Are you the fox or the stork?

When I was a girl, I loved visiting the neighbourhood stationery shop to buy notebooks, pencils, and erasers. But what I truly adored were the notebooks featuring Jean de La Fontaine’s fables. The covers had beautiful illustrations, and the full story was always printed on the back.

One of the stories that has always touched me is "The Fox and the Stork." I remember the mischievous fox inviting the stork to dinner, only to serve soup in a shallow dish that the stork’s beak couldn't reach. But as we know, the story doesn't end there. Later, the stork invites the fox over and serves the meal in a tall, narrow jar, leaving the fox unable to take a single bite.

The moral is usually "do not do to others what you would not have them do to you." But the truth is, both scenarios disturb me. I can’t help but feel the stork's discomfort as she tries to remain cordial and pretend to eat while being mocked (masking). At the same time, I put myself in the fox’s shoes tasting his own medicine and feeling tiny and helpless, trying in vain to reach the food inside that jar.

Whenever I read this story to my children, I find myself translating it into our daily lives. In my case, I think of how neurodivergent people are so often "tricked" by job offers that are essentially traps exactly like the fox’s shallow plate. Unlike the fox in the fable, we often don't realize the trap is there, or we choose to ignore it. There is a gap in empathy and a struggle to truly step into someone else's shoes.

This is why, at Neuroinclusionlab, we believe that true inclusion isn't about awareness campaigns or polished photos of neurodivergent children and adults. It is pure Design. It is about physically building workplaces that are accessible to everyone, regardless of their characteristics or thinking styles. It might seem like a utopia, but it is what we believe in.

So, tell me, are you going to keep being the fox? If so, just remember the last time you felt like the stork...