How The ND Alliance’s Eye to Eye Near-Peer Mentoring Program Helps Neurodivergent Students Thrive
January is National Mentoring Month, and at The Neurodiversity Alliance, we’re celebrating the mentors and chapter leaders who show up every week and change lives.
“My favorite part of being a mentor is seeing how the kids grow throughout the year, and become really passionate about their neurodivergent identity. Seeing my mentees is the highlight of my week.”
- Jianna, Mentor, University of Chicago Laboratory Schools
The Eye to Eye Mentoring Program is built on near-peer mentorship, pairing high school and college students who learn differently, including those with dyslexia, ADHD, and other disorders that impact learning, such as processing disorders and autism spectrum disorder, with middle schoolers navigating similar challenges.
Over the past 25 years, our Eye to Eye Mentoring Program has operated in more than 1,000 public, private, and charter schools in over 25 states, serving a diverse population of students. This weekly, school-based program is led by and for students who learn differently, aiming to build critical social-emotional skills that enhance educational experiences and outcomes.
“After learning about the Eye to Eye Mentoring Program, I was excited to get involved as it sounded like exactly what I would have loved to be a part of as a middle schooler and I wanted to support current students! The best part is seeing the middle schoolers light up when they realize they're not alone in their challenges and see that their unique ND identities are also incredible sources of creativity and strength for them!”
- Izzy, Mentor & Chapter Leader, Gonzaga University
We collaborate with colleges, universities, and high schools to recruit, train, and support staff advisors and student mentors, 16 and older, who learn differently, empowering them to serve as chapter leaders and near-peer mentors. At the same time, our partnerships with middle and elementary schools engage students in the 5th through 8th grades who learn differently, inviting them to participate as mentees. Throughout the school year, mentors and mentees meet weekly in ‘art rooms’, small group settings, engaging in structured projects and activities that foster growth, development, and meaningful connections.
“I really enjoy being a mentor because I get to engage and get to know kids at our lower school campus and do something that helps build connections and confidence in younger students. I bring a positive mindset each week and I hope the mentees see that and can learn in a place where they can be themselves. It's not just a learning experience for the mentees but also the mentors because they practice how to talk about their own learning differences."
- Thomas, Mentor & Chapter Leader, The Lab School of Washington
Eye to Eye art rooms bring together mentees, mentors, and chapter leaders each week in a shared, creative space. Students often enter the program as mentees, grow into mentors, and some continue on to become chapter leaders, developing leadership through experience and connection.
Chapter Leaders are mentors who have demonstrated a strong understanding of the curriculum and a natural ability to support and guide younger students.
These student leaders receive training to run the program in their local communities, along with ongoing coaching from our Program Manager, mentorship from a team of neurodivergent Leadership Coaches, each a former participant, and the opportunity to attend the National Neurodiversity Leadership Summit each summer.
“I became a mentee in middle school because I went from a small school just for people with disabilities, and then I went to a school where a lot of people didn't, so it gave me a sense of community amongst everyone else. I loved it so much that I became a mentor, and now a chapter leader. I really gained a sense of belonging when everyone had similar things going on in their heads that I did. I want to be a great example for someone else, to show that they can be resilient and powerful and have strength, and they can do so many things, even if they're told initially that they can’t."
- Emily, Mentor & Chapter Leader, Pennington School
The Neurodiversity Alliance’s Eye to Eye Mentoring Program creates space for honesty where kids talk about things they once felt embarrassed by and realize those same traits connect them to others. In these weekly art rooms, mentors and chapter leaders don’t just teach - they practice self-advocacy, leadership, and self-acceptance in real time. Near-peer mentorship builds skills that stick long after the school year ends, where students grow into leaders who lift others as they climb, creating a ripple effect of confidence, belonging, and possibility.
“My favorite part about being a mentor is when, after we complete our projects, we sit in a circle and talk about our projects. Hearing the kids' stories and seeing them bond with each other over everyday things is not only something joyful to see but also inspiring to see them honor something that I would have years ago considered embarrassing. It truly shows how the environment you are put in impacts how we feel about ourselves and shapes our confidence.”
- Noelle, Mentor & Chapter Leader, Cannon School
Get Involved
Whether you’re an educator, a student, or a school leader, there’s a place for you in this work. Mentorship doesn’t just support students who learn differently, it builds the next generation of confident, self-advocating leaders.
Learn more about The ND Alliance’s Eye to Eye Mentoring Program and how to get involved at thendalliance.org/mentoring.