At the end of each year, it is worth pausing to acknowledge what has been built, together, often against the odds.
In 2020, the Institute of Neurodiversity (ION) began as a conversation.
Eight neurominority individuals came together at a moment when the world itself was in flux. There was no brand, no website, no funding, and no roadmap, only a shared purpose, a clear vision, and a deeply held belief: that neurodiversity deserved to be understood, respected, and embedded into society as a natural and valuable part of humanity.
Those early conversations were about principles:
What would we stand for, and just as importantly, what would we refuse to stand for?
How could we ensure that our community’s lived experience, not pathology, sat at the heart of everything we did?
From that foundation, ION launched formally in 2021.
A number of progressive corporate organisations chose to stand with us from the very beginning, before there was a website or glossy materials, and before there was proof that this would “work” in conventional terms. Among them, Jacobs Engineering stepped forward as our cornerstone corporate member. Since then over 100 corporates have joined ION as Catalyst, Advocate or Visionary corporate members. Their support is a key pillar of making ION sustainable. In return we work closely with them to build real Neuroinclusion.
These organisations believed in an idea that was far from a finished product. They believed that neurodiversity is a strategic, social, and human imperative and that equity between all neurotypes is paramount. Their early trust gave ION something invaluable, credibility, momentum, and the confidence to move from belief into action. For that, we remain profoundly grateful.
What followed was surprising rapid growth that quickly saw the first 10,000 members and supporters joining to form a global community.
From eight neurominority individuals, ION has grown to over 300 people actively involved as volunteers in our work across the globe, leaders, researchers, advocates, educators, creatives, policy thinkers, parents, and professionals, giving their time and passion alongside full lives and careers. We are so thankful for this ION family that is the backbone of shutting we deliver. The hours of volunteering work are in the thousands every year and invaluable for ION.
What has never changed is that ION remains community-built and purpose-led.
Today, ION is a global movement of over 40,000 members across more than 100 countries, with active chapters in 40+ countries and growing.
We are present in boardrooms and classrooms, in policy conversations and grassroots communities, in youth networks, the military, health, education, government and senior leadership spaces. We span cultures, generations, backgrounds and neurotypes, because neurodiversity exists everywhere people exist.
Yet despite this growth, the core of ION remains unchanged.
We are still guided by the same commitments agreed in those early conversations:
- That neurodiversity is a natural and valuable part of human diversity, not something to eliminate
- That lived experience and representation matters
- That inclusion must be systemic, not symbolic
- That narrative and language shapes reality
- And that real change happens when we build with communities, not for them
ION’s story is not one of overnight success. It is a story of trust, courage, and collective effort with people choosing to show up, often quietly and without recognition, because we all believe the world can do better.
As we closed 2025 and start 2026, we do so with gratitude:
- To the original eight who dared to imagine something different
- To the early corporate members who believed in us before we had proof
- To the volunteers and country leads building ION globally and locally, day by day
- To our members, who give this organisation its legitimacy and its heart
What began as a small group agreeing purpose, vision, and mission has become a global family, one that continues to grow, teach the world, learn, and evolve.
And this is only the beginning.
From all of us at ION to all of you: thank you for being part of the journey. ❤️
