About Us
Authentically ND, founded by Jessica Dark, Psychologist and Neuro-Inclusion Specialist, collaborates with neurodivergent-led and neurodiversity-affirmative businesses to provide tailored support in three key areas: preparing for adulthood, workplace transition and adult post-diagnostic support.
“Authentically ND’s mission is to consolidate neurodivergent-led and neurodiversity affirmative services, to deliver comprehensive support packages designed to meet the unique needs of our neurodivergent community.”
Comprehensive services tailored to the needs of neurodivergent communities are often expensive to establish and challenging to coordinate effectively. As a result, the few large-scale services currently available are predominantly operated by mainstream established organisations that often do not align with ND community values or the principles of neurodiversity. Meanwhile, numerous smaller, neurodivergent-led service providers are offering invaluable support but face significant barriers in achieving the reach and visibility needed for long-term viability and broader impact.
Authentically ND seeks to bridge this gap by uniting these smaller, neurodivergent-led organisations to create cohesive, impactful support services. By consolidating expertise and resources, we ensure that the neurodivergent community has access to services that are both aligned with their values and effective in meeting their needs. This collaborative approach benefits everyone involved, amplifying the reach and impact of neurodivergent-led initiatives while fostering a community-driven ecosystem of support.
At Authentically ND our business operations are underpinned by 4C neuro-Inclusion principles:
COMMUNITY
A commitment to Neuro-Inclusion involves understanding, promoting, and embedding community values within the work we do to foster inclusivity and belonging.
At Authentically ND, we actively incorporate community insights into our training, consultancy, and resources, ensuring that our services address real-world challenges and reflect lived experiences.
COLLABORATION
A commitment to Neuro-Inclusion means working with neurodivergent community members to co-create inclusive and supportive services, that serve our broader neurodivergent communities.
At Authentically ND, we prioritise genuine collaboration with neurodivergent advocates, consultants, and industry specialists. This ensures that lived experiences and community expertise actively shape our services and strategies. By working alongside other neurodivergent people, we build partnerships that inform not only the content of our training, consultancy and services offered but also shape the way we operate as a business.
CHANGE
A commitment to Neuro-Inclusion involves revising current processes, practices, and approaches to flexibly accommodate the diverse needs of all neuro-types.
At Authentically ND, our training and consultancy is grounded in the latest research and best practices. Our work focuses on creating systemic and environmental changes that prioritise the well-being of neurodivergent people while aligning with the goals and operations of the educational providers and organisations we work with.
COMPENSATION
A commitment to Neuro-Inclusion involves providing fair and competitive compensation for the contributions of neurodivergent people.
At Authentically ND, we ensure financial remuneration reflects the value of neurodivergent people’s time and expertise. Our partnership services are paid at market rate. Whilst volunteers and community speakers gain complimentary access to partnered community services and staff training as part of their compensation. Additionally, we support volunteers to transition into paid roles by providing training and coaching to bridge skill gaps, supporting career progression into these positions.