Three Key Learnings:
1. A new lens on neurodivergence – recognising it as a natural and necessary part of human diversity, not a deficit to be managed or hidden.

2. Insight into systemic exclusion – from health and education to employment and support systems—and how these structures can evolve to become more inclusive and trauma-informed.

3. Empowerment through lived experience – understanding the value of neurodivergent leadership, peer support, and community-driven solutions.


What happens when society’s systems aren’t designed for your brain—but you live, love, and learn in them anyway?
In this deeply personal and provocative session, Tanya Carroll takes us on a journey through the paradigm shift of neurodivergence—where difference isn’t a disorder, and survival is a form of activism. With over five decades of lived experience, Tanya shares what it’s like to navigate the world with Disorders of the Corpus Callosum, intellectual disability, and acquired brain injury. From being mislabelled and misunderstood to reclaiming her narrative and identity, Tanya’s story highlights both the systemic barriers and quiet triumphs of neurodivergent life.
Set against the backdrop of rural isolation, shifting NDIS policies, and the silence that often surrounds people with complex neurodivergent profiles, Tanya brings raw insight, deep reflection, and gentle humour to challenge stereotypes and spotlight the voices too often left out of the conversation.
This talk isn’t about fixing or overcoming. It’s about redefining what it means to belong.
Tanya’s voice is unpolished and unapologetic—and that’s precisely what makes it essential. She invites you not just to listen, but to shift: your assumptions, your language, your response. Because when neurodivergence is honoured, we all get closer to justice, dignity, and true belonging.