Neurodiversity Foundation

The vision, mission, projects and initiatives

The Foundation has the goal; To create a society that works for all individuals regardless of their braintypes, we develop in projects, the tools, community, campaigns, researches and products, to enhance societal equality, social connections and cooperation between neurodivergent and neurotypical individuals, thereby supporting to move forward towards a neurodiverse society.

The Foundation will reach her goals by:

1. research activities, production, innovation and distribution of projects that facilitate equality, self-management and effective joining for neurodivergents in the classroom, on the working space, in friendships, in groups in relationships and as individuals in society.
2. campaigns of information that foster mutual understanding, curiosity and acceptable between neurodivergent and neurotypical individuals,
3. developing knowledge and tools for effective communication that take into consideration how communication and cooperation is enacted by neurodiverse individuals

Simple Plan

There are three parts to the plan:

1. We build the technology that actually solves the problem.
2. We distribute this to 10.000 dutch Neurodivergents.
3. We distribute this to 10 million global users.

The Neurodiversity Foundation has 3 pillars of focus

• Assistive Technology for neurodiverse communication: In the ATHENS initiative, its partners are creating the tools to implement realtime neurodiverse translation, to support communication by and cooperation with neurodivergents: Signs, 2Tango.Work and Mini.Ai are the main innovations, and completely new to the world.
• Awareness & Pride, for all neurodivergents: Neurodiversity information and support campaigns. Via video (Krachtig Anders video series), social media campaigns (accounts & influencers), games (neurodiverse traits quartet), workshops, and through politics (supporting neurodiverse friendly politicians with a Neuroinclusive Politician award, and direct proposals). We show our pride, by organizing the National Neurodiversity Pride Day- run, each year on June 18th.
• Education about the value of (neuro)diversity: My Amazing Brain – magazine, distribution and campaign to support neurodiverse friendly classrooms. Also, we created the Neurodiversity Education Academy with free courses. As well as webinars on the topic. Neurodiversity also maintains the Brainy App, which was build by our researchpartner 2Tango.

The Foundation has projects

• Research for the Family Signs project
• Neurodiversity Pride Day
• Neurodiversity Education Academy
• Brainy App & My Amazing Brain Magazine
• Brain Awareness Week
• Workshops & Webinars on diversity
• Research for Signs for Schools project
• Research for Signs for Work project
• Research for the Together project

Research for the Family Signs Project:

The Family Signs research project is our largest project, and our biggest hope for fueling mutual understanding between persons of different neurotypes and communication preferences, on a worldwide scale.  It includes research efforts into:

• Format of a Signs language | Shakes language | Swipes language | Family Signs Messenger * | Signs Remote* | Mini.ai Assistant (for Signs) * | 2Tango.Learner project* | 2Tango.Together project* | 2Tango.Work project* | Hivemind context builder for mini.ai | Auti Matcher * | Virtual Assistant Mini.ai * | Self-management app *

* It includes the non-scientific research efforts and concepting of earlier prototypes and ideas, that supports our projectpartner, the dutch, social impact company 2Tango into making “Signs”. This is a real product for people to use, in order for them to be understood better by others, and thereby bridging the gap between different neurotypes. Our first focus is supporting the handsign-messenger for families. Our longterm focus is neurodiverse translation, through a semi-universal sign language, communicable via a digital messenger. 2Tango is founded, for the same reason as the foundation, but is capable of bringing ideas into reality by building the apps & tools that directly support  our mission. 

Statutes

In transparancy, we publish our full statutes & boardmembership publicly:

• Statutes Neurodiversity Foundation – afschrift akte van oprichting Stichting Neurodiversiteit

• Chambre of Commerce – KVK Details

Presentation of the ATHENS Initiative 

Investors

We are appreciative to the choice of our investors to fund our research efforts and productional efforts, for both the foundation and its app-making partner 2Tango, and hereby mention specifically:

• Cor Wit Fund: Funding for the research projects  for the Neurodiversity Foundation.
• City Lab: Funding for the production of work-related tooling for 2Tango
• SIDN : Funding for the prototype of Signs Messenger for 2Tango

We seek more funding to continue or complete our research, projects and products. For tips, talks or introductions to people that may wish to support our dream or technology, send a mail to tjerk@neurodiversiteit.nl.

Locations

We are based in the Netherlands and have offices in Rotterdam and Amstelveen. Please contact us, if you wish to meet us.

• Main office: tiengemeten 131, 1181 CS, Amstelveen
• Rotterdam office: Due to Corona, its temporarily shutdown.

Logo & Designfiles

These are the rainbow colors of the Neurodiversity Foundation. They are similar but different from the rainbows of other Diversity & Pride groups.

This is the design guide of the Neurodiversity Foundation. They are the core, upon which we will add new variations to suit our goals.

KVK number

• Our Chambre of Commerce number is: 71010025
• Bank account used by the foundation: NL02INGB0007727974

Partner with us

The Neurodiversity Foundation is on the very innovative edge of assistive technology. We love working with likeminded groups, individuals and organizations. And we see many having a similar wish for this world, as the one fueling our passion. For those wishing for a more inclusive world, embracing all types of minds, we believe that we are here to actually solve the problem, not just talk about it, if you do too: Work with us, for us, or team up in our research efforts. This can be via partnership in the ATHENS Initiative, via a shared research unit, or with the foundation directly. For more information, email us at info@neurodiversiteit.nl.

Test our technology with us: for organizations

Some of our technologies support neurodivergents to thrive in the workplace, which we label as ‘neurodiverse translation tools’. For example in our ‘workchat’ app, it strips boss-employee conversation of uncertainty, sarcasm, jokes, and other ineffective (autism-unfriendly) distractions from functional goal-directed conversations, and aides in clarifying the unsaid and the context of the intent of conversations for both types of users. Mutual understanding is productive and preferable to confusion and social politics. Our aim is to level the playing field, and thereby effortlessly unlocking the value of neurodiversity in the workplace.

Note: All tools are heavily geared towards personal privacy, encrypted, gdpr proof, and since all data is decentralised, it cannot be used for monitoring, tracking or any usecase other than supporting the neurodivergent workforce and their company leaders to communicate and cooperate more effectively. 

Test our technology with us: for individuals

We are building virtual life support assistants, custom-made to the wishes of the user. Its initially build with autistics in mind, but is adapted so that it can serve many different types of brains. Because autistics are each unique, in both capacity and personality but face similar but differing communication problems when interacting with others, the newest prototypes are unique virtual agents, specifically supporting the self-selected needs of a single individual. Join our testers team: Select which issues you would like to be helped with, and your own Mini.ai will act as a virtual life support system. Becoming part of our testers-team, will allow you to use all we build for free, and you can have input on what you want to be helped with in communicating, relating and cooperating with others, as well as taking care of yourself.

Work for us

The Neurodiversity Foundation has the capacity to host interns. Soms work at the office, some do their own research externally, all are curious, clever or crafty, all work hard in their own field, and are selected for the motivation and capacity to create impact. If you fit this profile, email us why we would love to have you at info@neurodiversiteit.nl. We are seeking specifically for these areas of expertise:

HBO/WO (academic and professional) -level

• Speech Therapy (logopedie): You will support the Signs project, forging an autism friendly sign language, to match our tech.
• Behavorial Psychology: You will support the improvements of the Learner project, coupling solutions with personal states and contexts.
• Data driven Psychology: You will support the development of Mini.AI, modelling in Signs translation.
• Data science: You will support the build, tuning of models and allround technical issues enhancing the virtual assistant.
• Experts of neurodiversity: You will provide advice, reseach, or support the testing phases of the solutions we are building.
• Financial Management: You will support the administrative division in automating and optimizing the organization.

HBO/MBO professional and practical level

• Event organizer: You will support organizing the Neurodiversity Pride Day 2020 in 16 cities in the Netherlands
• Event manager: You will support organizing the activities on Brain Awareness Week and Autism Week in the Netherlands
• Visual designer: You will support the creation of visuals, video’s, images, animations needed for the classroom project, pride day projects, website, information leaflets and social media.
• Experts of neurodiversity: You will be an ambassador, provide communication and feedback, and support the testing of the solutions.

Contact
If you want to send us a message, these are some of your options:
1) fill the contactform on this website.
2) send us an email to:  info@neurodiversiteit.nl
3) send a mail to our crewmembers:

• • tjerk@neurodiversiteit.nl
  • omotola@2tango.org
  • lana@neurodiversiteit.nl

4) send a message via linkedin: Linkedin CEO  Tjerk
5) send a call-me-back text message to our phone, explaining who you are and why you want to be called back: 06-14034299

Neurodiversity Pride Day 2020 Update

Neurodiversity Pride Day - dag van de neurodiversiteit 18 Juni

Op Neurodiversity Pride Day, op 18 Juni 2020, vierden we ons eigen feestje. We vieren, ieder op onze eigen manier, dat we als samenleving groeien naar een maatschappij die de waarde steeds meer inziet van elk neurotype, en waardering voelt voor onze diversiteit onderling. We vieren dat we ons trots mogen voelen over ons anders-zijn en hoe wij een bijdrage zijn in een wereld vol mensen met verschillende breinen. Solo, of samen; we vierden ons eigen feestje!

Dit deden we samen, met 1340 Nederlandse deelnemers en ruim 150 internationale gasten: de grootste Neurodiversity Pride Day ooit gehouden. We hebben nu al zin in de volgende editie!

De meeste inhoud van de activiteiten staan nog online, zoals de Growth Through Adversity Talks, de Divergent Interviews of de Neurodiversiteitsrede: Click here, to go to the Neurodiversity Pride Day page

Meer lezen:

Op 18 Juni was Neurodiversity Pride Day (nl) en het was met ruim 1500 deelnemers “het grootste online pride event gehouden in 1 land” buiten de Gay Prides van de LGTBQ community. We zijn dankbaar en blij met de aandacht, en zijn vastbesloten hier komende jaar nog groter mee uit te pakken. Met o.a. nieuwe aandacht voor de neuro-inclusieve politicus award, de spotlights voor neurodivergente dichters en kunstenaars, nieuwe talks met experts, pride collages, een Wall of Inclusion, een neurodance, en (onder voorbehoud) wellicht wel het eerste grote meetup-activiteit van Neurodivergent nederland.

De populairste activiteiten van de 2020 editie waren de Divergent Interviews, waar 75% van de deelnemers meeluisterden. Meer dan de helft keek ook bij de nieuwe Brainy app, die direct ook geïnstalleerd werd bij bijna 100 personen. Ongeveer 200 mensen waren geïnteresseerd in de cursussen van de Neurodiversity Education Academy. Er waren 115 ‘Pride Framers’. De Growth Through Adversity Talks werd gevolgd door 100 deelnemers, en ook de Neurodiversiteitsrede werd live meegekeken door 75 personen. Activiteiten die net iets minder digitale deelnemers trokken, zoals de podcast, Together meetup-maker betatesting, de webinar en de workshop waren allen aan het einde van de dag, of deden aan voorinschrijving voor deelnemers.
Naast het programma zelf zijn er ook tientallen, en wellicht wel honderden neurodivergenten die, buiten onze events en activiteiten om, op deze dag zich publiekelijk hebben uitgesproken voor hun eigen neurodiverse trots. Vooral op social media natuurlijk 🙂. En ieder op zijn eigen manier. Dit vertoon van moed, geeft ons hoop, het geeft ons licht, en het toont ons waarvoor we het doen, terwijl we de weg omploegen richting de toekomst. Een toekomst, waarin er ruimte is voor de meerwaarde van elk neurotype in onze maatschappij. Een toekomst, waarin iedereen trots mag zijn op zijn unieke bijdrage aan de wereld. Een toekomst die door dagen als de Neurodiversity Pride Day, telkens een onweerlegbaar stukje dichterbij komen.

En dat is reden voor feest: 18 Juni 2021, Neurodiversity Pride Day Nederland. Dit is je uitnodiging, en ja, met een vol hart en een bijzonder brein, vieren we dan weer, ons eigen feestje.

Pictures of the ATHENS Initiative

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