Neurodiversity Celebration Week 2026

Posted on Monday 2 March 2026

"Hello and welcome to Neurodiversity Celebration Week - an event that means a lot to me personally. We have made great strides over my lifetime in understanding neurodiversity and how it affects people. Neurodiversity Celebration Week hopes to educate, support and inspire that progress to continue." Dr Amanda Hickey, Lecturer in Psychology, co-founder of the Distractibles, the DISCO (Disability Community) Project and Departmental Disability Champion. Dyslexic with suspected ADHD.

Neurodiversity Celebration Week is a worldwide initiative that aims to transform how neurodiversity is perceived by providing opportunities to recognise and celebrate the many skills and talents of neurodivergent individuals. 

At the University of York, we want to recognise and support the many ways people think, learn, and experience the world. With a significant proportion of our student and staff community identifying as neurodivergent, this is an opportunity to champion inclusive practice, share lived experiences, and celebrate the strengths that diverse minds bring to our university.

What is neurodiversity?

Neurodiversity is about recognising and respecting the many ways people think, learn, and process information. There’s an increasing number of neurodivergent staff and students at the University and embracing different thinking styles, such as Dyslexia, Autism, ADHD, and more, creates a more inclusive learning and working environment. Rather than focusing on challenges, neurodiversity highlights the value of diverse perspectives and the importance of creating environments where everyone can thrive.

Learn more about neurodiversity

What's on

Find details below of the events that we're organising; you can also find them on our Celebrating Diversity Events Series calendar - and if you subscribe to the calendar, or to individual events, the details will be added to your own Google calendar so you don't miss things that you're interested in!

University of York events

City-wide and national events

There is a full schedule of free online events as part of Neurodiversity Celebration Week 2026. Events include panel discussions and inspirational speakers from a range of backgrounds and professions. The discussions will focus on key neurodiversity topics and aim to educate while inspiring conversations about neurodiversity.

Visit the Neurodiversity Celebration Week 2026 website to register for online events.

Supporting our neurodivergent students and staff

Students

Peer support

• Spectrum - a group for those who identify as autistic to relax and chat. There are snacks and drinks, board games, and opportunities to talk/join in as much or as little as you'd like.
• The Distractibles - A friendly weekly group open to all students and staff who find themselves easily distracted
• Adopt a Society - These are student groups that previously existed but have been unable to secure a committee for the next academic year, and are available for ‘adoption’. That means you can take on the group and give it a new lease of life.
  • Neurodivergent Society -  a safe, accessible space for all neurodivergent identifying or curious students, and allies, at York. Aimed at anyone who feels as though their brain works differently to the societal norm. 
  • Sunflower Society - provides a range of events for students with visible and invisible disabilities

Student support services

• Student Hub - provides information, advice and guidance for students on student finance, money management, housing, academic progress issues and support for under-represented student groups. 
• Access it All -  Monthly Drop-In for neurodivergent and disabled students with specialist advisers on benefits such as Personal Independence Payments and Universal Credit, Disabled Students' Allowance, finding and sustaining part-time work, and money management.
• Disability Services - support for individuals in terms of exam arrangements, support with applying for Disabled Students' Allowance, and more.
• Careers and Placements support - provides information about Disability Confident employers, requesting adjustments in interviews and applications, careers advice, practise interviews, CV advice.

Facilities

• Sensory Rooms and Quiet Spaces - the University has dedicated Quiet Spaces across campus designed for people who need a safe, controlled environment for self-regulation, especially for those with sensory processing or neurodivergence
• Study-Doubling Spaces - the Library has two Study Doubling Spaces to support productivity, accountability and wellbeing 

For more information about accessible facilities on campus see the University’s Inclusive Facilities page.

Staff

Training and awareness raising

• Disability Awareness Modules (mandatory for all staff)
• Autism awareness online module (login required)
• Online Digital Accessibility Tutorial (login required)

Policies and guidance

The University has created the Reasonable adjustments process for staff with a disability or long term health condition which aims to facilitate a structured and comprehensive level of support for individuals, while providing additional guidance for line managers. One the main tools used as part of this process is the Individual Adjustments Plan that enables a member of staff and their line manager to create a record of any reasonable adjustments and support that is required, while building in review periods and an on-going dialogue between relevant colleagues in order to ensure members of staff receive all the support they need.

Peer support

It can be extremely useful for neurodiverse staff to seek support from peers and there are a number of way they can do this:

• INCLUDE: A network for staff with a disability, working to make the University more disability confident 
• Dyslexia Peer Support Group: Monthly sessions for sharing experiences with other dyslexic staff
• Staff Autism Space: A slack channel as an open, safe space to discuss experience of autism
• The Distractibles: A friendly weekly group open to all students and staff who find themselves easily distracted 
• Accessible Documents Group meetups: Meet up with colleagues to gain insight into the real challenges (and successes) with making documents accessible. Drop by to share resources you've come across or a challenge you would like help with.

Further resources and sources of support

• Neurodiversity information
• Support for disabled staff
• Occupational Health

Reading materials

• Lived experience of dyslexia:  Olivia, is a member of staff at the University of York and has written this reflective piece about their lived experience of dyslexia. For internal use only (login required)
• Blog post: Working in HE and autism: Richard, a member of staff at the University of York and has written a blog about his experiences of working in HE before and after a diagnosis of autism.

Coloured overlays are available to borrow from the Library help desk and pastel-coloured paper is available for printing in the Library if you find reading from a coloured background easier.

Training and guidance

The Learning Technology Practical Guide Accessibility pages provide an overview of digital tools at York which many neurodiverse staff and students find helpful. These tools enable you to work in different ways and include functions that can allow you to screen mask in various colours, with or without a reading bar, use a screen reader if you prefer texts read aloud or use mind maps to approach your planning. These tools are available to all staff and students at the University.

Creating accessible documents:  An online workshop open to all demonstrating how ‘universal design’ can help everyone, not just those with an accessibility need.

• Staff bookings for Creating accessible documents
• PGR bookings for Creating accessible documents
• All other bookings for Creating accessible documents

Creating accessible presentations: Join us to look at the key universal design principles to consider when using Google Slides and PowerPoint in your work and practical tips for when presenting both online and around the University.

• Staff bookings for Creating accessible presentations
• PGR bookings for Creating accessible presentations
• All other bookings for Creating accessible presentations

Digital accessibility: a practical guide: Includes guidance on creating accessible documents, presentations, web content and information on tools and support.

External resources and information

Reading materials

• Navigating neurodiversity in science - NCAS: People who are neurodivergent can contribute in distinctive ways to science and the scientific community says Professor Kathryn Cowtan.

Organisations

• Dyspraxia Foundation
• ADHD Foundation
• National Autistic Society

Resources

Neurodiversity Celebration Week has compiled some useful free resources.

Watch again

• Dyslexia superpower: moving from disability through learning difference to advantage - Nigel Lockett