ION Delivers the World Autism Awareness Day Global Broadcast 2026
On the 2nd April 2026 the Institute Of Neurodiversity had the privilege of organising and hosting this year’s World Autism Awareness Day Global Broadcast, supported by the United Nations. Your voices, insights, and lived experiences made this a truly powerful global moment. Thank you for showing up, sharing, and shaping the conversation.
Thank you to those who helped bring this together behind the scenes, especially Catherine Guimard, whose hours of work on production created such an inspiring and memorable event. A huge thank you to Professor Charlotte Valeur, Chair and Founder of ION, also Jon Ingi Herbertsson and Devra Berkowitz from the United Nations Department of Global Communications. We also recognise and thank our ION team, country leads, moderators, speakers, and volunteers for your participation and time invested to making this year's WAAD a fantastic success.
Missed the event? Catch up on each panel and speech, via the buttons below:
Part 1) World Autism Awareness Day 2026: “Autism and Humanity - Every Life Has Value”
ION Singapore Event Highlights Neuroinclusion as Critical to the Future of Work: In a AI Augmented World
The recent Institute of Neurodiversity Singapore Forum brought together leaders across sectors to explore a critical question for organisations today: are we designing workplaces for how people actually think, or how we assume they should?
While much of the global focus is on AI, a deeper reality emerged from the discussion. The real challenge is operating successfully in a world that is turbulent, unprecedented, novel and ambiguous.
In this context, many organisations continue to prioritise efficiency and predictability, often defaulting to linear thinking and familiar operating models. As discussed in the forum, this is where the real risk lies.
Led by Professor Charlotte Valeur and Hazleen Ahmad, the conversation reframed neuroinclusion as a strategic systems issue rather than a compliance topic.
Several key themes emerged.
Neuroinclusion is not a tick-box exercise. It is a systems design imperative that requires collaboration across the ecosystem.
In a complex world, linear intelligence is no longer sufficient. AI can optimise known patterns faster than humans, but human sensing, intuition, and perceptivity remain irreplaceable. This was described as the “other mind”.
This “other mind” already exists within organisations, yet it is often unseen or unsupported. For some, stigma around neurodivergence means it remains unspoken. The result is an underuse of cognitive difference at a critical time.
The discussion highlighted the need to move beyond accommodation towards redesigning systems across education, hiring, performance, and leadership.
It is about shifting from standardised views of capability to recognising diverse ways of thinking, and building cultures where psychological safety, experimentation, and cognitive difference are intentionally designed in.
The future of work is not simply human and AI. It is human intelligence, artificial intelligence, and neurominority intelligence combined. This is where real advantage will be found.
The Hidden Risks of “No Diagnosis”
by Professor Charlotte Valeur, Chair and Founder of the Institute of Neurodiversity (ION)
In this article, Professor Charlotte Valeur examines “The Hidden Risks of No Diagnosis”, highlighting an often overlooked reality in neurodiversity discussions: the personal, social, and organisational consequences of going through life without recognition or understanding of neurominority profiles, and the impact this has on individuals and systems alike.
Launching the ION ND Parent's Community
The launch of the ION ND Parents Community by the Institute of Neurodiversity marks an important step in building a dedicated space for parents navigating neurodiversity within their families.
This new community is designed to offer connection, shared experience, and practical support, recognising that many parents are seeking not only information, but belonging and understanding as they support neurominority children and young people.
It reflects a broader commitment to moving beyond awareness towards meaningful, lived support for families across the neurodiversity journey. Sign up and start your journey today.
Join the Neurodiversity Collective (formerly known as ION RPDU) for the next in the Neurodiversity Masterclass series on:
Thursday, 28 May 2026 at 17:00 GMT
ION Two Day Conference: Neurodiversity in Later Life: 21–22 May 2026
This international conference will bring together lived-experience voices, researchers, practitioners, policymakers and advocates to address one of the most overlooked areas of neurodiversity: ageing, invisibility, access to care, systemic exclusion, and how societies can better support neurominorities across the full lifespan.
The two day conference will explore the following topics:
● Ageism and the erasure of older neurominorities
● Mental health, institutionalisation, and systemic barriers
● Healthcare, social care, and community inclusion
● Lived experience and reality across later life
● Building inclusive systems for ageing populations
The conference will be delivered in a hybrid format (in-person and online) to ensure global accessibility. We are seeking over-60, neurominority individuals, who would like to be a part of this conference. To register your interest in taking part please email us via the button below:
There will be no ION Chat on the 3 April 2026 as it is Good Friday, a public holiday in the UK. We look forward to seeing you at the next ION Chat on
Friday, 1 May 2026, 10:30am - 11:30am UK London Time
Discover a virtual space where you can talk about what matters to you, hear from others, share your experiences, and connect on a deeper level. Register now to join us and become an ION individual member.
Institute of Neurodiversity, Global Office, London, England
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