Youth for Neurodiversity
Breaking barriers, celebrating differences, championing strengths, & mobilizing allies!
Empowering Youth
We are a youth-led nonprofit advocating for neurodivergent youth globally. Our mission is to break barriers by mobilizing allies, championing strengths in each of us, fighting cultural stigma to push for universal design & inclusive schools, communities, workplaces, and technologies.
Neurodiversity is for everyone. We aim to build a peer-to-peer network of youth champions worldwide uplifting each other and pushing for change!
Our Story
Aashna Parsa
Founder, President
"Growing up, I watched my brother, endlessly curious, turn his voracious reading into a spark that lit up his future. He'd spend hours researching teen healthcare access issues, not because he had to, but because he needed to know more. My mom, his fiercest champion, fought against whispers in our community that labeled him "different." Being undiagnosed herself, she saw his strengths, his hyperfocus and brilliance, where others saw early struggles with organization. With the power of personalized education and freedom to choose his path, my brother soared into a nationally-recognized social entrepreneur—a role model for so many.
Then, a few months ago this summer, I faced my own challenge: an accident that severed my ulnar nerve. I lost sensation in two fingers and mobility in my elbow. Suddenly, I understood what it feels like to navigate a world not built for you. Unable to swim, sketch, write, or code without severe pain, my world had to come to a grinding halt. Accepting help, even from my mom, to turn on my muscle stimulator for therapy, felt like defeat.
But, reminding myself daily that deficits aren't weaknesses, I started to overcome the frustration. I was also fortunate to have my neurodiverse friends from the Davidson Young Scholar and Stanford Online High School communities stand by me through my recovery. Notably, Maxwell Palance, one of my brother's closest friends, became my mentor. Growing up with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Max endured sensory challenges, social misunderstandings, and anxiety. Max's journey from toddlerhood therapies to top-level programming endeavors and advocacy to show neurodiverse children that their potential can surpass any stigma inspired me endlessly.
Max is also the Co-Chair of Stanford NNEA, Network for K-12 Neurodiversity Education and Advocacy, and a teaching assistant for the Frist Center for Autism and Innovation Aspie Python Bootcamp at Vanderbilt University. Through him, I got the amazing opportunity to experience the growing neurodiversity movement at the 2025 Stanford Neurodiversity Summit and NeuroTech Frontiers conference!
Mentor, Youth Advisor
The past few months were life-changing for me. Through grit, support of family and friends like Max, and daily therapy, I regained most of my elbow's range of motion. Though my hand still carries deficits, I've learned to embrace my new world. My journey has deepened my passion for "neuro+X"—blending neuroscience, art, anthropology, psychology, assistive tech, and policy to empower neurodivergent youth.
Now, I'm on a mission to fight stigma, mobilize allies, and break barriers—through education, universal design, inclusive spaces, assistive technologies, and policies that uplift neurodiverse youth. I want every teen to know: our unique mind and our unique body are our strengths. Let's build a world that celebrates us all. Neurodiversity is for everyone. Embracing each other's differences and championing strengths builds stronger communities, and ultimately humanity!
Organizations We Amplify
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