Neurodiversity Celebration Week – Three Organizations You Should Know
When asked about our work here at Sustainable Digital, we typically spend more time talking about the clients we serve than the specifics of what we offer. This is because we are excited about – and truly believe in – the work they do. It motivates us to keep on finding goal-specific and innovative ways to help our clients meet their objectives.
In celebration of Neurodiversity Celebration Week – which commenced March 17th – we would like to lead you behind the scenes of three major organizations. In this blog post, we will introduce you to both their initiatives and how we helped (and continue to help) them build their brand and communicate their message.
The organizations we are highlighting today are:
Lexxic
Hilti Foundation
Easterseals North Georgia
But first, let’s take a look at how and when the Neurodiversity Celebration Week first came about.
What is the Focus of Neurodiversity Celebration Week?
In 2018, autism and neurodiversity advocate, Siena Castellon, started Neurodiversity Celebration Week which has since turned into a worldwide initiative. As a young student with autism, dyslexia, dyspraxia, and ADHD, Castellon understood the challenges of the educational environment firsthand.
In an effort to raise awareness about persisting misconceptions about neurological differences and of the lack of training for classroom teachers, she founded Neurodiversity Celebration Week.
Her purpose is clear: “to help the world understand, value and celebrate the talents of neurodivergent minds.”
Having teamed up with schools, organizations and universities, the Neurodiversity Celebration Week’s mission is to spotlight all the ways in which we can work together to understand, accept, respect and celebrate all kinds of minds. One of the organizations Castellon’s initiative quickly partnered with was Lexxic, which has led to an increasing number of schools, colleges and organizations from 139 countries participating in Neurodiversity Awareness Week.
Lexxic - Leaders in Empowering Neurodiversity in the Workplace
Lexxic is a boutique psychological consultancy that works tirelessly to realize its mission: “to inspire a world that supports and values the talents of neurodivergent minds, empowering individuals to be their best selves.”
Offering services such as neurodiversity assessments, workshops & webinars, neurodiversity audits and customized toolkits designed to provide key information and resources, Lexxic is paving the way in creating Neurodiversity Smart ® workplace cultures.
Led by a team of chartered and occupational psychologists with real-life experience, Lexxic works with more than 750 organizations all over the world, building neuro-inclusive workplace cultures.
We have been working with Lexxic since 2022, when we migrated their existing website to Squarespace 7.1. After that, we implemented our SEO Foundation package and have continued to support their website maintenance—building new pages, coding additional functionalities, and providing technical counseling.
That same year, we revamped the Neurodiversity Celebration Week (NCW) website on Wix, to improve performance and user experience. Since then, we’ve worked with their teams every March to support event management on the site, ensuring everything runs smoothly and optimizing the experience for the thousands of visitors who engage with NCW during this key time.
Hilti Foundation’s Self-Determined Life Initiative
Our partnership with the Hilti Foundation has been going strong for nearly five years, and it’s always a pleasure to learn more about their existing projects and new initiatives.
The one thing these all share in common is a focus on building a better future by following their mission: to empower people – from Liechtenstein to Miatuini, from Nepal to Peru – to lead self-determined and independent lives.
One of the Hilti Foundation’s key initiatives in Liechtenstein is the Therapeutic Education center (Heilpädagogisches Zentrum Liechtenstein, HPZ). Offering modern educational and occupational facilities designed specifically for people with different cognitive and physical needs, it provides a safe, positive and empowering environment for employees.
The center is comprised of different workshops and ateliers in a variety of industries including textiles, agriculture, wood and metal work, where employees are offered the opportunities, education and support needed to thrive.
Beyond the workplace, HPZ also provides educational services such as Speech and Language Therapy, along with supported living accommodations for adults of all ages and abilities. In assisted living, the goal is to “provide as much care as necessary and as little as possible” to encourage confidence and independence in a secure environment.
Our collaboration with the Hilti Foundation began in 2020, when we partnered with their Communications team to design and develop a new website. More recently, we worked on a website revamp, aligning it with their updated branding guidelines and creating a more modern, dynamic look. Throughout this time, we've also supported them with SEO efforts, technical development, and mailing functionalities, ensuring their digital presence remains strong and effective.
Easterseals North Georgia Children Services
In late 2022, Rebekah Youngers, Vice President of Marketing at Easterseals North Georgia Children Services, contacted us for our website services. During our kickoff call, we were excited to learn we would be working with a nonprofit that works tirelessly to help differently abled children and adults “live, work and play with their communities” – and has been for more than 100 years.
The Georgia corporation has been operating since the early 90s, when it opened its first inclusive child care program.
Easterseals North Georgia now serves 44 counties – including Atlanta and northeast Georgia – and offers a broad range of child services.
These include early childhood education and early intervention, foster grandparents and Autism Services. The organization’s Autism Services aim to support children and families with ASD through a variety of therapy options and evidence-based treatments.
Following the whole-child approach, the team of highly trained clinicians and support staff at ESNG ensures an equitable school experience. Setting neuro-affirming goals based on each child’s individual skill set, the team creates a unique program incorporating different therapy styles including occupational therapy, speech therapy and applied behavior analysis therapy.
To facilitate a wholesome family experience, ESNG also offers Caregiver Coaching and Support Services to all families focused on topics specific to parenting young children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
How These Organizations are Changing Lives
While our society is finally making a shift towards inclusion and the continuing exploration and education surrounding neurodiversity, we still have a long way to go in terms of accomplishing a real change on a global level. Organizations such as Lexxic, the Hilti Foundation and Easterseals North Georgia, however, are spearheading the way in that, they are already modeling the possibilities when given the right opportunities.
We have always been champions of inclusion in all areas of life – be that in the workspace, at school or any kind of leisure activity. Only recently, though, have Luis and I come to see firsthand just how empowering and beautiful it is to find more and more spaces honoring and respecting neurodiverse individuals. After all, the only way we can learn about one another, is to learn with one another. So, let’s use this month to do exactly that.
We encourage you to look into local organizations celebrating neurodiversity every day of the year through innovative programs and initiatives – learn about them and support them any way you can.
And if you’re looking to get your own thing going, don’t hesitate to contact us with your ideas – we look forward to kicking off a new project with you!
