Welcome to WayMakers
We improve opportunities and outcomes for autistic people age 14 and above. We deliver support to them and those around them.
Person-centred. Strengths-based. Solution-focused.
What we do
We support autistic people to thrive and build accessible lives they love. You don’t need a diagnosis: as long as you’re 14 or older, we can work with you. We provide trauma-informed support throughout your journey.
We also work with employers, their teams and professionals in health, social care and education. We support them to understand neurodiversity and to create accessible and inclusive spaces.
We strive to show our clients the strengths that come from difference. We help them gain confidence when taking their next steps.
Our Services
Coaching for Individuals
Our strategy coaching supports you to conquer challenges and reach your goals. These challenges might exist in your personal life, your working life, or your life in education.
Organisational Training & Support
We shine a light on where and how barriers exist. We seek to lower or remove barriers, and harness individual strengths. We celebrate difference and promote inclusion and wellbeing for all.
Neurodiversity Profile Mapping
Our profile mapping offers insights into your wider experiences and a bank of strategies to support you. We combine Do-IT Solutions‘ software and a relaxed meeting to inform this work.
Neuro-inclusive Groups
We facilitate social groups in North Devon that feel safe and well-supported. These offer fun and connection with peers. Sometimes we partner with other organisations for particular activities.
We want a world in which everyone can access their preferred journeys. We open doors and spot opportunities that value individual talent.
About WayMakers
WayMakers is a Community Interest Company based in Barnstaple, North Devon. It was incorporated in July 2020 and designed for social impact. We reinvest all our profits in the business. Being a social enterprise reflects our core principles and values. It also allows us to secure grant funding to subsidise the support we provide to individuals.
WayMakers Values
- We create and nurture compassionate neuro-affirming spaces that support the diverse needs of neurodivergent individuals.
- We promote and educate on inclusive cultures and practices that foster understanding and acceptance.
- We tailor the support to suit individual and contextual needs, ensuring support is responsive to individual circumstances, preferences, and goals.
- We work with a person-centred, strengths-based, and solution-focused approach. We celebrate people’s strengths and potential, actively listening to client voices, and offering proactive and practical solutions to challenges
- We strive to minimise barriers in order to create equitable and inclusive communities where everyone has the opportunity to flourish.
Our passion has led us to supporting
Re-engaged with education
Helped into the workplace
Participated in our autism workshops
Our Next PINN Forum –
15th October 2024
We are thrilled to announce the next Northern Devon Forum for Practitioners in Meeting Neurodivergent Needs (PINN Forum). This essential event will bring together service providers and professionals dedicated to supporting neurodivergent individuals in our community.
If you or your organisation have any questions, or would like to participate, please email us at katie@waymakers.co.uk for more information and to receive an email with a link to book a place.
Event Highlights:
- Networking Opportunities: Connect with fellow practitioners and expand your professional network.
- Knowledge Exchange: Share insights and learn from the latest research and practices in neurodivergent support.
- Collaborative Solutions: Engage in discussions aimed at creating actionable solutions for the challenges faced by neurodivergent individuals. Event Details:
- Date: Tuesday, 15th October 2024
- Time: 10.00am – 1.00pm
- Location: Barnstaple Library, EX1 1EL
Our passion has led us to supporting
Re-engaged with education
Helped into the workplace
Participated in our autism workshops
About our founder, Alex Kelly
About our founder, Alex Kelly
Who we work with
We work in the corporate sector, education, health and social care, and with voluntary, community and social enterprises (VCSE).
Organisations who have chosen us include the National Trust and...
Diversity and inclusion are now firmly on the map
We champion neurodivergence through an affirmative lens.
We are trauma-informed.
We work from a holistic perspective.
We offer practical guidance so you can recognise barriers and make adjustments.
We find solutions to make individual lives more enjoyable.
Do you know about Access to Work? This government grant of up to £66,000 can fund workplace support for those with needs relating to a disability.
Would you like to support us?
£6.50 buys refreshments for a coaching session, whilst also supporting a local café.
£12.50 pays for meeting room hire, when clients want to meet outside the home, but feel the library or a cafe is not accessible to them.
£82 funds a 1-to-1 person-centred, solution-focused strategy coaching session.
£225 covers the cost of responding to enquiries and requests for signposting or advice for a period of one month.
£920 funds a complete 10 week coaching programme for a client in need.
£5000 corporate sponsorship funds one year’s events for the North Devon PINN Forum: a space we facilitate for around 50 practitioners to meet, collaborate, and learn from each other.
We are forever grateful for individuals and organisations that support us.
What our clients say
Alex really made the topic come alive and her experience gave me light bulb moments of how neurodiverse people’s brains work and how to understand and help meet their needs. Really great, thank you.
My daughter now has a clear path to obtain her first job. She is more confident, has a greater understanding of the different considerations required, and useful tools that can be developed as needed. We are so pleased this service is running, and would recommend it to others with autism.
I felt affirmed by our meeting and have a sense of my authentic self stepping out of the shadows, where for too long I have been lurking in self doubt and confusion with a debilitating sense of failure and ‘wrongness’.
I feel more hopeful about being able to live authentically from now on, and achieve my potential.
I enjoyed the whole talk! It was very engaging and easily the most enjoyable talk I’ve attended in a long time. Alex is very personable, friendly and informative and is an excellent speaker. Alex presented neurodivergence and autism in such a positive way, it was really refreshing and thought-provoking.
Our latest blog posts
We are delighted to feature writing from our autistic service users, published quarterly with our newsletter.
Are you questioning your gender?
Are you questioning your gender? Or do you know a trans person? Well, recent studies have shown autism and transness*...
Little Victories
Being self-employed is a great option for many people on the spectrum; it offers flexibility, work that is tailored to...
Life at uni – you might just be surprised!
Moving away from home to start university can be a daunting prospect for anyone. How refreshing to find that it has...
We are grateful for the kind support of
Our partners
