Mission & Values

Core Values 

• Neurodiversity: The wide variety of ways that people’s brains or minds do things.
• Accessibility: Being able to fully participate
• Inclusion: Everyone feeling that they belong = no defaults, no “othering”
• Intersectionality: Everyone has multiple different parts to their identity. These parts interact. Everyone has unique experiences of privilege and oppression.
• Self-actualization: Realizing your true self’s best life. You find your people, find your purpose, and find your path.
• Community: Connection = feeling understood by another person
• Interdependence: True communities care for each other. True communities rely on each other.

Read More About Our Core Values…

Neurodiversity means that we all have different brains. We experience the world differently. We do things differently. Some things are easy. Some things are difficult. The world is not accessible when it is created for only some brains.

Accessibility means creating a world that everyone can access. An accessible world is easy to use and understand. Everyone can benefit. Disability is an experience when the world is not accessible. There are disabilities that other people can see. There are disabilities that other people cannot see. Disability exists on a continuum. Accessibility changes how much disability a person experiences. This is called “the social model of disability.”

Inclusion is belonging. We are inclusive when we offer multiple options options to participate. We are not inclusive if we only offer one or some options. One size does not fit all.

Offering multiple ways to participate is called “inclusive design.” All Brains Belong considers the different ways that people think, learn, communicate, move, and play. We then plan multiple ways to participate in our programs and events. We give you freedom to choose what works best for your brain.

The intersectionality (combination) of traumatic and oppressive experiences makes participating even harder. This happens when people are not included because of multiple different reasons (neurotype, disability, gender, sexuality, race, religion, poverty, etc). of the trauma and oppression they experience stacks up to cause even more extensive barriers to participating in society, let alone feeling included. All Brains Belong honors the perspectives of multiply-marginalized community members. Their perspectives inform inclusive design. All Brains Belong wants to create an inclusive space where multiply marginalized individuals can be there true selves and experience genuine belonging. We want to partner with affinity-based organizations to ensure that we do this well.

Belonging is the first step on the path to self-actualization. Once an individual “finds their people,” they can feel safe. We must feel safe before we know who we are.

Once we know who we are, we can learn what gives life meaning and purpose. We build community. Community can mean many things to many people; there are many ways to connect. All Brains Belong offers 1:1, small group and large group opportunities to connect over shared interests.

This is how we build an inclusive, interdependent community that takes care of one another. Where everyone belongs. And that’s how we change the world.

We invite you to read more about our vision for true inclusion.