A NEXT COLLABORATES WEBINAR
Neurodiversity in the Workplace
Thursday, November 5, 2026
2:00 PM - 3:30 PM EST
HOSTED BY
A NEXT COLLABORATES WEBINAR
Neurodiversity in the Workplace: What Happens After the Hire
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2026 | 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM EST
Panelists will share lived experiences navigating professional environments and discuss practical strategies to advocate for needs, access support, and foster more neurodiversity-affirming workplaces.
Join us! This webinar and panel discussion explores neurodiversity in the workplace, including disclosure, self-advocacy, accommodations, communication differences, masking, burnout, and workplace accessibility.
Panelists will share lived experiences navigating professional environments and discuss practical strategies for advocating for needs, accessing support, and fostering more inclusive and neurodiversity affirming workplaces.
Attendees will leave with actionable tools, real-world insights, and a deeper understanding of workplace inclusion for neurodivergent employees.
Whether you're leading people, shaping policies, or supporting clients, this conversation will spark new ways to listen deeply, lead differently, and create cultures where neurodivergent people thrive.
A NEXT COLLABORATES WEBINAR
NEXT for AUTISM collaborates with NEXT grantees to share expertise, build relationships, and create free resources for autistic adults, families, professionals, and service providers. This webinar is part of that effort to strengthen services, respond to field-wide needs, and expand the reach of promising work across the autism community.
This webinar is in collaboration with AANE (Association for Autism and Neurodiversity) and Lighthouse Learning Center.
WHO SHOULD PARTICIPATE
This session is for anyone who shapes what the workday feels like after someone is hired:
- People managers and team leads who want practical ways to support neurodivergent team members
- HR, people operations, and talent teams who build onboarding, performance, and accommodation processes
- DEI and ERG leaders who want neuroinclusion to go beyond awareness
- Executives and senior leaders who set culture and hold teams accountable for it
- Neurodivergent professionals and allies who want language and tools to advocate for what works
- Job coaches, employment specialists, and service providers who support people through the move from hire to long-term success
NEXT for AUTISM is recognized by SHRM to offer Professional Development Credits (PDCs) for SHRM-CP® or SHRM-SCP® recertification activities.
MODERATOR
Ilia Walsh, M.Ed., MBA, Director of Individual and Family Services, AANE
Ilia Walsh, M.Ed, MBA, is the Director of Individual and Family Services at AANE, where she leads a broad portfolio of programs supporting autistic adults, parents, families, and professionals through education, coaching, support groups, and community engagement. With more than 30 years of experience in training, curriculum development, instructional design, and adult education, she has developed and delivered hundreds of workshops, presentations, and educational programs focused on autism, neurodiversity, relationships, communication, and family support. Ilia is also the creator of the Autism in Real Life podcast, a trauma informed registered yoga teacher, and a sound therapist. She continues to speak nationally on autism, neurodiversity, and family support, bringing both professional expertise and lived experience to her work as the mother of two adult children and a member of a proudly neurodivergent family.
PANELISTS
Maggie Bowlby, M.Ed., Assistant Director of Individual & Family Services, AANE
Maggie Bowlby (She/Her), M.Ed, is the Assistant Director of Individual & Family Services at AANE, and has been with the organization since 2020. Maggie is neurodivergent herself (ADHD) and is married to an Autistic man. At AANE, Maggie manages Individual and Family Services programming, supports staff, and facilitates support groups and workshops. Prior to joining the AANE Staff, Maggie spent 8 years as a Special Educator in Massachusetts. Maggie is committed to amplifying autistic voices and incorporating an understanding of a variety of autistic perspectives into her practice supporting autistic people, their families, and other professionals in the field.
Mari-Luci Cerda, Ph.D., BCBA-D, LBA-TX, Chairperson, LEAP Institute
Mari-Luci Cerda, Ph.D., BCBA-D, LCA-TX, is a behavior analyst, educator, and autistic advocate with over 18 years of experience as a public educator serving students with disabilities. Drawing on that background as a special education teacher, behavior specialist, and autism consultant, her work centers on trauma-responsive, culturally safe, and neurodiversity-affirming approaches to applied behavior analysis. She holds a PhD in Educational Psychology and Special Education from Texas Tech University and serves as Chief Clinical Officer of The Lighthouse Learning Center in Lubbock, Texas. She is also co-founder of the LEAP Institute, a nonprofit that expands equitable access for underrepresented groups in the field of ABA. She serves as adjunct faculty at the University of North Texas, where she teaches master's-level ABA coursework. Her key areas of work include dismantling ableism in ABA, trauma-informed behavior assessment, compassionate and person-centered care, workforce development for neurodivergent and marginalized practitioners, and centering autistic voices in research and practice. She is co-author of REFRAME, a textbook that reimagines ABA through a trauma-responsive and culturally safe lens.
Ryan Walsh, B.S., Individual and Family Services Facilitation & Support Specialist, AANE
Ryan Walsh (He/Him), B.S., Individual and Family Services Facilitation & Support Specialist, AANE, always enjoys and appreciates the opportunity to speak on his lived experience as an Autistic individual, and has been doing so with AANE since 2014. Ryan speaks on topics related to self-advocacy, mental health, education, employment, building meaningful connections, and language usage relating to autism. In addition, Ryan facilitates support groups and workshops for the AANE community. Ryan graduated from Westfield State University with a Bachelor's in Sociology.
Mina Fonze, Senior Manager, AANE
Mina Fonze (she/her) is a late diagnosed Autistic self advocate with a focus on intersectionality. She has worked with AANE in IFS as an administrative coordinator, support group facilitator, and now senior manager. In her spare time, she enjoys horror, pasta, being harassed by her cats, and rewatching episodes of Bob’s Burgers or The Twilight Zone for the umpteenth time.
