On April 15, 2026, Youth for Neurodiversity was proud to join GENup for a powerful Lobby Day focused on advancing student voices in education policy. Together, students from across California came to Sacramento to advocate for meaningful change—including support for AB 2071, a bill centered on digital wellness and youth mental health.

On behalf of Youth for Neurodiversity Inc., a youth-led nonprofit dedicated to empowering neurodivergent youth through advocacy and policy, I request your urgent intervention in establishing a direct government communication channel for young voices like ours, especially given the recent layoffs, ongoing government shutdown since October 1, 2025, and highly polarized media communications.

Nearly 7.5 million students with learning differences of autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, dyspraxia, and others rely on timely critical services overseen by OSEP and RSA. The layoffs affecting 121 employees at OSEP and RSA have left only a handful of staffers amid the government shutdown that began on October 1, 2025. Protections to youth guaranteed under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), such as individualized education programs (IEPs),

There was a time when I struggled to understand why the world felt so overwhelming. The lights were too bright, the noise too sharp, the conversations too fast. I saw patterns where others saw randomness, I focused where others drifted, and I felt deeply, sometimes too deeply for my own comfort. I knew I was different but didn’t always know what that difference meant. I used to think my differences were obstacles, barriers that separated me from others.