The Neurodiversity Alliance
National Neurodiversity Leadership Summit August 7-10, 2025 · Denver, Colorado
Event Overview
The nation’s largest gathering of Neurodivergent students
The Neurodiversity Alliance’s National Neurodiversity Leadership Summit is the nation’s largest gathering of neurodivergent students and young adults.
This year’s event will feature inspiring speakers and special guests, engaging workshops and hands-on activities, and opportunities to connect with other students, recent graduates, and leaders in the neurodiversity movement!
Over 250 students, recent graduates, and other leaders from across the country will gather in Denver to build confidence and community, develop leadership and professional skills, share resources and promote peer-to-peer support, and raise awareness.
The summit also serves as our training institute for The Neurodiversity Alliance’s Campus Leaders to gain the knowledge, skills, and tools needed to lead programming in their local communities, as well as National Leaders to prepare to serve alongside staff mentors in various roles throughout the year ahead.
Schedule at a Glance
Our Summit is designed by and for neurodivergent people and we make every attempt to meet the variety of sensory, stimulation, and other needs that are common within the neurodivergent community.
For example, all sessions will include a variety of fidgets, snacks, and water, along with options to sit or stand to help folks engage in ways that work best for them.
More details regarding each session will be shared as we get closer to the event!
Thursday, August 7, 2025
- 8:30am - 2:30pm Participant’s Arrive
- 2:30pm - 4:00pm Settling In & Post-Travel Wellness Sessions
- 4:00pm - 6:00pm Community Time
- 6:00pm - 8:00pm Group Dinner, Welcome, & Opening Remarks
- 8:00pm - 10:00pm Evening Activities (Optional)
Friday, August 8, 2025
- 5:00am - 7:00am Morning Activities (Optional)
- 7:30am - 8:30am Breakfast
- 8:30am - 10:00am Group Session
- 10:00am - 10:30am Energizer / Sensory Moment
- 10:30am - 12:00pm Learning Sessions
- 12:00pm - 1:30pm Lunch
- 1:30pm - 4:30pm Learning Sessions
- 4:30pm - 5:00pm Energizer / Sensory Moment
- 5:00pm - 6:30pm Dinner
- 6:30pm - 10:00pm Evening Activities (Optional)
Saturday, August 9, 2025
- 5:00am - 7:00am Morning Activities (Optional)
- 7:30am - 8:30am Breakfast
- 8:30am - 10:00am Group Session
- 10:00am - 10:30am Energizer / Sensory Moment
- 10:30am - 12:00pm Learning Sessions
- 12:00pm - 1:30pm Lunch
- 1:30pm - 4:30pm Learning Sessions
- 4:30pm - 5:00pm Energizer / Sensory Moment
- 5:00pm - 6:30pm Dinner
- 6:30pm - 10:00pm Talent Show & Awards Ceremony
Sunday, August 10, 2025
- 7:00am - 3:00pm Participant’s Depart
All participants will be provided with a grab-and-go breakfast and/or lunch before traveling to the airport. Small community sessions will be held throughout the day to ensure participants have somewhere to wait before departure.
Accommodations
Our Summit is designed by and for neurodivergent people, and we make every attempt to meet the variety of sensory, stimulation, and other needs that are common within the neurodivergent community. While we do our best to anticipate needs in advance, we encourage participants to advocate for themselves and their needs while attending.
If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, please contact Emma Cardona at [email protected]. Advance notice is necessary to ensure we have time to make necessary arrangements.
Registration
The 2025 National Neurodiversity Leadership Summit is designed to give incoming leaders the tools to lead successful chapters on their campuses and represent the organization nationally.
As such, this year’s National Neurodiversity Leadership Summit is open to all students and recent graduates who have applied and been accepted to serve as Campus Leaders or National Leaders for the 2025-26 school year.
Our leadership applications for the 2025-2026 school year have closed, but there are still ways to get involved and attend! We are looking for folks to fill the roles of logistics intern and resident assistant on-site at this year’s summit. If you are interested in those roles, or in learning about more ways to attend, please email [email protected]
Thanks to the generous support of our community partners, there is no cost to attend the 2025 National Summit.
Our goal is to open registration more broadly, beginning with our 2026 National Summit.
Travel & Lodging
Thanks to the generous support of our community partners, all costs associated with travel, lodging, and meals for students and other participants are fully paid for by The Neurodiversity Alliance for those attending the event.
There is no cost to participants to attend the 2025 National Summit.
Travel
All travel is coordinated and paid for by The Neurodiversity Alliance.
Traveling by Plane or Train
The Neurodiversity Alliance team will arrange your travel to Denver for you, including either a plane or train ticket to Denver as well as a shuttle from the airport or train to the University of Denver campus. A member of the team will reach out to confirm your travel details as soon as possible.
We try our best to “bundle” travel so that young adults travel together, and we’ll let you know if someone else from The Neurodiversity Alliance is on your train or flight!
Once booked, we will send you your travel information within 24 hours of confirmation. Look out for emails from our events team and/or airline companies. As we get closer to the travel dates, we will also email you instructions and details about how to find your shuttle at the airport or train station. Additionally, we will not pay for additional baggage fees or amenities purchased during travel (such as snacks or seat upgrades).
Traveling by Car
If you are driving yourself, please let us know as soon as possible to ensure you have the right directions and complimentary parking pass for the event. You should plan to arrive at the University of Denver by 4pm local time on Thursday, August 7 and depart by 11am on Sunday, August 10th.
Checking-In
Shuttles will drop participants off at a designated shuttle drop-off location on the University of Denver campus and there will be clear signage directing you to the check-in area upon arrival, as well as contact information if you are in need of assistance or arrive after regular check-in hours due to travel delays.
There will also be signs directing you from the parking lot to the check-in area for those that are driving themselves by car.
You will receive more detailed information about the check-in process the week of the event.
To request reasonable accommodations related to travel, please contact Emma Cardona at [email protected] to discuss options to best meet your needs.
Lodging
All participants will stay in the Dimond Family Residential Village on the Denver University campus. These residential spaces are fully accessible, equipped with air conditioning, with bedding and linens provided.
To request reasonable accommodations related to lodging, please contact Emma Cardona at [email protected] to discuss options to best meet your needs.
Dorm Assignments
Those under 18 will be staying on separate floors from those over 18. In addition, we’ve segmented each floor by gender, including a non-binary section based on participant information as filled out in the registration form.
All rooms are private individual dorm rooms, sharing a large communal bathroom dedicated to only those staying in that section. This ensures that no minors would share a bathroom with an adult, and no one of any gender will be sharing a bathroom with someone of another gender. The bathrooms also have floor-to-ceiling partitions for maximum privacy, with no more than 12-14 individuals sharing a large group bathroom in each section.
Dorm Safety & Overnight Supervision for Minors
There are team members spread out throughout the dorms, including several dedicated Resident Advisor rooms located next to the elevator of each floor where participants are staying, should anyone need anything during the week. There will always be at least one Resident Advisor on-call 24 hours per day to ensure safety and compliance, as well as help with any lockouts or other issues that may arise.
Anyone under the age of 18 will be required to check-in with an Resident Advisor each night before bed and will not be allowed to leave the dorms after they’ve checked-in for the night. Similarly, each morning our team members will lead morning check-ins with each participant to ensure everyone makes it from their dorms to breakfast at the dining hall directly across the street.
Meals on Campus
Participant dorm key cards also work as their meal cards for the week. Breakfast, lunch, snacks, and dinner are provided free of charge each day and are eaten in the Community Commons Dining Hall, located directly across the street from the Dimond Family Residential Village.
The dining hall is set-up like a food court with various stations and dishes to choose from, with plenty of indoor and outdoor seating. There will also be catered snacks and drinks in the hallways during breakout sessions, as well as snacks and drinks available on tables in each room throughout the event.
Given the heat and higher elevation in Denver, participants will be provided with reusable water bottles and encouraged to drink more water and fluids than usual.
Dietary Restrictions
We will collect all dietary restrictions from participants in the registration form. All dietary restrictions will be submitted to the University of Denver, who coordinates meals and catering orders. We will work to ensure that all dietary restrictions are being met and no issues arise. Rest assured that we also have a certified nurse on staff to support any urgent or medical needs.
Sponsorship
The Neurodiversity Alliance is proud to offer this life-changing experience to students and recent graduates entirely free of charge thanks to the support of community partners.
We invite you to join us in shaping the future of neurodiverse leaders by sponsoring the National Neurodiversity Leadership Summit - the nation’s largest gathering of neurodivergent students and recent graduates. As a sponsor, your organization will gain high-impact visibility and the opportunity to directly support the growth of a more equitable and inclusive future.
To learn more about available sponsorship opportunities, please contact us at [email protected] to learn more.