Who We Are

MISSION: At Inclusive Navigators, we believe that exploration is transformative, and that neurodivergent individuals deserve greater visibility and access as they explore the world. We focus on lived experience, amplifying community voices, and providing practical recommendations that support accessible travel, daily life, and growing independence.

Why We Do This

We began as a group of parents who all felt the same tension as our neurodivergent kids grew into teens and adults, not because our kids were any less ready, but because opportunities, visibility, and accessible experiences became harder to find. The world often focuses on early support, while paths for exploration and adulthood are less visible.

Our work is rooted in real life. We focus on lived experience and amplify the voices of neurodivergent teens, adults, and families who are already navigating the world. By sharing what works, what doesn’t, and what’s possible, we help others feel more confident taking their own next steps. This isn’t about a single definition of success.
It’s about making more paths visible.

We highlight real people from our community as they explore travel, daily life, work, and independence. Through honest stories and practical recommendations, we help make the world feel more accessible, not in theory, but in practice.

Inclusive Navigators is here to walk alongside individuals and families as they explore what’s possible, share knowledge within the community, and move through the world with confidence.

84

%
Percentage of Neurodivergent Families That Don't Travel

72

%
Autistic Adults Report Difficulty Accessing Public Spaces Independently

7

%
Travel Resources Are Created By Or For Neurodivergent People

Board of Directors

Board Member

Michelle

Why is this mission important to you?

As a mom to a teenager with Autism, I am both concerned and curious what adulthood looks like for my son. How can I make sure he can live an independent and fullfilling life? With each step of his growing up, I’ve tried to stay connected with families that are facing the same “struggles” as me. Also, many of my friends are parents to neurodiverse kids who we met when the kids weren’t even 2 years old.  The “village” is real for me. And, I like being able to share my story with parents whose children are newly diagnosed. Autism (or any non-neurotypical diagnosis) is less scary when you have an idea of what you may expect.

What has been the biggest challenge your family has faced entering the teen or adult years as a neurodivergent household? 

One of the biggest challenges has been differentiating behaviors; is it autism that’s causing X behavior or is it being a teenager causing X behavior?

My son is a great at mimic’ing what he sees or hears. So, negative behaviors tend to appear a lot since he is influenced by teenagers.

What is one tool, mindset, or habit that helps you stay positive and grounded as a neurodivergent individual, parent or support person?

‘X’ behavior is only temporary until ‘Y’ behavior shows up. Overall, my son is a kind human being and has a lot of empathy. Knowing this helps me through the not so great times.

Tell us about one of your favorite travel memories with your family and how it may have helped you or your child grow.

I feel like we haven’t traveled a whole lot because of the some challenges regarding behaviors. But at the same time, we have some great memories of traveling that went much smoother than anticipated.  I think being prepared is key…always expect the unexpected and I always prepare for the worst.

I’ll let you know how the next adventure goes in more detail.

Let’s give people a quick peek into your home life!

How many pets do you have (and what kinds)?

2 rabbits, Max and Midnight

What hobbies or activities do you love to do with your kids or family?

Building Legos for sure. My son loves to go to the mall, walk around and show me his favorite stores (in order of first to last, of course).

Favorite shows or movies in your household right now:

Legos, Legos, Legos.  And anything Mario Brothers.

Top favorite foods or family meals:

I personally love all types of food. My kids are pickier and I like to say they enjoy toddler food as teenagers.  Cheeseburgers are a favorite for both kids.  And anything sweet!

Board Member

Angela

Why is this mission important to you?

As a parent of a teenager with autism who loves to travel, I fear that someday when she wants to explore on her own it will be too hard to too unsafe. Neurodivergent individuals should have the same opportunities and accessibility to explore their cities and our world without being intimidated. Travel has helped my child with her regulation, her flexibility and so many social and executive functioning skills. Everyone should have these opportunities.

What has been the biggest challenge your family has faced entering the teen or adult years as a neurodivergent household?

The exclusion, whether it’s by choice or not, has been hard during these years. From friendships to school participation, to job training and community engagement, there seems to be barriers everywhere that hinder natural teenage growth. So many areas still need support. There is an extra fight to find these opportunities to be involved and make connections.

What is one tool, mindset, or habit that helps you stay positive and grounded as a neurodivergent individual, parent or support person?

Choosing happiness. I try to tell myself this everyday. Choosing the positive and finding the good in everything you’re doing, understanding everything is a work in progress, helps me get through each week when we face challenges.

Tell us about one of your favorite travel memories with your family and how it may have helped you or your child grow.

We have been all over together but one of my favorite memories was when Covid happened and we hopped in the car to take a completely unplanned road trip together. We explored anything and everything for days driving up north and back. There was freedom, confidence and curiosity in both of us that was so fun to share together.

Let’s give people a quick peek into your home life!

How many pets do you have (and what kinds)?

3 dogs! All rescued mutts!

What hobbies or activities do you love to do with your kids or family?

traveling, trying new restaurants, seeing shows, thrifting

Favorite shows or movies in your household right now:

Skillsville on PBSKids – the absolute favorite at the moment

Top favorite foods or family meals:

lasagna, we make one at least twice per month.

A tradition or moment that makes your family happy every year:

We love doing a weekend in San Francisco during the holidays to enjoy the decorations, the shows and Christmas spirit. We also love celebrating lunar new year, shopping through Chinatown and seeing the lunar new year symphony!

Board Member

Faith

Why is this mission important to you?

As the parent of a 25-year-old son with Autism, I’ve faced many challenges to provide Chase with meaningful social, academic and therapeutic opportunities. There are resources available but they can be very diƯicult to uncover and navigate. I’ve found the best resource for information is other parents, in terms of learning, advocating and support.

What has been the biggest challenge your family has faced entering the teen or adult years as a neurodivergent household?

There have been several challenges as Chase has aged. What should he do after high school? Luckily we found a wonderful, post-secondary residential program on Cape Cod. Where would he live after he completed the program? Supported housing for young adults with Autism can be very difficult to find and cost-prohibitive. We ended up buying a home where Chase now lives with five roommates, and receives support from trained service providers as needed. An ongoing challenge has been finding fun, social opportunities to keep Chase engaged with his peers, all the while learning to navigate on his own in terms of planning social events etc. It is a never-ending journey.

What is one tool, mindset, or habit that helps you stay positive and grounded as a neurodivergent parent?

Support from other parents has been so vital….I don’t know what I would do without my fellow special needs parent friends. Also, seeing Chase happy and maturing makes it all worthwhile.

Board Member

Ryan

Bio Coming Soon!

Board Member

Tam

Why is this mission important to you?

My commitment to supporting neurodivergent families comes from a deep belief in the power of inclusion, empathy, and equity. I’ve witnessed firsthand the challenges that neurodivergent individuals and their loved ones face—whether it’s navigating complex systems, advocating for appropriate resources, or simply being seen and heard for who they truly are.

What has been the biggest challenge your family has faced entering the teen or adult years as a neurodivergent household?

As our son entered his teen years, our biggest challenge has been trying to figure out what his life after high school will look like.

What is one tool, mindset, or habit that helps you stay positive and grounded as a neurodivergent individual, parent or support person?

What has helped me stay positive as a parent of a neurodivergent individual is the fact that there is no timeline that he needs to follow. He will go at his own pace and that is OK.

Tell us about one of your favorite travel memories with your family and how it may have helped you or your child grow.

My favorite family trip was to the Cayman Islands. The trip showed me that traveling can be fun with our neurodivergent son. Choosing the right location and facilities really made the trip enjoyable. The hotel was so accommodating to our needs and so helpful with everything.

Let’s give people a quick peek into your home life!

How many pets do you have (and what kinds)?

Lily – labradoodle

What hobbies or activities do you love to do with your kids or family?

We love going on family hikes.

Favorite shows or movies in your household right now?

Wonka

Top favorite foods or family meals?

Hot Pot

A tradition or moment that makes your family happy every year?

Christmas with our families and watching the Rose Parade together.

Board Member

Chele

Bio Coming Soon!

Board Member

Grace

Why is this mission important to you?

As the parent of a child with autism, I am deeply committed to advocacy and inclusion for individuals with disabilities and neurodivergence, and supporting their families and caregivers. As president of the Hillsborough City School District’s Resources for Individual Student Excellence (RISE) Parent Group from 2021-2023, I led community-wide abilities awareness initiatives, mentored families navigating the special education system, and worked with the administration and parent leaders to ensure school  and social events were accessible and inclusive.

What has been the biggest challenge your family has faced entering the teen or adult years as a neurodivergent household? (Ryan/Chele can omit this question)

At 5’10”, Marcus is no longer a cute little kid that can get away with inappropriate social behavior.  It can be challenging when people don’t realize that he has a developmental disability and believe he is being rude or ungracious.  We have dealt with strangers scolding or making comments at him for making noise during a play, taking too much candy at Halloween, cutting them off while walking, and more.  It’s also sad to constantly see him sitting alone at parties (among the general non-disabled community) while cliques of teenagers hang out together, ignoring him.

What is one tool, mindset, or habit that helps you stay positive and grounded as a neurodivergent individual, parent or support person?

I’m thankful for my faith — God reminds me daily how blessed we are, how special and important Marcus is, and how much better (not easier!  But more full of love and meaning) my life is with Marcus in it.

Tell us about one of your favorite travel memories with your family and how it may have helped you or your child grow.

When we were on vacation with the kids who were about 10 and 12 years old, we left them in the hotel room to shower and put themselves to bed while we went downstairs to the lobby for drinks.  They did fine, except it was their first time dealing with a shower curtain and they didn’t pull it into the tub, leading to water everywhere.  When ZJ called us, we worried something horrible had happened, but when we arrived and found them mopping up water with towels, we all had a good laugh.  We were glad we gave them a little independence without having a major catastrophe!

Let’s give people a quick peek into your home life!

How many pets do you have (and what kinds)?

a dog, female Chihuahua terrier mix named Pancake

What hobbies or activities do you love to do with your kids or family?

cooking/baking, biking, trying new restaurants

Top favorite foods or family meals:

waffles with Nutella, steak, dumplings

A tradition or moment that makes your family happy every year:

going to NJ and NY during Christmas week to see all our relatives – they ALL live there and we’re the only ones who live in CA!

Board Member

Athena

Why is this mission important to you?

This mission is important to me because I believe neurodivergent individuals have so much more to offer than they’re often given credit for. Through this nonprofit, I want to create a platform that provides the support, visibility, and encouragement they need-not just to get by, but to truly thrive and lead happy, fulfilling lives.

What has been the biggest challenge your family has faced when entering the teen years?

One of the biggest challenges we’ve faced is the lack of understanding and support during key transitions-especially entering the teen years and navigating a high school placement. We often felt like we were advocating alone, trying to explain our daughter’s potential to people who only saw limitations. This holds true for medical professionals as well. Many simply aren’t equipped either in training or bedside manner to work effectively with neurodivergent teens and adults.

What is one tool, mindset or habit that helps you stay positive and grounded as a neurodivergent individual or parent?

Keeping a consistent schedule is on the top of the list.  Routines help create a sense of stability- for my daughter and for the family. This helps reduce her stress and support emotional regulation.

Leaning into humor. Some days are really hard, and laughter can be a lifeline. A lot of times it comes directly from my daughter!

Tell us about one of your favorite travel memories with your family and how it helped your child grow?

Maui! L has been going to Maui with family and friends for almost every year since she was 3.

Maui quickly became my daughter’s favorite place because it offered exactly what she thrives on: familiarity, consistancy, and a calming environment. Over time, those repeated visits created strong positive associations, making Maui feel like a safe, happy space where she could be fully herself.

Tell us about you!

Pets: We are down to 1 fat cat.

Hobbies/Activities: Lia is very into sidewalk chalk and musical theatre

Favorite shows or movies: Diners, drive-Ins and Dives, The Sound of Music

Top favorite foods: Pasta-“don’t forget the capers”

Tradtion that makes your family happy every year:

4th of July parade in our neighborhood, The San Francisco Nutcracker ballet.

Donate

When you give to Inclusive Navigators, you’re supporting visibility, exploration, and shared knowledge. Your donation helps fund real-life stories, trusted recommendations, and inclusive experiences that empower neurodivergent individuals to navigate the world on their own terms.

Apply For Grants

We offer travel grants and entrepreneur grants to support neurodivergent individuals, families, and businesses making a difference. Whether you’re planning your next adventure or launching something new to serve the community, we’re here to help you take the next step. Applications are open now!

APPLY NOW