Decolonizing Neurodiversity Advocacy: Why We Need to Center BIPOC Neurodivergent Voices
Bridgette Hamstead
Neurodiversity advocacy has made significant strides in promoting acceptance and accommodation for autistic, ADHD, dyslexic, and otherwise neurodivergent individuals. However, much of this advocacy has been dominated by white voices, often excluding the perspectives and lived experiences of Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color (BIPOC). The neurodiversity movement, like many social justice movements, has been shaped by a framework that reflects the privileges and priorities of those with the most access to resources. In order to create a truly inclusive and just movement, we must actively work to decolonize neurodiversity advocacy by centering BIPOC neurodivergent voices and addressing the unique challenges that racialized neurodivergent individuals face.
The Whiteness of the Neurodiversity Movement
Neurodiversity advocacy has largely been led by white activists, researchers, and organizations. This is not because neurodivergent BIPOC individuals are less engaged in advocacy but because systemic racism has historically excluded them from leadership positions and mainstream conversations. White advocates have often set the tone for what neurodiversity discourse looks like, centering issues that disproportionately affect white neurodivergent individuals while neglecting the intersection of race and neurodivergence.
The emphasis on self-advocacy, for example, does not always acknowledge the specific cultural barriers that many BIPOC neurodivergent individuals face. In communities where survival depends on conformity and suppression of difference, openly advocating for neurodivergent needs may not be safe or feasible. Additionally, while white neurodivergent individuals may struggle with employment discrimination and social exclusion, BIPOC neurodivergent individuals experience these injustices at compounded levels due to racial bias, ableism, and socioeconomic disparities.
Misdiagnosis and Underdiagnosis in BIPOC Communities
One of the most significant ways systemic racism manifests in neurodiversity advocacy is through the misdiagnosis and underdiagnosis of neurodivergent BIPOC individuals. Research has consistently shown that Black and Latino children are far less likely to receive an autism or ADHD diagnosis compared to their white peers, even when they exhibit the same behaviors. Instead of being recognized as neurodivergent, these children are more likely to be labeled as disruptive, defiant, or emotionally troubled. This misdiagnosis often leads to punitive disciplinary actions rather than access to accommodations and support.
For Indigenous and other racialized communities, historical trauma and distrust of medical and psychological institutions further contribute to barriers in receiving neurodivergent diagnoses. Many diagnostic frameworks have been developed based on white, Western norms of behavior, failing to account for cultural differences in communication styles, social interactions, and expressions of distress. Decolonizing neurodiversity advocacy requires dismantling these biases and ensuring that BIPOC neurodivergent individuals have access to equitable diagnostic processes and culturally competent care.
Criminalization of BIPOC Neurodivergent Individuals
The intersection of racism and ableism is particularly evident in the criminal justice system, where BIPOC neurodivergent individuals are disproportionately criminalized. Autistic and ADHD individuals already face higher risks of police violence due to misunderstandings of their behaviors, but these risks are exponentially higher for Black, Indigenous, and Latino neurodivergent people. The same traits that might lead to an autism diagnosis in a white child—difficulty with authority figures, trouble with eye contact, emotional dysregulation—are often interpreted as threatening or aggressive when exhibited by a Black or Brown child.
This criminalization starts in schools, where BIPOC neurodivergent students are more likely to be suspended, expelled, or subjected to law enforcement intervention for behaviors related to their neurodivergence. Instead of receiving accommodations, they are pushed into the school-to-prison pipeline, reinforcing cycles of systemic oppression. Addressing this issue requires both dismantling racist disciplinary policies and advocating for restorative justice approaches that recognize and support neurodivergent students rather than punishing them.
The Need for Culturally Affirming Advocacy
Decolonizing neurodiversity advocacy means shifting away from a one-size-fits-all approach and embracing culturally affirming models of support and empowerment. Neurodiversity organizations must actively seek out and uplift BIPOC neurodivergent voices, ensuring that advocacy efforts reflect the diverse realities of neurodivergent experiences. This includes:
Recognizing and addressing the historical and systemic barriers that prevent BIPOC individuals from accessing neurodivergent diagnoses and accommodations.
Promoting leadership opportunities for BIPOC neurodivergent advocates within the movement.
Challenging the Western, white-centered frameworks that shape existing neurodiversity discourse and incorporating non-Western perspectives on neurodivergence, disability, and mental health.
Supporting community-based models of advocacy that allow BIPOC neurodivergent individuals to shape their own narratives and create solutions that align with their cultural values and lived experiences.
Moving Toward an Intersectional Future
The neurodiversity movement cannot claim to be inclusive if it continues to prioritize white experiences and perspectives while ignoring the realities of BIPOC neurodivergent individuals. It is not enough to add diversity as an afterthought—BIPOC neurodivergent people must be centered in leadership, advocacy, and policymaking efforts.
Moving toward an intersectional future requires actively dismantling the systemic racism embedded within education, healthcare, and the criminal justice system that disproportionately harms neurodivergent BIPOC individuals. It means recognizing that neurodivergence does not exist in isolation but is deeply intertwined with race, class, gender, and other aspects of identity.
By committing to decolonization, neurodiversity advocacy can move beyond performative inclusion and toward real systemic change. True justice means ensuring that all neurodivergent individuals—regardless of race—have access to the support, recognition, and opportunities they deserve. The future of neurodiversity advocacy must be one that values and uplifts every voice, especially those that have been historically silenced.