Black Neurodiversity Assessment Fund
Donation protected
My name is Tyla Grant, I’m a Black autistic and dyslexic young women you can check out my Instagram here to get a better idea of who I am. In my spare time I create content to demystify the transition to autistic adulthood.
B+ND was created in response to the lack of support for Black people offered by existing organisations that help people with conditions such as Autism, ADHD, Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, Dyspraxia and Tourettes syndrome.
This fund will provide grants to Black young people who suspect they are Neurodiverse enabling them to access screenings and where possible assessments.
In the current system both health and educational inequalities make it harder and most of the time impossible for Black people to receive a diagnosis in childhood.
Getting a diagnosis as an adult is even harder.
I’m calling on the community, friends, and allies to help me fundraise £7,000
- £500 for Black neurodiversity specialists to hold 3 information sessions for those who suspect they may be neurodiverse
- £2000 to subsidise the cost of screenings
- £3500 to offer as grants covering the cost of assessments.
- £1000 for workshops on managing neurodiversity in everyday life
Any extra funds will increase the number of people the fund can help.
***EDIT: The response has been incredible and the original target met, we're now fundraising for an additional £3000 which will cover all admin costs, pay for a website and most importantly provide more grants****
The cost of screening and assessment for each condition varies greatly but I anticipate the fund will reach 200 people with it’s information sessions, subsidise screenings for 30 and offer grants for 10-13 assessments.
My diagnosis story isn’t an unusual one -
Aged 7 I was sent to anger management sessions
Aged 9 told I’d never finish primary school let alone make it into a good high school
Aged 14 diagnosed dyslexic
Aged 17 a whole 10 years after being branded as the naughty child, in the middle of another depressive episode I was sent for a mental health assessment and it was then I was diagnosed autistic.
Aged 22 I entered in to the 9-5 world and crashed and burned because I wasn’t equipped with the skills I needed to manage my neurodiversities in the workplace, had no knowledge of what my rights were or how to ask for support and reasonable adjustments.
Im now 23 and having my diagnosis has meant that in the past year I’ve been able to read up on my conditions and take care of my mental health amongst other things.
Why this is important
Without diagnosis and education on how to manage life being neurodiverse the world feels and often times is inaccessible.
Black men are disproportionately imprisoned, and a large percentage of the prison population is suspected to have a neurodiversity or learning difference.
I’m one of the lucky ones. I’m lucky that I was able to get into a secondary school that wanted look good in league tables and noticed when my grades began to slip ahead of my GCSE years. I’m lucky that my ‘laziness’ got me put on permanent detention and not excluded. I’m lucky that my functional depression and social differences were caught, and I was given mental health assessment and it didn’t ruin my chances of going to university.
The ability to have your neurodiversity diagnosed and access the support you need to function shouldn’t be reliant on luck.
B+ND was created in response to the lack of support for Black people offered by existing organisations that help people with conditions such as Autism, ADHD, Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, Dyspraxia and Tourettes syndrome.
This fund will provide grants to Black young people who suspect they are Neurodiverse enabling them to access screenings and where possible assessments.
In the current system both health and educational inequalities make it harder and most of the time impossible for Black people to receive a diagnosis in childhood.
Getting a diagnosis as an adult is even harder.
I’m calling on the community, friends, and allies to help me fundraise £7,000
- £500 for Black neurodiversity specialists to hold 3 information sessions for those who suspect they may be neurodiverse
- £2000 to subsidise the cost of screenings
- £3500 to offer as grants covering the cost of assessments.
- £1000 for workshops on managing neurodiversity in everyday life
Any extra funds will increase the number of people the fund can help.
***EDIT: The response has been incredible and the original target met, we're now fundraising for an additional £3000 which will cover all admin costs, pay for a website and most importantly provide more grants****
The cost of screening and assessment for each condition varies greatly but I anticipate the fund will reach 200 people with it’s information sessions, subsidise screenings for 30 and offer grants for 10-13 assessments.
My diagnosis story isn’t an unusual one -
Aged 7 I was sent to anger management sessions
Aged 9 told I’d never finish primary school let alone make it into a good high school
Aged 14 diagnosed dyslexic
Aged 17 a whole 10 years after being branded as the naughty child, in the middle of another depressive episode I was sent for a mental health assessment and it was then I was diagnosed autistic.
Aged 22 I entered in to the 9-5 world and crashed and burned because I wasn’t equipped with the skills I needed to manage my neurodiversities in the workplace, had no knowledge of what my rights were or how to ask for support and reasonable adjustments.
Im now 23 and having my diagnosis has meant that in the past year I’ve been able to read up on my conditions and take care of my mental health amongst other things.
Why this is important
Without diagnosis and education on how to manage life being neurodiverse the world feels and often times is inaccessible.
Black men are disproportionately imprisoned, and a large percentage of the prison population is suspected to have a neurodiversity or learning difference.
I’m one of the lucky ones. I’m lucky that I was able to get into a secondary school that wanted look good in league tables and noticed when my grades began to slip ahead of my GCSE years. I’m lucky that my ‘laziness’ got me put on permanent detention and not excluded. I’m lucky that my functional depression and social differences were caught, and I was given mental health assessment and it didn’t ruin my chances of going to university.
The ability to have your neurodiversity diagnosed and access the support you need to function shouldn’t be reliant on luck.
Organizer
Tyla Grant
Organizer
England
