Creating genuinely inclusive environments for Autistic people requires more than
awareness training or policy change. It requires meaningful, community-centred
approaches that connect research, lived experience and needs. This presentation
introduces a neuro-a􀆯irming, community-based model developed within our Autisticled
organisation, to strengthen inclusion, belonging and neuro-dignity across
education, workplaces and community settings.
Grounded in lived experience leadership, our presentation explores how community
programs translate evidence and lived experiences into practical supports. Our
presented model centers three interconnected elements: belonging and identity; skills,
self and peer advocacy; and systems change. Together, these elements empower
Autistic people to build confidence, navigate education and employment systems, and
participate in community life.
While sharing examples from community-centred initiatives, we demonstrate how peer
connection, mentoring, educational advocacy and capacity building can create
inclusive, a􀆯irming and supportive environments. Particular attention is given to how
Autistic leadership and lived experience shapes program design and delivery, ensuring
that supports reflect the priorities, strengths and realities of Autistic communities.
The session is co-presented by two colleagues from Empower Autism, an Autistic lead
organisation dedicated to translating research and lived experience into practical
community programs. One presenter is an Autistic culturally and linguistically diverse
(CALD) woman and former academic specialising in Autism, belonging and wellbeing,
now leading community and corporate education. The co-presenter is an Autistic
advocate, podcast host, workplace trainer, and public speaker with deep community
connections. Together, they bring complementary perspectives that combine research,
lived experience and community engagement.

There is a moment before refusal, shutdown, meltdown or the words “I’m dumb.” A moment when a neurodivergent child is not necessarily refusing to learn, but showing us that the pathway to learning is not working.

This presentation shares the story behind Coach Aandi, an adaptive learning companion being built to support neurodivergent children in that moment. Created from lived experience, Coach Aandi began with a simple but urgent question: what would change if the right support could arrive before struggle became identity?

Belinda Vesey-Brown is not a teacher or clinician, but a founder, parent and problem-solver who could not walk past what she was seeing: capable children losing confidence, parents feeling helpless, teachers stretched, and expert knowledge sitting in separate pockets rather than being brought together around the child.

Coach Aandi is being developed to change the pathway to learning, not the child. It brings together specialist expertise, adaptive technology and lived experience to help children access education in ways that better fit how they think, process, regulate and engage. This includes exploring how expert-informed strategies from educators, therapists and neurodivergence specialists can be embedded into everyday learning moments, so their life’s work can reach more children beyond the limits of time, location or individual capacity.

This session invites delegates into a possibility many may have wished for but not yet imagined: a future where neurodivergent children are met earlier, understood better and given a different way in.

At its heart, Coach Aandi is about reimagining educational support so children feel seen, capable and supported before they give up.