Spiramind - ΣπεῖραΦρεν, [speiraphren]
noun, verb, adjective
the mind folded round itself, spirally; wisdom sown by sensing; cyclical passion and thought.
What is Spiramind?
Spiramind is an anti-ableist neurodivergent consulting firm. Founded by Zoe Collins, Spiramind is focused on empowering you to provide high quality and accessible services to the neurodivergent community. Spiramind’s work is rooted in autistic liberation, disability justice, and dismantling the “Pathology Paradigm.” Spiramind brings these concepts and practices to the forefront of any organization or company’s work with neurodivergent people.
Facilitation
Spiramind offers conference keynote sessions and workshops, continuing education for staff, and webinars. Because Spiramind trainings take a liberatory perspective, they are appropriate for audiences with all levels of experience with neurodivergence. Trainings also range from lecture style to highly interactive discussions, and are customizable to meet your unique needs.
Topics Include
- Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion – Disability, Neurodivergence, and Accessibility
- Neurodivergence
- Disability Justice for Disability Services
- Serving Disabled and Neurodivergent Survivors of Abuse
- Trauma and Neurodivergence
Consultation
Many organizations and companies value accessibility and the principles of Disability Justice but need support with implementing them. Spiramind can provide consultation on putting these values into practice.
Consultation available for:
- Programming
- Workplace environment
- Communication
- Company/Organization Literature
- Case management
- Language
- Office culture
- Events
- Conferences
- and more!
Spiramind works with individuals, government agencies, non-profit organizations, schools, publications, companies, or anyone who is passionate about access.
Content
Too often, websites and brochures are designed without considering neurodiversity. Public facing content is the first time someone encounters your company or organization. If your content is inaccessible, you lose clients and customers before they even have a chance to work with you.
Material that should be accesible includes:
- Websites
- Blog posts
- Articles
- Brochures
- Handouts
- Signage
- Postcards
- Newsletters
- Presentation slides
- Forms
Spiramind is your resource for editing and creating content that represents your work and demonstrates that you value access.
Need Advice?
Schedule an introductory conversation with me – I love learning about what people in the community are looking for, and I’d be happy to discuss ways to meet those needs!
Spiramind Resource Library
Check back soon for a directory of my go-to resources!
Spiramind Blog
Introducing Spiramind
It is with tremendous pride and joy that I am introducing Spiramind! I am forever grateful to all of my incredible partners and friends. You have been such a source of encour…
Testimonials
“I’m at a loss for words on how eye opening this presentation was. It was so informative and presented in an approachable and understandable way. Thank you! And thank you for what you do!“
– Anonymous, Colorado State Public Defender Conference, 2021
“Zoe Collins was incredible– wonderful presentation, extremely well spoken, very knowledgeable, and just a fantastic individual.”
– Anonymous, University of Denver Sturm College of Law anti-ableism CLE event, 2021
“Your presentation was one of my favorites because of how empowered I felt after listening. It definitely got me fired up to better advocate for neurodivergent folks and I hope that everyone who saw the presentation feels that way too!
I’m autistic myself and it was really encouraging and great to see such a thorough and thoughtful presentation about this 🙂 Thank you so much!“
– Anonymous, Colorado State Public Defender Conference, 2021
“This was so informational! I think this is great even if you already know or work with this community. You will learn something new!”
– Anonymous, local center for independent living community education event, 2020
“WOW! What an amazing opportunity we had to have Zoe speak for us. She gave a very professional and informational presentation that captivated us all. She had great insights and presented the information so well and confident. Hope to see her again.“
–Anonymous, Colorado Advocacy in Action Conference, 2021
The Spiramind Story
Zoe Collins (she, her, hers) is the founder of Spiramind, an anti-ableist neurodivergent consulting firm focused on empowering people to provide high quality and accessible services to the neurodivergent community. She is a white, autistic, queer, disabled/chronically ill survivor from Denver, Colorado. Each of her identities has vastly shaped how she approaches advocacy and education. She has facilitated workshops for a range of audiences spanning from local survivor services agencies to international conferences on a variety of subjects including abuse, ableism, advocacy for disabled survivors, neurodiversity, and accessibility.
Zoe has over four years of experience with victim advocacy, including as a legal advocate in Baltimore, Maryland, and in Colorado, where she provided complex advocacy to disabled survivors of abuse. She was honored to receive the “Excellence in Advocacy Award” from the Rocky Mountain Victim Law Center in 2021 for her work on cases involving ableism within the criminal justice system. She is currently involved with transformative justice work in both Denver and Colorado Springs.
Before launching Spiramind, she was the Director of Outreach and Communications at The Initiative in Denver, Colorado. She has been featured as a presenter at the Colorado Advocacy in Action Conference in both 2021 and 2020, the Colorado Summit on Sexual Misconduct in Higher Education of 2021, the Colorado Organization for Victim Assistance Conference in 2020, the Chrysalis Network International Conference 2020 and 2021, and the Colorado State Public Defender’s Conference 2021.
