April is World Autism Acceptance Month, a time to celebrate and spotlight the lived experiences and contributions of Autistic people. One changemaker doing just that is Jill Corbyn (they/them), founder of Neurodiverse Connection CIC — a bold, Neurodivergent-led organisation reshaping support for people across the UK.

Jill, 41, who is based in the Peak District, Derbyshire, brings lived experience to their role. After years of working in health and social care consultancy, they realised more impact could be made through collaboration — and from within a community that truly understands what Neurodivergence looks and feels like.

Jill said:

I felt there was a real gap. There weren’t many Neurodivergent-led, Neurodivergent-affirming organisations. I wanted to start something that could do paid work that supports positive change — and use some of that income to support the things no one else was funding. I honestly couldn't have imagined, when we set up that so quickly, we'd now be doing such significant work, you know, across England, it's really phenomenal.

From lived experience to national impact

Jill was diagnosed as Autistic only four years ago, and Neurodiverse Connection officially began its fourth year in 2024, although it has only been trading since 2022. Jill found a powerful shift in their self-understanding after working on an Autism programme where they began hearing directly from Autistic people about their experiences.

Jill said:

It transformed how I understood myself. I had always ignored my sensory and social processing needs and had not really thought about a diagnosis. Now I can give myself accommodations. Discovering my Autistic identity brought a gentleness to how I meet my needs — and I wanted others to have that too. I really feel that, as well as working with services to improve access, to improve their understanding, I wanted to get them working from a lived experience led model, rather than from a neurotypical, neuro normative model, so we can work with services to change their understanding to ensure people are able to access services and support they are entitled to.

Today, Neurodiverse Connection works with individuals, organisations, and systems to improve the lives of Neurodivergent people — especially those most marginalised by current services. Much of their work is with Autistic people in long-term segregation, offering insights that often lead to reduced isolation, more personalised support, and significant cost savings for services.

One of their biggest programmes is the Culture of Care initiative — a national partnership with NHS England, the National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health, Black Thrive Global, and others. As part of this high-profile two-year Quality Improvement Transformation programme, Jill and their team bring lived experience into inpatient mental health services, helping embed Autism-informed care across 64 NHS and private providers.

I couldn’t have imagined in year one that we’d be working at this level so soon. It’s phenomenal

, added Jill.

Backed by UnLtd

Jill was awarded UnLtd’s Scale Up Award in January 2024, receiving £17,925 in funding, alongside crucial mentoring and strategic support.

They said:

I wish I’d known about UnLtd in year one. That first year was incredibly tough — no funding, no network, just me trying to make it work. The UnLtd application process was like a breath of fresh air — simple, validating, and fast.

The funding helped them invest in infrastructure — updating their website, streamlining admin, improving data capture, and laying the groundwork for strong governance. Mentorship from UnLtd focused on leadership, finance, and impact has helped Neurodiverse Connection evolve its internal systems and prepare for the future.

Jill said:

UnLtd support gave us a confidence boost that we were valid. And practically, it allowed us to scale and reduce some of the time-consuming burdens. Possibly the most valuable thing was the mentoring support from someone who had real, practical experience and insight of working with social enterprises, and challenging our thinking. UnLtd changed how we work as an organisation, for sure.

Since receiving support, Neurodiverse Connection’s turnover has grown significantly, and the team has expanded to 12 core staff. Impressively, unique visitors to the Neurodiverse Connection website grew from 34,000 in 2023 to 85,000 in 2024. And, thanks to the wealth of resources and information that the organisation continues to nurture online, in 2025, the number of unique visitors is set to increase by an estimated 60% compared to 2024!

A trusted voice in the community

Neurodiverse Connection doesn’t just work with systems — it works with and for the community. Through peer-led storytelling, resource development, and advocacy, they offer spaces where Neurodivergent people can connect and feel seen.

Their Neurodivergent-affirming recruitment practices have received wide praise, with applicants appreciating the clarity and support embedded throughout the process.

Jill said:

There's certainly been people that we've worked with who went from living in a room with a high number of support staff to being in their own home and really having very, very different outcomes. People tell us they see themselves in our work. That they finally feel like there’s hope.

Lessons in leadership

Jill is open about the learning curve that comes with running a social enterprise. They said:

Delivering the work? That I can do. But I had no idea how complex the operational side would be — governance, employment law, accounting, VAT. There’s a lot to navigate and UnLtd support was so valuable for this.

And they’ve learned to build a team where complementary strengths shine, and not to fear getting things wrong.

The key? Get support. You don’t have to do it all. Build a team. Accept mistakes. And never underestimate the power of lived experience to create real change.

This World Autism Acceptance Month, we celebrate entrepreneurs like Jill who are not just changing systems — they are shifting culture, raising expectations, and proving that the answers so many services seek already exist within the community.

Learn more about Neurodiverse Connection.