Neurodiversity Celebration Week 2025

It’s Neurodiversity Celebration Week this week and World Down Syndrome Day on 21st March, meaning many organisations will be posting about inclusion, running events, and sharing personal stories. These moments are valuable - especially in today’s climate - but they must be part of a larger neuroinclusion plan, not a tick-box exercise.

Real inclusion doesn’t come from a once-a-year LinkedIn post or event. It comes from ongoing commitment, deep thinking, and challenging the norms that exclude people in the first place. And we’ve got the perfect way to make that happen in your teams this week.

This week’s newsletter includes:

• Info: More about Neurodiversity Celebration Week and Down Syndrome Awareness Day

• Tips: 3 activities to spark neuroinclusive thinking and challenge each other in your teams

• Recommendations: The Black Child Down Syndrome project

1. Beyond performative awareness

Awareness weeks can spark meaningful conversations, but they shouldn’t be your whole strategy. Instead of stopping at ‘raising awareness,’ ask: What are we doing to make our spaces genuinely inclusive all year round?

A key part of this is intersectionality - recognising that neurodivergence doesn’t exist in isolation. A Black autistic woman’s experience is different from that of a white autistic man. Someone with ADHD will face different societal barriers depending on their race, gender, and socio-economic background.

True inclusion means understanding these overlapping experiences, not just focusing on neurodiversity in a vacuum. The focus should be on the individual and all the parts of their identity that make them who they are.

So if your Neurodiversity Celebration Week activities (if you have any!) aren’t representative of lots of different intersecting identities then have a think about how you can encourage that through the remainder of the year.

One of the latest projects highlighting the need for representation is the amazing Black Child Down Syndrome Project. It challenges the idea that Down syndrome only ‘looks’ one way and highlights the need for greater awareness of racial disparities in diagnosis and support. If you don’t have any planned for Down Syndrome Awareness Day on Friday consider sharing this with your colleagues, friends and family.

2. Let’s challenge ourselves this week

Rather than just talking about neurodiversity, let’s push ourselves to think differently. Instead of tips, we’re sharing three activities that will help your teams reflect, challenge assumptions, and take action:

💡 1. Challenging social norms
Many workplace norms make life harder for neurodivergent people - and aren’t necessary for productivity. Think about rules like ‘always make eye contact’ and challenge whether they are actually needed or not.

💬 2. The thriving together exercise
This is about understanding how different people work best. Ask your team: When do you feel most productive? How do you like to receive information? These insights build more inclusive environments.

🧠 3. Experiencing dyscalculia
Try a dyscalculia simulation and reflect: How can we design workplaces that don’t rely on numeric skills alone?

🚀 Want the full activity pack with all the details for these activities? Reply with ACTIVITIES and I’ll send it to you!

3. Recommendations and further resources

• Black Child Down Syndrome Project – An essential read on why representation matters.

• Differing Minds’ Neurodiversity Celebration Week Activity Pack – Reply with ACTIVITIES to get your copy.

Awareness is necessary, but change is what we really need. Change is hard - but it’s worth it. This week, let’s not just celebrate neurodiversity; let’s challenge ourselves to build a world where everyone is truly included.

Until next time,
Jess 😊

PS Whenever you’re ready, here are some ways I can help:

• Want me to speak in your organisation? Head here to book a chat and make a plan.

• Book a FREE Discovery call to chat through how I can support your workplace, your school or your family.

• Join the waitlist for our next NeuroNavigator programme and become a certified Neurodiversity Champion.