A few things before the ideas
Why neuroinclusive housing matters
Everyone deserves a safe, stable, and comfortable place to call home. But for many Autistic and other Neurodivergent people, housing too often doesn’t meet their needs or wants.
Most housing is designed with a general idea of how people are supposed to live. Real life is more complex than that. We all have different ways in which we can be comfortable and at home in a space. What feels right to one person, can feel overwhelming, stressful, or unsafe to someone else.
Neuroinclusive housing creates spaces and systems that are flexible, responsive and support different ways of thinking, sensing, and moving through the world. It extends beyond the physical design of a house, and is about creating homes and communities that are accessible, welcoming, and easy to live in.
Creating accessible and inclusive housing is complex work. It needs to account for access, choice, dignity, and quality of life. It also needs to be a shared responsibility. Whether you’re a landlord, builder, developer, designer, architect, housing provider, social worker, roommate, friend, family, caregiver, or Neurodivergent individual, there’s something you can do. Small, thoughtful changes at various levels can make a big difference!
Language, concepts, and terms
Language matters. The words we choose can make the difference in people feeling seen, respected, included, or not. Throughout this book, we’ve tried to be thoughtful and intentional about the language we use.
Language preferences can change over time, but we believe that inclusive language is about staying open, being responsive, and continuing to learn from one another. That spirit of listening and learning has guided the work on this book from the start.
Identity-first language
Throughout this work, many people shared that they prefer identity-first language, such as “Autistic person” rather than “person with autism.” This reflects the view that autism is a core part of someone’s identity, not something separate or negative. Therefore, we’ve chosen to use identity-first language in this book, while recognizing that preferences vary.
We also recognize that autism is one part of the broader neurodivergent umbrella. In this book, when we use the term Neurodivergent, we mean to include Autistic people, along with others who identify with that term. When sharing personal stories or quotes, we’ve used the specific language people chose to describe themselves, to respect their identity and voice.
Quotes and vignettes
We have learned a lot from people across the housing ecosystem in our conversations. The quotes and vignettes are insights that were shared with us from Neurodivergent people, their friends and family members, and a range of professionals working towards neuroinclusive housing. We share their stories to show what meaningful and inclusive housing can be and to give context to the ideas. To respect everyone’s privacy, we’ve made all quotes anonymous and used gender-neutral language.
Concepts
The term neurodiversity acknowledges that all brains are different. Differences are a natural and valuable part of being human. Just like we vary in height, interests, and culture, people also experience and process the world differently.
Neurodiversity reminds us that there is no single “right” way for a brain to function, and that our society is stronger when we embrace cognitive diversity.
Neurodivergence is a word we use to describe people whose brains work in ways that are different from what a society often expects. It can shape how someone thinks, learns, feels, moves, or communicates.
Neurodivergence includes a wide range of experiences, like autism, ADHD, dyslexia, anxiety, or other ways of processing the world.
Neurodivergence isn’t good or bad, it is a natural part of human diversity. Challenges can arise when systems, spaces, and expectations do not account for neurodiversity.
That’s why it’s important to listen to a diverse set of voices and design in ways that work for a variety of needs.
Neuroinclusive housing means creating homes and housing systems that work well for people with different ways of thinking, sensing, and moving through the world, including Neurodivergent people.
It considers accessibility, safety, communication, sensory needs, flexibility, and choice. At its core, neuroinclusive housing reduces barriers, supports well-being, and helps people feel truly at home. When spaces are designed with a wider range of people in mind, they become more welcoming, respectful, and easier for everyone to live in.
Housing is shaped by a whole network of people, systems, and services. It’s complex and influenced directly and indirectly by many people. Because of this, many people may not even realize they’re part of it.
We use the term housing ecosystem to describe this mix of people. It includes people like builders, landlords, designers, housing providers, support workers, community groups, advocates, policymakers, tenants, families, caregivers and more. All these people play a role in how housing is planned, built, accessed, and lived in.
When we begin to recognize how these roles interconnect, we start working together more intentionally to create neuroinclusive housing solutions.
Land acknowledgment
At Carleton University’s Accessibility Institute, we live and work on the unsurrendered and unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabe people.
We’re committed to listening, reflecting, and taking thoughtful action in a way that honours Indigenous histories, cultures, and ways of knowing.
As we share ideas about inclusion and housing, we recognize that Indigenous Peoples have long built and cared for communities in ways that centre relationship, reciprocity, and respect.
What this book is
This book is a collection of ideas, tips, and things we’ve learned from our initiative on Neuroinclusivity in Housing. We’ve pulled together stories, strategies, and real-life examples to encourage thinking differently about housing and to support more neuroinclusive practices.
It’s meant to be useful, adaptable, and easy to take up. For the wide range of roles in housing, including landlords, builders, developers, architects, support workers, policymakers, roommates, friends, family members, or individuals on a housing journey, there’s something relevant in here.
Some of the ideas in this book might feel directly useful. Other ideas might inspire thinking in a new way. Either way, we hope that they spark action and creativity and encourage people to bring a neuroinclusive lens to the work they’re already doing.
These strategies can be tweaked or built on in ways that make the most sense for different contexts. But remember, solutions are created by or with Autistic and Neurodivergent people, not for them.
This book is also about collaboration and connection. While reading, think about who else could benefit from these ideas. Who’s already doing great work? Who’s trying to do better? Share this with them. Talk it through. Reflect together. Tweak, adapt, and grow.
What this book is not
This book isn’t a checklist. It’s not a step-by-step guide. It’s not legal advice for housing. And it doesn’t have all the answers.
Housing is complex. So are people. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach that will work for everyone, in every place. What we’re offering here is a starting point. It’s one way to start thinking about housing more inclusively.
We think that the book is mostly suited to people who are just starting to think about housing through a neuroinclusive lens. For those who have been in this work for a while, some of the ideas may feel familiar or introductory, but we hope it will be useful to share this with others who are newer to the conversation. The more people we bring into this work, the stronger our collective impact can be.
How to use this book
This book reflects parts of the housing journey. Here’s the general flow:
- Building homes that work
- Navigating the housing process
- Preparing for a move
- Living well at home
- Thriving at home over time
Each section starts with a brief introduction followed by ideas and strategies. Within the ideas, there are tips, examples, resources, or tools.
We also have a section called Your Home, Your Way: More Ideas for Neurodivergent People. It’s written specifically for Neurodivergent individuals and includes more ideas and strategies, many of which we learned from community members.
We use callouts to highlight the type of content and make it easier to scan quickly, skip around, or revisit topics as needed.
- Inclusivity: A neuroinclusive perspective
- Insight: Why we’ve included the idea
- Example: A real-life example
- Tip: Tips or things to consider
- Application: A resource or tool for applying the idea
The Bright Ideas Book
We welcome questions and feedback. Please leave us a message in the form.