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Longmont, CO 2026
The Next Steps Neurodiversity Expo brings together local and national organizations, services, and products that support neurodivergent adults and individuals, creating a welcoming space to connect, learn, and explore resources.
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Plan to Attend
Mark your calendars for the Next Steps Neurodiversity Expo on Sunday, January 25, 2026, in the Exhibit Building at the Boulder County Fairgrounds! From 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM, this comprehensive showcase brings together services and products for neurodivergent individuals and their families, offering direct access to organizations and resources that enhance daily life and well-being. Special guest Dr. Temple Grandin will be signing copies of her latest book, making this an exceptional opportunity to meet a pioneering voice in the neurodiversity community. The Exhibit Building provides an accessible space to discover the resources and connections you're seeking. There is no cost to attend the Neurodiversity Expo and registration is required.
Online registration is now closed. Walk-in registration is available between 10:00 AM and 1:45 PM on Sunday.
Meet Dr. Temple Grandin at the Expo from 12:30 PM to 2:00 PM
Dr. Grandin will be signing books from 12:30 PM to 2:00 PM in the Exhibit Building at the Expo. Books will be available for purchase at the Expo, including Dr. Grandin's latest book, "Visual Thinking" and more. The Expo is free to attend and registration is required.
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Next Steps Neurodiversity Presents:
Great Minds, Different Brains: Neurodivergent Lives at Work and in the World
A Talk with Dr. Temple Grandin, Dave Thompson and Moderator Tiffany Fixter
Time: 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Location: Barn A, Boulder County Fairgrounds
Tickets: $17.75 per person
*Expo registration is free and does not include admission to this talk; a paid ticket is required. Tickets are $17.75 per person
Distinguished professor and author Dr. Temple Grandin explores the power of different thinking styles and how neurodivergent minds see, solve, and create in ways the world urgently needs. Joining her is neuroinclusive workplace strategist and author Dave Thompson to share how to design workplaces and communities where autistic, ADHD, and other neurodivergent adults can thrive on their own terms. Guiding the conversation is moderator Tiffany Fixter, founder of Brewability, who brings the perspective of an inclusive small-business leader creating meaningful, community-rooted jobs for disabled and neurodivergent adults. Together they will connect real-life stories with concrete ideas for changing systems, expectations, and environments so that great minds of all kinds can flourish in work and everyday life.
Dr. Temple Grandin is one of the world’s most recognized advocates for autism understanding and cognitive diversity in the workplace. A professor of Animal Science at Colorado State University, she is a best-selling author and internationally known speaker who has spent decades promoting the value of different kinds of thinkers in education, industry, and innovation. In 2010, she was named one of TIME magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world.
Her insights into visual thinking, hands-on learning, and practical problem-solving have transformed how employers, educators, and designers think about intelligence and contribution. She draws from lived experience, academic research, and a career spent helping systems evolve to support a wider range of minds.
Her latest book, Visual Thinking: The Hidden Gifts of People Who Think in Pictures, Patterns, and Abstractions, explores how visual learners contribute across fields like engineering, manufacturing, and technology. Through her work, Dr. Grandin continues to shape a more inclusive future—where the strengths of neurodivergent individuals are seen, valued, and built into the way we work.
Dave Thompson is a neurodivergent strategist, author, and internationally recognized speaker focused on designing systems that support the full range of human cognition. An early-identified ADHDer and dyslexic thinker, he spent much of his life navigating environments not designed for brains like his and has since dedicated his career to redesigning them.
At Vanderbilt University’s Frist Center for Autism and Innovation, Dave serves as Program Coordinator and Visiting Scholar, where he advances neuroinclusion in engineering education and workforce development. His work bridges research, practice, and lived experience, helping organizations translate intention into action.
A two-time TEDx speaker and author of the forthcoming book Brainstorm: Neurodivergent Talent and the Future of Work (Wiley, 2026), Dave has trained and keynoted for audiences around the world. He has led neuroinclusive hiring and talent initiatives from early-stage startups to Fortune 500 companies and serves as co-chair of the Neurodiversity @ Work Employer Roundtable.
Tiffany Fixter is the founder of Brewability, an inclusive craft brewery and pizzeria in the Denver area that pioneers employment opportunities for adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities. A former special education teacher, she launched Brewability in 2016 to create a welcoming, community-centered space where disabled and neurodivergent adults work in visible, customer-facing roles rather than being excluded from public life. Her work has been profiled in national podcasts, documentaries, and news stories as a template for how small businesses can make accessibility a core operating principle rather than an afterthought, and she now speaks regularly to organizations, employers, and community leaders about building workplaces where people with disabilities are not just accommodated but essential to the vision and success of the business.
Drawing on her background in special education and autism support, Tiffany has built a workplace that blends adaptive design with real responsibility—using tools like color-coded taps, visual menus, and tactile cues so her team can learn complex tasks and thrive on the job. Her leadership has earned national recognition, including grant support from American Express and Main Street America and honors such as Spectrum Inclusion’s Honey Badger Award for her fierce advocacy and innovation in disability employment.
As a speaker and mentor to other business owners, Tiffany shares practical strategies for building accessible, sensory-aware spaces and rethinking who gets to be at the center of community life. From Englewood’s Broadway corridor to national media coverage, her work at Brewability demonstrates how inclusive small businesses can transform both neighborhood culture and expectations for what people with disabilities can do at work.
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