Whether athletes are focussed at grassroots-level sport or operating at the very top of their field, we believe all experiences are equally valid and all stories have the right to be told.
We also engage in public speaking and workshops and have collaborated with a wide range of organisations including sports teams, businesses outside of sport, schools and other educational settings.
Most recently we have worked with the UK Sports Institute, the Premier League Charitable Fund, and the England and Wales Cricket Board.
There are a series of beliefs and values at the heart of Neurodiverse Sport that guide all our actions.
We consider that every human being is neurodiverse - we all have distinct neurology and behaviour traits - but we also believe that current stereotypes regarding how these manifests are outdated.
Neurodivergence exists in intellectual impairment and para sport, but it also does in able-bodied players of mainstream sport.
Building a 'safe space' in sport for everybody
It is therefore everyone’s responsibility to be aware of it and to facilitate working with neurodivergent athletes.
We want to combat the misconceptions that surround neurodivergence, removing the stigma that is still rife in many sporting arenas.
As it stands, in many sporting situations to disclose that you are, for instance, autistic or that you have ADHD is still a big risk.
We use real neurodivergent sporting stories to raise awareness, to inspire and to educate about neurodivergence in the sector and we endeavour for our website, blogs and social media to be a safe space for neurodivergent sportspeople, athletes and supporters alike.
By providing this ‘safe space’ we can facilitate meaningful conversations about neurodiversity without the judgement and stigmatisation that too often is still prevalent in the media.
Volunteers are also key in creating that space and the work we do at Neurodiverse Sport.
Whether it's helping to organise big events, different kinds of research or all sort of communications - like this blog, for which Peter Barnes’ collaboration was key - we simply wouldn’t be able to do what we do without them.
We respect the variability of strengths and struggles that often come hand-in-hand with neurodivergence and we understand success as anything from winning medals and accolades, to simply participating and engaging with sport and physical activity.
Whatever a person's capacity at any given time, we believe that every person is deserving of the support they require to reach their full potential.
We appreciate that for some this support needs to be more considerable, whilst for others it is often as simple as understanding and acceptance of difference.
Therefore getting to know each individual and not over-relying on labels and stereotypes is vitally important.
We exist to challenge and change perception and we want to make society better for neurodivergent athletes and to harness their strengths rather than stigmatising them.
We believe that the inclusion of neurodivergence allows for the inclusion of alternative perspectives and with this innovation, the chance to change how we perform and ultimately the opportunity to take sports to the next level.
We want to show that neurodiversity is something to be celebrated and welcomed into sport; to be worked with rather than against, so we harness strengths instead of hindering them.
So we embrace instead of exclude.
