Global Dialogue Series on Neurodiversity: Recent Episodes
Manu Sekar
Neurodiversity embraces how we all think, learn, communicate and experience the world differently from one another. In Global Dialogue Series on Neurodiversity, every fortnight we learn how changemakers are embracing the diversity of the human brain and mind in different parts of the world and the need for inclusion of all individuals with different cognitive abilities into mainstream society.
In our seventh episode of Global Dialogue Series on Neurodiversity, we speak with Yenn Purkis, an autistic and non-binary author, public speaker and community leader from Australia who also has a diagnosis of schizophrenia. Yenn is the author of ten published books on elements of autism and has presented at a range of events including TEDx Canberra in 2013. In this conversation, Yenn talks about how they view autism as a cultural difference and their own personal journey.
In our sixth episode of Global Dialogue Series on Neurodiversity, we speak with Veena Naren, a special educator since 1996 and a parent of a 21 years old neurodiverse individual. Veena has been a strong advocate for building awareness about Fragile X syndrome in India and breaking the gender bias for mothers of neurodiverse children. In this conversation, Veena shares about Fragile X syndrome in India, the challenges parents face in raising a neurodiverse child and her own personal journey of raising her son Varun.
On this Women’s day, we are thrilled to share the journey of Leena Haque. There isn’t much awareness about neurodivergent women and it’s still a struggle for most women to get the right diagnosis and the support they need.
In this episode of Global Dialogue Series on Neurodiversity, Leena Haque, Senior UX Designer & Neurodiversity Program Lead at BBC shares how as a neurodivergent individual, she overcame many barriers from education to employment and how she handled her failures & grew from it. Leena is recognized as a key influencer in the media and creative sectors. She has received multiple awards for her work in BBC CAPE from the National Autistic Society, the Business Disability Forum and Creative Diversity Network.
In our fourth episode of Global Dialogue Series on Neurodiversity, we speak with Christina Ryan, the CEO and Founder of the Disability Leadership Institute. Christina has been an active leader in the Australian disability community for over 20 years, working at an international, national and local level to build & support leaders with disabilities. In this conversation, we focus on the benefits of having diverse leaders and why we need them to shape the way the modern workforce will look into the future.
In our third episode of Global Dialogue Series on Neurodiversity, we speak with Andrew Eddy, the CEO of Untapped. Andrew is on a mission to change the narrative about autism through awareness, education and engagement. In this conversation, we discuss some of the best ways to integrate neurodiversity in companies, what are the existing resources available for neurodiverse individuals & potential employers and how companies can build their resource groups and support programs for a successful neurodiverse workforce.
In our second episode of Global Dialogue Series on Neurodiversity, we speak with Jonathan Hassell, one of the world's top digital usability & accessibility thought leaders. In this conversation, we explore the growing shift in accessibility, from customers to employees and how accessibility is very different for neurodiverse individuals and even the simplest changes can help boost their productivity drastically.
In our first episode of Global Dialogue Series on Neurodiversity, we speak with Antoni Bohdanowicz, who was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome at the age 16. Antoni shares his personal experience with education & career, the struggles that he faced and how we can create better inclusive systems and make it more accessible for neurodiverse individuals.