Tristan Hayflinger

Tristan is a fierce advocate for the neurodivergent community. Diagnosed with autism when they were five, not speaking at all until they were four, and undergoing years of harmful ABA therapy,  they have had to deal with discrimination and exclusion all their life. When they were thirteen they had had enough. Despite being afraid to even speak in class, they created a presentation on neurodiversity to give to a therapy organization. Tristan refused to stand idly by, and let what has happened to them happen to anyone else. Since that first presentation, they have created their own organization, Person-Centered Presentations, speaking at colleges, community organizations, medical centers, panels, and more. At only seventeen and still a high school student, they have continued this work, and plan to for the foreseeable future. They are a socially awkward, quiet person, but when they speak, they can move mountains. They may be young, but that only shows how important these topics are. They believe that education is the best way to promote inclusion and understanding in a world built by, and for neurotypicals.