Session Duration
Session Description
In this session, Laura G. Anthony, a disability lawyer, workplace consultant, and team leader, will guide participants through practical scenarios and evidence-based strategies for creating inclusive investigation and interviewing practices. Drawing from neuroscience and her experience as an investigator, Laura will demonstrate how unwritten communication norms, behavioral expectations, and memory-based questioning can unintentionally disadvantage neurodivergent individuals.
Attendees will learn techniques for adapting their approach, including minimizing ambiguity in questions, structuring interviews to reduce cognitive load, and creating environments that limit stress and distraction. They will also discover how neurodivergence can influence the ways people present information and how that presentation may be misinterpreted as a reflection of credibility. By recognizing how body language and demeanor can be misinterpreted, particularly for those who are neurodivergent, attendees will strengthen their ability to make informed, equitable decisions.
This training is designed for recruiters, HR professionals, and workplace investigators who want to ensure their processes are both accessible and reliable, as well as for leaders who want to build more inclusive, effective, and connected teams.
Session Speaker
More About Laura Anthony
Laura Anthony is a nationally recognized speaker, disability attorney and consultant, with an extensive background in neurodiversity, inclusive leadership and dispute resolution. For over 25 years, Laura has led a neurodiverse legal and consulting team and has helped business and organizational leaders understand differences in how people think, process and communicate information and use that understanding to advance their institutional goals.
As a certified mediator, investigator and hearing officer, Laura has been at the forefront of neuro-inclusive conflict resolution efforts, training organizations on how to implement workplace practices that are effective, affirming and trauma-informed.
Beyond her professional experience, Laura brings a deep personal connection to her work. As the child of a parent who suffered a traumatic brain injury, Laura spent her life navigating the realities of neurodiversity and this, coupled with her study of psychology and brain science, gave her a firsthand understanding of the strengths and struggles that can occur when people think and communicate in different ways. Her experience inspired her career as a disability lawyer and fueled her interest in breaking down stigma, improving workplace inclusion and equipping organizations to better support and leverage the strengths of a neurodiverse workforce.
A sought-after speaker, Laura has delivered keynotes, corporate training and workshops for global technology and Fortune 100 companies, federal and state government agencies, colleges and universities, and associations of legal, heath care, education and HR professionals. Her insightful and engaging presentation style enables her to connect with audiences and to translate complex, science-based concepts into practical strategies for innovation, inclusion and growth.