They Came Back to Remind Us

To the neurodivergent people who were born before inclusion… this message is for you.

You lived through a world that didn’t have the language, the patience, the understanding, or the compassion to support you.

You grew up in systems that didn’t see you, didn’t hear you, and didn’t recognise your brilliance.

And yet…

you didn’t disappear.

You came back.

You came back to remind us of everything society ignored:

That communication is not one-size-fits-all.

That intelligence doesn’t always look like words.

That silence is not emptiness.

That overwhelm is not weakness.

That difference is not something to “fix.”

You came back to show us what humanity missed:

That masking hides pain, not ability.

That stimming is comfort, not disruption.

That focus, creativity, and deep thinking are strengths, not misunderstandings.

That support is a right, not a favour.

You came back carrying all the scars of a world that wasn’t ready for you —

not to shame us,

not to blame us,

but to remind us of the cost of exclusion.

And for that, I want to say:

I’m sorry you had to survive alone.

I’m sorry society learned inclusion too late for your childhood.

I’m sorry the world only started listening after you were forced to fight for decades.

But you’re not invisible anymore.

Your experiences are shaping the future.

Your voices are reshaping systems.

Your presence is changing the conversation.

Your resilience is teaching the next generation what inclusion really means.

You are the reason we fight for access, empathy, and understanding now —

because you came back to remind us of everything the world forgot.

And I promise you this:

This time, we are listening.

This time, we will design the world differently.

This time, inclusion will not come too late.