What is the Neurodivergent Star of the Year award for?
This category celebrates neurodivergent individuals (21 or over) who are making waves, achieving big things, and getting stuff done!
This could be a personal or professional achievement they never thought possible, an act of charity or advocacy, or a display of great courage.
Start thinking now about who to nominate in 2025!
Sponsored by Mace
Neurodiversity Star of the Year Award 2024
Congratulations to the Neuro-Champions…
Lee Chambers is an award-winning Black, Autistic psychologist, radio host, & entrepreneur. He is a leading voice on disability, male allyship & race in the workplace. In 2014 an illness left Lee unable to walk. After regaining his mobility, he used this pivotal experience as inspiration to launch Essentialise, an innovative wellbeing & inclusion agency. His nominator said “Lee’s authenticity is contagious. Uplifting, inspiring & empowering others to learn, align & collaborate is his true ikagi.”
Kit Taylor is a disabled journalist who is focused on injustice & telling the stories of those whose voices often go unheard. Whether that’s through their roles in journalism or charity PR, or their lobbying for better representation on & off screen. Kit is also one of the youngest members on the BBC Children in Need advisory board. They work with national news outlets on stories about disability & inclusion, ensuring that disabled voices are included in a way that isn’t patronising or othering.
Atif Choudhury is a dyslexic social entrepreneur with a background in economic justice & disability inclusion. He is the Co-founder & CEO of Diversity & Ability, & Zaytoun CiC, the world’s first Fairtrade Palestinian olive oil cooperative. He is an adviser to the WHO rapid assistive technologies board & is a trustee for Disability Rights UK. He is described as “a warm, caring & kind man. Welcoming, inclusive & thoughtful. Quick to share the limelight that being a leader can bring. Generous with his team & open to his community.”
Gavin Higgins. Described as ‘boldly imaginative& a ‘a talent to watch’ Gavin is one of the most exciting talents of his generation. He has become one of the country’s leading composers despite facing economic & health barriers. At 8 he started to develop painful facial tics & was diagnosed with TS & OCD. Gavin realised that when he played music his tics & obsessive thoughts would abate; so he began to use music as therapy. He is a passionate advocate for making music accessible for all & has recently made a documentary with Radio 3.
Dr Shae Wissell is a dyslexic & dysgraphic, researcher, advocate, entrepreneur & podcast host. She is Director of social enterprise re:think dyslexia & the Founder/ Chair of the Dear Dyslexic Foundation. She is also a practicing Speech pathologist with a Doctorate in Public Health. Her research focuses on the lived experiences of adults with dyslexia in Australia, highlighting social inequalities in healthcare, education, employment, relationships, & well-being.