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Who we are

A warm welcome from Rose Fenton and Sonya Braidwood, founders of Divergent Mind Collective.  We work together to bring education, support, and advocacy to the neurodivergent community, their caregivers, and educators.

Sonya

Sonya has 10 years experience working in education.  From her time as an administrator she has experience with leadership and program management.  She gets the big picture and has the attention to detail that is necessary to successfully implement and deliver systems that work.  Sonya's responsibilities have also included delivering behavioral support within the classroom.  She is a team player and problem solver who understands the need to work collaboratively to develop individualized action plans that fit each student.  Outside of the classroom, Sonya has contributed her energy and efforts to her local PTA.  Her responsibilities included fundraising, communications, community liaison, and development. More personally, Sonya is a neurodivergent mom herself and has an early elementary-aged child and a toddler.  Sonya tirelessly supports her neurodivergent son to ensure he receives the help he needs.  Through inexhaustible determination and finely honed research skills, Sonya coordinates his care.  She effectively communicates with the multiple service providers, clinicians, and therapists that form her son's team.  Together they share Sonya's vision for her child's future.

Rose

Before working for 8 years in progressive education, Rose graduated from UC Berkeley with degrees in Developmental Psychology and Spanish.  Her Master’s degree in Applied Developmental Psychology is from Fordham University.   Rose's graduate work was grounded in lifespan developmental psychology and she sees human development as lifelong and highly individualized.  
For her Master's work, Rose studied bilingual and bicultural identity development among urban youth.  Her unfinished PhD work focused on how academic motivation impacts achievement among students participating in the GEAR UP program, a federally funded multi-year grant initiative that supports increased participation in postsecondary education among low-income urban students.  
Rose's graduate training informs many of her family’s decisions regarding education, parenting, and mental health.  She is mom to a college and a high school student.  Her two children are neurodivergent and received diagnoses at young ages.  Rose's background helps her family navigate neuropsychological evaluations, therapeutic models of care, and the educational systems that serve her kids.  Rose passionately advocates for her children as she works closely with the many professionals crucial to their well being and success.

How we got here

Sonya and I met over 10 years ago while working in education and connected over the demands inherent in raising and educating families like ours.  We bonded over our children’s neurodivergent journey, especially through the difficult Covid years.  We are mothers to neurodiverse children with over 27 years of parenting experience between us.  Our joint partnership values community, emotional support, and shared resources.  Our experience in the classroom and with our families guides us when providing encouragement and perspective during challenging caregiving moments.  Sonya and I bring our knowledge and expertise to others facing similar challenges.  

What we do

Our website is our primary point of contact and offers practical information on a variety of topics relevant to neurodiversity.  We use social media to bring inspiration, tips, and ideas to our members as well as to encourage dialogue.  Down the line, we will host courses for caregivers of neurodivergent children that are designed to empower families through what can often be difficult times.  We offer workshops, professional development, resources, and a support network for educators who interact with neurodiverse children everyday.  Our commitment to helping parents and teachers reflects our deep respect for the most influential people in a child’s life.  We are building a collective of like-minded individuals who encourage each other forward through the challenges and celebrations of raising a child who is different. 

Why we do it

Sonya and I founded Divergent Mind Collective in 2021 because we wished this knowledge was more available for us as parents and educators many years ago.  As our children grow, we proactively prepare them to engage more independently and assuredly with the world outside of their immediate surroundings.  Yet, we are not certain that the world sees them as we do.  We strongly feel the need to advocate for greater public awareness and to foster social acceptance of neurodivergent children like our own.  Our online presence amplifies other positive and inclusive neurodivergent and allied voices already ushering in a change in narrative.  Our children deserve a global community that acknowledges and validates their unique humanness with the same gusto as their families, caregivers, educators and advocates.

How we do it

We meet you where you are with your child and recognize that each family has highly individualized needs.  

We supply the how-to information so families can better comprehend and participate in the systems that serve their children. 

We help families identify and implement strategies they can use in their lives to reduce conflict and understand and anticipate their child’s behavior.  

We provide guidance and structured support for those day-to-day rough patches along the journey.  We are all in this for the long-haul and know you are also.  We are well aware of how exhausted and isolated you can feel at times, this is our everyday reality as well. 

We do so without negative judgement and employ down to earth, straightforward talk.   Your child is too important and your time too valuable to sugar-coat and gloss over issues that demand your immediate attention and energy.  

What we know

For each family the journey begins at different times.  You may have a recent diagnosis and are feeling overwhelmed.  Or, you may have a sense that something is different about your child, yet not know where to begin.  

No narrative is the same and we understand that.  We know what you are going through.  We have been there ourselves.   

We bring hope and positivity into a shared space.  We dispute preconceived notions of what is normal and reject deficit paradigms.  We embrace a strength model that sees our children for what they can do and celebrates the many ways they contribute to society on a daily basis. 

We use our experience, training, and advocacy skills to help families effectively function within the complex systems that serve children like ours.  We are certain that parents and caregivers are their child’s experts and should be equal partners in planning, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating services for them.  We are also certain that as these children grow, they need to be heard and acknowledged by having a seat at the table.  Their voices belong in the neurodivergent narrative and are essential to moving it forward.

Families deserve a community where they feel heard and empowered to create positive change.  We have seen the great potential that lies within each and every child firsthand.  Our own children are thriving just the way they are surrounded by supportive, collaborative teams that optimize their development.   We believe all children deserve communities that recognize and plan for their needs, accommodating and embracing their uniqueness, and allowing them to achieve life-long fulfillment. 

Final thoughts...

We invite you to work with us to build a community that truly accepts, supports, and engages with our neurodiverse children.  We want to move the needle forward with neurodiversity-affirming conversations that change the narrative for our kids and the trajectory of their lives.  It is high time the world saw what we see in them and moved beyond tolerance of their unique talents to genuinely welcome and celebrate their many contributions and gifts.