Celebrate Neurodivergent Uniqueness on Neurodiversity Pride Day, JUNE 16th 2023!

June 16th is the new date for the 6th international day of pride for all neurodivergents. Let’s celebrate neurodiversity together!

On September 19-24 the Autism Explained Conference will be held for 10.000 participants, and the Neurodiversity Foundation donates their social space to organizer: “Autism From The Inside“, run by Paul Micallef & team. The NeuroEmergence Gathering Area is redesigned as a social space for participants of the conference to meet each other and talk. This event will be english-spoken.

The first week of October, will be the ‘week of dyslexia‘, organized by our friends of the Hoi Foundation. This event will be in dutch language.

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

The Neurodiversity Foundation has 3 pillars of focus

• Assistive Technology for neurodiverse communication: In the ATHENS initiative, its partners are creating the tools to facilitate communication by and cooperation in (neuro)diverse families with a messenger that supports basic gestures, basic signs, sentence-stepping and a team- or family-specific ‘secret’ motion-language for online and offline communication: Family Signs & Work Signs. The foundation aims to explore and research the possibility and implementation of a default motion-signalling language for online & offline use, in order to bridge the communicationgaps between neurotypes.
• 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, supported by apps. As well as webinars on the topic. Neurodiversity also maintains the Brainy App, which was build by our researchpartner 2Tango.

An additional long-term but more local focus since our early days, starting preparations in 2016, has been to introduce the concept of Neurodiversity in the Netherlands and make it a more well-known and used word that has direct and indirect positive impact on behaviours and attitude between Neurodivergents and Neurotypicals.

The Foundation has projects

• Supporting the scientific and practical research for the Signs project (Via ATHENS)
• Neurodiversity Pride Day
• Neurodiversity Education Academy
• Brainy App & My Brain Magazine
• Brain Awareness Week activities
• Workshops & Webinars on diversity
• Support for organizations and companies on Neurodiversity related matters
• Research for the Together project
• Stride with Pride sportsactivities
• Neuroemergence Online Summit
• Research for Signs for Neurodiverse Families project (Via ATHENS)
• Research for Signs for Schools project (Via ATHENS)
• Research for Signs for Work project (Via ATHENS)

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 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. The cooperation is called ‘the Assistive Tech Hub Enhancing a Neurodiverse Society’, or ‘Athens Initiative’. 

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.

Statutes

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

• Statutes Neurodiversity Foundation – afschrift akte van oprichting Stichting Neurodiversiteit
• Chambre of Commerce – KVK Details

Original Slide Deck 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.
• Rabo Bank: Funding to support Neurodiversity Pride Day

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 message to the contact form.

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: Closed since the Corona Pandemic.

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.

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 [email protected]

Test our technology with us: for organizations

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

If you want to become a tester, please send an email to [email protected]

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 [email protected]

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 Family Signs, 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 2021 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 a message via linkedin: Linkedin CEO  Tjerk
3. Send a call-me-back text message to our phone, via sms or whatsapp, explaining who you are and why you want to be called back: 0614034299