Why Neurodiversity Advocacy Must Be Anti-Racist
Bridgette Hamstead
Neurodiversity advocacy has made significant strides in raising awareness and challenging ableist narratives surrounding autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and other forms of neurodivergence. However, like many social justice movements, the neurodiversity movement has historically been dominated by white voices and has often failed to address the intersection of race and neurodivergence. This erasure of Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color (BIPOC) from neurodiversity discourse is not just an oversight—it is an ongoing injustice that reinforces systemic inequities.
If neurodiversity advocacy is to be truly inclusive and effective, it must be explicitly anti-racist. This means acknowledging and addressing the unique barriers that BIPOC neurodivergent individuals face, challenging the whiteness embedded in neurodiversity conversations, and ensuring that the movement actively works to dismantle both ableism and racism in all its forms.
The Erasure of BIPOC Voices in Neurodiversity Advocacy
Historically, the neurodiversity movement has been led primarily by white autistic and ADHD advocates, researchers, and organizations. This is not because BIPOC individuals are less affected by neurodivergence, but because systemic racism has long excluded them from leadership positions, funding opportunities, and media representation. As a result, much of the existing discourse around neurodiversity fails to reflect the lived experiences of BIPOC individuals, who often navigate additional layers of oppression that shape their interactions with education, healthcare, employment, and law enforcement.
When BIPOC individuals do share their experiences of neurodivergence, they are frequently met with skepticism, dismissal, or outright hostility—both from neurotypical society and from within the neurodiversity movement itself. The lack of representation of BIPOC voices in advocacy spaces leads to policies, research, and initiatives that center the experiences of white neurodivergent individuals while failing to address the systemic racism that impacts BIPOC neurodivergent people at every stage of life.
The Racial Disparities in Diagnosis and Treatment
One of the clearest examples of how racism and ableism intersect is the profound racial disparities in neurodivergent diagnoses. Numerous studies have shown that Black and Latino children are far less likely to be diagnosed with autism or ADHD than their white counterparts, even when they exhibit the same behaviors. Instead of receiving the support they need, BIPOC neurodivergent children are more likely to be labeled as "defiant," "disruptive," or "emotionally disturbed"—labels that lead to punitive disciplinary actions rather than access to accommodations and services.
For Indigenous and other racialized communities, historical and present-day medical racism contribute to distrust of medical institutions, making it even harder to access neurodivergent diagnoses. Additionally, many diagnostic frameworks are based on white, Western norms of behavior, failing to account for cultural differences in communication, learning styles, and expressions of distress. The result is that many BIPOC neurodivergent individuals go undiagnosed until adulthood—if they are diagnosed at all—leading to years of unnecessary struggle, misinterpretation, and lack of support.
The 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 even greater for Black and Indigenous neurodivergent people, who are more likely to be perceived as threats rather than as individuals in need of support.
Black neurodivergent children, in particular, face alarmingly high rates of school discipline, including suspension, expulsion, and referrals to law enforcement. Behaviors associated with autism or ADHD—such as difficulty with impulse control, sensory overload reactions, or struggles with authority figures—are often misinterpreted as intentional defiance when exhibited by Black students. Rather than receiving support, these students are funneled into the school-to-prison pipeline, reinforcing cycles of incarceration and systemic marginalization.
Why Neurodiversity Advocacy Must Be Anti-Racist
Neurodiversity advocacy cannot claim to fight for justice if it ignores the realities of racism. Anti-racism must be an integral part of neurodiversity work, not an afterthought. This means actively addressing the ways in which racism and ableism intersect and ensuring that neurodiversity advocacy prioritizes the voices, needs, and leadership of BIPOC neurodivergent individuals.
An anti-racist neurodiversity movement would:
Amplify BIPOC Neurodivergent Voices: Advocacy spaces must prioritize BIPOC neurodivergent individuals, ensuring they are leading conversations, setting agendas, and shaping policies. This includes funding BIPOC-led neurodiversity initiatives, inviting BIPOC speakers to conferences, and centering their perspectives in media representation.
Challenge Racist Diagnostic and Healthcare Practices: The neurodiversity movement must advocate for reforms in diagnostic criteria, ensuring that they reflect the diverse ways neurodivergence presents across different racial and cultural backgrounds. Medical professionals must be trained to recognize and address racial bias in neurodivergent diagnoses.
Dismantle the School-to-Prison Pipeline: Neurodiversity advocacy must intersect with education and criminal justice reform, fighting against the criminalization of BIPOC neurodivergent youth. This means advocating for restorative justice practices in schools, pushing for policy changes that reduce exclusionary discipline, and providing support systems that keep neurodivergent students in school rather than pushing them toward incarceration.
Acknowledge and Address Economic Barriers: Many BIPOC neurodivergent individuals face financial barriers to accessing diagnoses, therapy, medication, and accommodations. Advocacy efforts must address these disparities, pushing for policies that make neurodivergent support services universally accessible regardless of income or insurance status.
Reject White-Centered Narratives of Neurodivergence: Much of the existing language and frameworks in neurodiversity advocacy are rooted in white, Western perspectives. Anti-racist neurodiversity advocacy requires embracing diverse cultural understandings of neurodivergence and making space for non-Western approaches to disability and cognitive difference.
Moving Toward an Intersectional Future
The neurodiversity movement has the potential to be a powerful force for justice, but only if it acknowledges and dismantles the racism embedded within its history and structures. A truly inclusive neurodiversity movement must embrace intersectionality, recognizing that the fight for neurodivergent rights cannot be separated from the fight against racial injustice.
This work requires white neurodivergent advocates to examine their privilege, actively listen to BIPOC neurodivergent individuals, and commit to redistributing power and resources. It also requires BIPOC neurodivergent voices to be centered—not just included—in shaping the future of the movement.
Neurodiversity advocacy must evolve beyond token representation and into a space where racial justice is not an optional add-on, but a fundamental principle. By committing to anti-racist action, the neurodiversity movement can move closer to a future where all neurodivergent individuals—regardless of race—are valued, supported, and empowered to thrive.