The invisible pass: asynchronous e-learning and the enforcement of neurotypical identity performance in neurodivergent adults

Abstract

Purpose Digital learning environments are increasingly framed as flexible and inclusive, yet the identity work required of neurodivergent learners within these spaces remains largely unexamined. This paper argues that asynchronous e-learning platforms, by eliminating interpersonal contexts for disclosure, accommodation and recognition, create conditions of enforced neurotypical identity performance. The paper aims to reconceptualise compensatory learning strategies not merely as cognitive workarounds but as acts of identity concealment. Design/methodology/approach The paper draws on qualitative data from semi-structured interviews generated within a broader, multi-phase programme of research into neurodivergent experience of asynchronous e-learning, applying a theoretically distinct analysis that foregrounds identity negotiation, disclosure and selfhood rather than the cognitive-functionalist lens of prior work in this programme. A braided theoretical framework combining Goffman’s (1963) stigma and passing with Milton’s (2012) double-empathy problem guided the analysis. Findings Five identity positions emerged from the data, spanning a spectrum from rejection of the neurodivergent label to its proud reclamation: resistant non-identification, retrospective biographical revision, precarious oscillation, clinical ownership and irreverent reclamation. Across all positions, participants performed neurotypicality through invisible compensatory strategies that the interface neither recognised nor accommodated. The analysis identifies enforced passing as a structural condition specific to asynchronous e-learning: unlike face-to-face contexts, where disclosure remains at least possible, the interface removes this option entirely, making concealment a systemic default rather than an individual choice. Originality/value The paper makes an original contribution by introducing the concept of enforced passing as a structural condition specific to asynchronous digital learning, distinct from passing in face-to-face contexts. It exposes a critical gap between accessibility-focused design and recognition-centred inclusion, arguing that truly inclusive digital learning requires environments where neurodivergent learners do not need to perform neurotypicality in order to succeed. This perspective extends current scholarship on neurodiversity and online learning and opens new avenues for examining how educational systems implicitly privilege neurotypical norms.

The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Equality Diversity and Inclusion An International Journal, 2026 · DOI ↗