Black History Month is a chance to celebrate Black achievement in every field. It is also a good moment to notice who is missing from the usual conversation about neurodiversity. When people picture someone with ADHD, autism or dyslexia, the image is often white and male. That leaves many Black neurodivergent people without role models who look like them, and it can mean their own differences go unrecognised for years.
In this article we look at why representation matters at the intersection of race and neurodivergence, introduce seven Black role models who have spoken openly about their own neurodivergence, and share what employers can learn from their stories.
Why representation matters for Black neurodivergent people
Black neurodivergent people can face barriers linked to both race and neurodivergence at the same time. One of the clearest examples is diagnosis. A US study by Mandell and colleagues, published in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, found that African American children were 2.6 times more likely than white children to receive a diagnosis other than autism at their first specialist visit. Only around a third of the African American children were identified as autistic at that first visit, compared with around 60% of white children, and they were more likely to be given a diagnosis of conduct disorder.
The picture is similar for ADHD. CHADD, the US ADHD organisation, reports that children from racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds are less likely than white children to receive an ADHD diagnosis and support, and that these gaps persist even when socioeconomic status is taken into account. Much of this research comes from the US, but the lesson travels: when behaviour is read through a biased lens, a neurodivergent child can be labelled as difficult rather than understood.
Missed or late diagnosis often follows people into adulthood and into work. Seeing successful Black people talk openly about ADHD, autism or dyslexia helps others recognise themselves, ask for support and feel less alone. You can read more about how many people reach adulthood without knowing they are neurodivergent in our article on neurodivergent employees who may not know it yet.
7 Black neurodivergent role models
Everyone below has spoken publicly about their own neurodivergence. We have linked to a source for each person so you can read more.
1. Cat Burns (autism and ADHD)
Cat Burns is a Black British singer-songwriter who was diagnosed as autistic and with ADHD as an adult. She has talked about how her diagnosis helped her make sense of growing up as a Black woman who experienced the world differently. In November 2025 she became a Celebrity Ambassador for the National Autistic Society, using her platform to promote understanding and acceptance of autistic people. We cover her story in more depth in everything Cat Burns has shared about her neurodivergence.
2. Dame Maggie Aderin-Pocock (dyslexia)
Dame Maggie Aderin-Pocock is a British space scientist and science communicator, and a presenter of the BBC’s The Sky at Night. She was diagnosed with dyslexia at the age of eight, attended 13 schools before she turned 18 and has described being placed in the remedial class. Her love of science kept her going. She went on to earn a PhD in mechanical engineering, worked on defence and landmine detection projects, and led a team building an instrument for the Gemini telescope in Chile, which she has described as a job where “I could look into the hearts of stars”. She tells her story in an interview with the Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity.
3. Benjamin Zephaniah (dyslexia)
Benjamin Zephaniah, the Birmingham-born poet, novelist, actor and activist who died in 2023, was very open about being dyslexic. He left school at 13 unable to read or write, and went on to become one of Britain’s best-loved poets, a BAFTA winner for Life & Rhymes, an actor in Peaky Blinders and Professor of Creative Writing at Brunel University London. Brunel University’s tribute looks back on his life and work. His life is proof that struggling to read and write says nothing about a person’s intelligence or creativity, a point we explore in how dyslexic brains actually work.
4. Simone Biles (ADHD)
Olympic champion gymnast Simone Biles spoke about her ADHD in 2016, after hackers leaked her confidential medical records. Rather than hide, she responded publicly: “I have ADHD and have taken medicine for it since I was a kid.” She added that having ADHD and taking medication for it “is nothing to be ashamed of”. ADHD UK highlights how her honesty has helped to challenge stigma around ADHD and medication.
5. will.i.am (ADHD)
Musician, producer and Black Eyed Peas founder will.i.am has spoken about his childhood experiences of ADHD and the challenges he faced at school. Over time he has come to see ADHD as a strength in his creative work, describing it as “a super skill set”. CHADD features him as one of several Black voices helping to change how ADHD is understood.
6. Whoopi Goldberg (dyslexia)
Oscar-winning actor and presenter Whoopi Goldberg has talked about growing up with dyslexia, including being seen as a child who was not trying. Speaking at a Child Mind Institute event, she reflected that dyslexia may have shaped her outlook: “I think perhaps it made me more introspective.” She has also urged parents of dyslexic children to advocate strongly for them.
7. Daymond John (dyslexia)
Entrepreneur Daymond John, founder of the FUBU fashion brand and an investor on Shark Tank, did not identify his dyslexia until he was around 30. A friend noticed patterns, such as turning the wrong way when following directions, that helped him connect the dots back to his school experiences. He shares his story with the Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity. Plenty of adults in work today are in the same position, still finding out how their minds work. For more stories like these, see our article on famous neurodivergent women.
What employers can learn
These stories show what people can do when they are understood rather than written off. They also show how often recognition comes late. In any workforce there will be Black employees who are neurodivergent, some diagnosed, some self-identified and some who do not yet know. Many will have spent years masking or working around barriers, and some will worry that disclosing will add to the bias they already face because of their race.
Look at the whole person
Neurodivergence does not exist in isolation. Race, gender, class and other parts of a person’s identity shape how they are perceived and how safe they feel to speak up. Inclusion strategies that treat neurodiversity and race as separate workstreams can miss the people who sit at the intersection. Bring your neurodiversity and race equality networks together and listen to what Black neurodivergent colleagues tell you.
Remove barriers without waiting for a diagnosis
Because diagnosis is less accessible for some groups, support should not depend on a formal label. Practical reasonable adjustments such as written instructions, flexible deadlines, quieter workspaces and clear expectations help many people. Our guides to ADHD in the workplace, autism in the workplace and dyslexia in the workplace explain the most common adjustments.
Make disclosure safe
People share more when they trust what will happen next. Train managers to respond with curiosity rather than judgement, and give employees simple tools such as our disclosure templates so they can explain what helps them on their own terms.
Treat neuroinclusion as a competitive advantage
Organisations that get this right widen their talent pool, retain skilled people and benefit from different ways of thinking. Visible role models, inside and outside your organisation, show neurodivergent people of every background that there is a place for them, and room to do well.
How Enna can help
If you want to act on this, our Allyship in Action training helps teams support colleagues across different identities, and our Neurodiversity 101 workshop gives everyone in your organisation the same starting point. We also offer workplace needs assessments, workplace coaching for neurodivergent employees and neuroinclusion audits and consultancy. To see where your organisation stands today, try our free neuroinclusion maturity assessment, or book a call with our team.
And if you’re looking for work, the Enna jobs board lists roles with employers committed to neuroinclusion. Sign up for job alerts and new roles will land in your inbox.
