OUR ND STORY
It started with a hammock.
Neuroplaces began with our own experience as parents.
We’re Eliza and Nathan, founders of Neuroplaces and parents to three children. Our eldest daughter, Orla, is autistic, and experiencing public spaces with her opened our eyes to just how often environments can unintentionally exclude people.
The lightbulb moment came during a family festival at Mac’s Farm in Sussex. It was busy, loud and hot – the kind of environment Orla can quickly find overwhelming. We found a quieter wooded area where she discovered a hammock. She climbed in, swung for a while, then happily returned to the festival.
Before long, she asked to go back. And then again, and again.
On the drive home, we realised that Orla wasn’t simply enjoying the hammock – she was using it to regulate herself.
That one simple provision meant we could stay and enjoy the festival together as a family.
It made us wonder: how many people are missing out on workplaces, events and everyday public spaces because the environment doesn't give them what they need?
REAL CHANGE CANNOT HAPPEN IN ISOLATION
We wanted to bring the entire supply chain together in one place.
Creating more inclusive places requires everyone involved.
End users, designers, architects, workplace and facilities teams, developers, public-sector organisations, product manufacturers, technology providers and accessibility specialists – to be part of the same conversation. A supply chain that is currently fragmented.
So we created Neuroplaces to bring the entire supply chain into one place. To connect the people who need change with the people who can make it happen and give them the opportunity to experience solutions, products and ideas in the real world. We believe that real-world inclusion needs real-world collaboration.
DIFFERENT BY DESIGN
We believe inclusive design shouldn't just be something we discuss on a conference stage.
You need to experience it.
That's why we're building Neuroplaces around inclusive design in action. Creating opportunities to physically experience the products, spaces, technology and ideas that can make places work better for different minds and bodies.
A place to try things. Feel the difference. Ask questions. Learn from lived experience. And see what inclusion can look like when it's designed in from the beginning.
Sometimes something as simple as a hammock can be the difference between being able to take part and having to leave. It's a powerful reminder of the difference good design can make.