Meet the NEOhio Neurodiversity Network
Who We Are
The NEOhio Neurodiversity Network (NEONN) is a neurodivergent-led 501(c)(3) nonprofit that organizes affirming resources and creates ways for people and organizations to collaborate. NEONN was founded in 2024 by a late-diagnosed autistic woman to bridge the gap between institutional systems and authentic lived experience. Instead of focusing on singular interventions, NEONN works to improve the conditions and structures shaping neurodivergence across the lifespan. Read our full story.
Mission
Our mission is to serve as a community resource hub shaped by neurodivergent leadership and accessible to all.
Vision
We envision a world that is inherently compatible with neurodiverse existence.
Why We Exist
As a neurodivergent-led organization, we understand the profound disparity that exists between the volume of unmet needs in our community, the scarcity of resources available to meet those needs, and how few resources are actually accessible or affirming. NEONN exists because our community needs the kind of sustainable change that only happens when neurodivergent people—across all identities and abilities—are the ones shaping the solutions.
What We Do
Our approach is to create "infrastructure" that makes it easier for neurodivergent people (and allies!) to find and connect with what they need. We maintain a searchable database of neurodiversity-affirming resources and share opportunities for people to connect, socialize, and collaborate. We welcome people of all backgrounds and neurotypes, and aim to be accessible no matter how much support someone needs. In essence, our goal is to make neurodiversity-affirming resources easier to find, community relationships easier to build, and neurodivergent perspectives easier to include.
NEONN was inspired by the concept of a library: a shared resource space created for the benefit of the community.
Like a library, we aim to:
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​Provide access to comprehensive and reliable information across different formats and viewpoints. View our resources
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Offer safe and accessible "spaces" for people to connect and collaborate. Meet NEONSG
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Host and highlight community-driven programs, events, and initiatives. Check out our initiatives
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Engage with the community and remain flexible to meet its evolving needs. Get in touch with us
Our Values & Principles
Neurodiversity is a fact, not a fad
Variation in human brain function is an objective biological reality. We believe the presence of neurodivergence is a beneficial feature of our species, not a flaw to be fixed.​
Nothing about us without us
We believe that anything created *for* our community should be shaped *by* our community and built *with* those it affects. Neurodivergent leadership is not a branding statement.
Solidarity across the spectrum
We believe every version of neurodivergence is valid and we reject "palatability" as a measure of worth. People of all support needs, communication styles, and disabilities are welcome.
Intersectional inclusion
We believe true inclusion requires ongoing acknowledgement of, and accounting for, the complex, compounding layers of identity and systemic oppression.
No wrong way to be disabled
We believe disability pride and disability frustration are not opposing experiences. Finding joy in neurodivergence does not negate or delegitimize the real-world challenges we face.
Accessibility as a baseline
We believe accessibility is a fundamental right, not an optional feature or an afterthought. Neither connection nor empowerment can happen smoothly without accessibility.
Come as you are, if you want to
We believe that everyone has the right to exist and participate on their own terms. We support self-expression and personal agency without judgment or imposed expectations.
Strength in divergence
We believe the diversity of our experiences should strengthen us rather than divide us. We embrace the coexistence of conflicting perspectives and do not attempt to reconcile them.
Good is better than perfect
We believe progress is meaningful even when imperfect. Missteps are an expected part of incremental change, and forward momentum matters more than flawless execution.
Our Story
The NEOhio Neurodiversity Network was created to reduce the friction between institutional models that perpetuate marginalization and contemporary practices grounded in lived experience. NEONN was founded in 2024 by a late-diagnosed autistic woman to help bridge the gap between this systemic misalignment and the needs of the community, while ensuring neurodivergent people—across all identities and abilities—are the ones shaping the solutions.
Instead of adding another service, NEONN's approach is to intervene "upstream" with structural changes that make conditions and environments more inclusive. This methodology echoes the social model of disability by shifting the focus from "fixing" individuals to fixing infrastructure. NEONN aims to reduce the social and administrative burdens facing neurodivergent people by centralizing resources, building frameworks for connection, and embedding neurodivergent perspectives into communities and systems.
NEONN’s operating model consists of two complementary branches:
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Resource Infrastructure: NEONN maintains a searchable database of affirming materials (e.g., reference guides, publications, educational content, advocacy tools) alongside a directory of ND-friendly providers and services. This "living library" is designed to simplify the search for accessible resources and provide a reliable hub of information for people wishing to learn about and support neurodivergence.
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Community Framework: NEONN provides practical pathways for social connection through the NEOhio Neurodivergent Social Group (a private membership group for neurodivergent adults) and a centralized calendar of community events. NEONN also promotes opportunities for collaboration and builds partnerships with allied organizations to integrate neurodivergence into broader policies and practices.
These two concepts integrate to form the foundation for NEONN's mission: to serve as a community resource hub shaped by neurodivergent leadership and accessible to all. Anchored by the concept "nothing about us without us", NEONN transforms lived experience into sustainable community infrastructure and invites everyone—including neurodivergent people, their families, and professional organizations—to contribute towards NEONN's vision of a world that is inherently compatible with neurodiverse existence.