Lived experience is not a limitation. It is the qualification.
Who we are, what we believe, and how the organization is structured.
Where this started.
Neurodivergent Minds Inc. was founded by a neurodivergent researcher, advocate, and practitioner whose published work spans social capital theory, AI accessibility and ADA accommodation frameworks, civic technology policy, behavioral health compliance, and consumer protection advocacy.
The organization proceeds from a single conviction: the people who understand neurodivergence best are the people who live it. When those people also have the training to produce rigorous scholarship, the result is work that neither purely academic nor purely experiential approaches can match alone.
Research, policy, and tools for neurodivergent adults.
We are a nationwide nonprofit operating at the intersection of academic rigor and lived experience, producing scholarship, frameworks, and resources that serve neurodivergent communities and the institutions that interact with them.
Three commitments guide the work: treating AI tools as legitimate cognitive accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act, producing original research grounded in established social science, and building resources that respect the intelligence and agency of the people they serve.
Four things we will not trade away.
Lived experience as expertise
We do not study neurodivergence from the outside. This positionality is not a bias to disclose. It is the foundation of our credibility.
Academic rigor without gatekeeping
Our research meets doctoral-level standards. We also publish in plain language and reject the premise that scholarship must be inaccessible to be credible.
Technology as accommodation, not novelty
AI and assistive technology are cognitive prosthetics that enable participation in systems not designed for our brains. We advocate for their recognition as reasonable accommodations under federal disability law.
Transparency in all relationships
We maintain a transparent, disclosed relationship with Foundations Technology: legally, financially, and operationally separate. Trust is non-negotiable for the communities we serve.
Recruiting founding members.
We are seeking individuals with expertise in disability rights law, behavioral health, nonprofit finance, and neurodivergent community leadership. Service is roughly 2–4 hours per month, with virtual attendance available.
status: recruitment in progress · founding-stage opportunityExpress interestWhat we run, and what we don't.
Foundations Technology was founded by the same individual but maintains separate legal, financial, and operational structures. Any transactions between the two entities are conducted at arm's length and approved independently by the NDM Inc. Board of Directors.