EPIC Future, a business programme that supports young people who have overcome adversity, commissioned National Neurodiversity Training to deliver tailored training focused on improving staff awareness and confidence supporting neurodivergent individuals. The aim was to boost confidence, recognise and implement appropriate adjustments, reduce misunderstandings, and support the engagement and retention of neurodivergent programme members. The training, Introduction to Neurodiversity in Entrepreneurship, combined lived experience with professional insight to create a practical and impactful learning environment.

The Challenge

Many neurodivergent individuals face systemic barriers in professional and educational settings, where traditional support models often fail to consider differences in communication, processing, and sensory experience. In entrepreneurial programmes, this can lead to misunderstanding, missed opportunities for support, and unintentional exclusion. 

However, up to 55% of business owners are neurodivergent and ADHDers are 300x more likely to start their own business. 

During a comprehensive Programme Design session, EPIC Future and National Neurodiversity Training identified key challenges and opportunities to create a neuro-inclusive environment:

• Inclusive Communication: Staff lacked confidence using inclusive language, and terminology was not always applied consistently across settings.
• Understanding Traits and Accessibility: Event planning lacked accessibility considerations and traits such as sensory sensitivity and literal interpretation, were often misunderstood or unacknowledged. 
• Engagement Risk: A lack of neurodiversity inclusion and accessibility risked the disengagement of neurodivergent individuals.

Recognising the importance of these barriers and the overlap between neurodiversity and entrepreneurship, EPIC Future engaged National Neurodiversity Training to strengthen its inclusive practices. 

The Solution

The partnership began with an in-depth Programme Design session with the National Neurodiversity Training team and Calum Sawford, CEO, and Marc Pearson, Community Engagement Manager at Epic, to understand their pain points and align the training to their company objectives.

Following this, the learners engaged in a Neurodiversity Maturity Assessment, designed to assess the current understanding of neurodiversity within the EPIC Future team.  The insights gained from this diagnostic allowed National Neurodiversity Training to design bespoke learning pathways for the learners at EPIC, focusing on practical strategies and tailored content. This included modules such as:

Modules included:

• Introduction to Neurodiversity
• Neuro-inclusive Language and Internalised Ableism
• Strengths and Challenges
• Communication Styles and Inclusive feedback
• Implementing Accommodations
• Planning Accessible Events
  

The delivery model focused on real-world application, using collaborative discussion, scenario-based learning, and reflective exercises to ground abstract ideas in day-to-day contexts. One participant shared: “I loved learning about how slang phrases can either be misunderstood or not understood.”

Another reflected on the learning environment: "I loved the interaction and open conversation throughout.”

This solution enabled the delivery of actionable, context-specific recommendations, and meaningful change.

The Results

All learners completed the Neurodiversity Maturity Diagnostic, which demonstrated strong impact:

• 56.3% increase in confidence using inclusive language
  
• 50% increase in recognising and implementing accommodations
  
• 27.8% increase in understanding the strengths and challenges of neurodivergent entrepreneurs

These outcomes indicated improved readiness to support neurodivergent individuals and make appropriate, context-specific adjustments. Participants described the session as “very clear, informative, and engaging”, and feedback consistently highlighted the relevance of the content to their day-to-day responsibilities.

Following the session, National Neurodiversity Training provided EPIC Future with tailored recommendations for future action, including follow-up learning, internal protocols, and sustained organisational development.

Key Takeaways for Others

1. Tailored training leads to measurable improvements: context-specific delivery strengthens relevance and applicability, especially in high-variation environments like entrepreneurship.
   
   
2. Confidence grows with reflective, interactive learning: teams benefit most from training that combines lived experience with practical strategies and open dialogue.
   
   
3. Language is a critical part of accessibility: Everyday phrases can create unintended barriers, recognising and adjusting language is a key first step toward inclusion.

This training marked the first stage in EPIC Future’s ongoing commitment to fostering a more accessible, equitable entrepreneurial environment.