cookies enable core website functionality such as network management, security and accessibility. You may disable these by changing your browser settings, but this may impact how the website functions.


Analytics cookies

 

We’d like to collect website analytics cookies information using Google Analytics to help us improve our website. We collect this data by running Google Analytics JavaScript on your device, which collects data about how you interact with our site. The data is collected in a way that does not directly identify anyone. For more information please see our Cookies page.