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Oswin Latimer (fae/they) is an Autistic, Choctaw, Trans, Queer activist, educator, and parent with over 15 years experience in disability justice and systems change. With a career rooted in resisting supremacist structures, Oswin’s work focuses on reshaping policy, education, healthcare, and community through the lens of neurodiversity and intersectionality. They are particularly known for challenging deficit-based models and offering frameworks that center the lived experiences of disabled, racialized, and queer people.
Oswin is the Founding President of Foundations for Divergent Minds (FDM) where they developed the Divergent Minds framework which equips educators, therapists, and families with tools to build accessible environments. Under Oswin’s leadership, FDM has led national efforts to replace compliance-based interventions with approaches that foster autonomy, dignity, and trust. They have provided anti-ableist education and strategic consultation across sectors, supporting coalitions, schools, and policy efforts with a focus on disabled, queer, and BIPOC communities. Earlier in their career, Oswin served as the Director of Community Engagement at the Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN), where they helped build foundational programming in higher education and employment inclusion. In addition to leading FDM, Oswin currently serves as Board Treasurer of Crushing Colonialism, a media and organizing collective centering indigenous storytelling. They also sit on the editorial board of Sage’s journal, Neurodiversity, and have contributed to peer-reviewed research on meaningful social interaction as a foundation for learning. Oswin has appeared in numerous podcasts, panels, and conferences across the country and was featured in the 2013 documentary Citizen Autistic. In addition to their activism, Oswin is most proud of their children, who range from middle school age to young adult and are all neurodivergent. They continue to apply their work in real time, advocating with and alongside their kids as they navigate school, healthcare, and other systems. |
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Morénike Giwa Onaiwu, PhD (she/they) is a global human rights and disability justice activist-scholar, consultant, advocate, author, educator, and parent in a neurodiverse, multicultural, twice-exceptional serodifferent biological and adoptive family. A prolific writer and social scientist/activist with both lived and learned expertise whose work focuses on participatory research, meaningful community involvement, intersectionality, and accessibility, Morénike, a recognized leader and content expert in various collaborative endeavors, serves as founder/principal operator of Advocacy Without Borders, a nonprofit initiative offering lectures, advocacy, research, and related projects as well as diversity, equity, and inclusion training. (Morénike is also a Research Fellow in the Life Course Outcomes division at the AJ Drexel Autism Institute, the first public health-focused autism research center in the US at Drexel University.)
Morénike, who resides in the US, maintains membership within several executive boards and is a highly sought after keynote lecturer and public speaker who has presented at the White House, the United Nations, and numerous peer-reviewed international conferences. Notable publications of Morénike’s include over a dozen monograph chapter contributions, digital scholarship, peer-reviewed articles and editorial work. As an advocate, a mother of several children with disabilities, and a multiethnic disabled adult of color living with chronic illness, Morénike is deeply passionate about community leadership and empowerment that integrates our full selves and is inclusive of all. |
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Kassiane Asasumasu (they/she) is an Asian American Autistic activist who has been an influential presence in the neurodiversity movement for over 25 years. Known for coining the term neurodivergent, they have shaped the language and direction of the movement through their writing, including the widely read blog Radical Neurodivergence Speaking, and contributions to anthologies like All the Weight of Our Dreams and Sincerely, Your Autistic Child.
Kassiane’s work draws from their experiences as a multiply neurodivergent person and longtime activist. They have presented at national and international conferences and institutions, often focusing on the lived experiences of autistic people across the lifespan. Their lecture DisAbused: Rethinking the Presumption of Caregiver Benevolence has been widely cited for its critical perspective on caregiver relationships and disability narratives. They currently serve on the board of Foundations for Divergent Minds, bringing historical insight and movement perspective to the organization. Kassiane lives in Oregon with their cats and continues to influence the broader understanding of neurodivergence through their writing and early contributions to the field. |
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Renae Martin (she/her) is an Autistic person, parent, and longtime community member whose presence in the neurodiversity movement dates back to the early 2000s. Known for her sharp wit and grassroots approach, she is one of the original creators of Tone It Down Taupe, a satirical campaign that critiques fear-based autism narratives and calls for acceptance, mutual aid, and dignity for autistic people.
Renae’s work is grounded in lived experience and a deep commitment to other autistic people. Over the past two decades, she has supported countless individuals through direct aid, mentorship, and informal education—especially around assistive tech access and the rejection of compliance-based norms. Her contributions have shaped how autistic-led spaces frame support, autonomy, and cultural self-determination. She currently serves on the board of Foundations for Divergent Minds, where she offers historical knowledge, operational insight, and community-rooted perspective. Renae remains a trusted voice in the neurodivergent community through her writing, support work, and enduring presence in online and offline networks. |
