A growing number of meet-ups for neurodivergent adults in Dubai are opening doors for those who want to socialise and talk about their condition without judgement. At one recent gathering at a Dubai cafe, organiser Thavi welcomed participants to an evening designed around their needs.

Thavi, who also runs the events and marketing agency True North Marketing, had planned a fun evening that was peppered with activities that she had designed, and had also reserved space for about 10 people. But she would have been happy even if only two people had turned up - being neurodivergent herself, Thavi is familiar with the various mental hurdles that one has to cross to participate in such social situations.

Organising the event came with its own set of challenges. When she first put the word out about the group on Threads, some people mistook it for a community for singles and she had to filter through hundreds of messages. She had also reached out to at least four cafes to conduct the event, and their reactions ranged from exasperating to outright insensitive. "The first few cafes wanted me to ensure that everyone will order Dh50 worth of stuff," says Thavi, but she wanted no such strings attached. Other café managers didn't know what 'neurodivergent' meant, and the ones who did, didn't want to provide space. "The moment I said the word 'spectrum', I could see their tone and attitude change," she adds.

Back at the café, eight people trooped in. They mingled through ice-breaker activities where they shared one interesting fact about themselves that wasn't related to work, as Thavi wanted to reject the "standard script" of regular networking events. There were other, smaller games too that encouraged one-on-one interactions. "I had made it very clear that there was no pressure whatsoever to participate," says Thavi. "You can come to the event and sit quietly the entire time too if you want."

Thavi is one of the few people who have launched such spaces for neurodivergent individuals in the UAE, where they can socialise, relax and unwind. They act as judgement-free zones where they can 'unmask' - often described as a process where they don't conceal their neurodivergent behaviours or traits to appear neurotypical - and interact with like-minded people.

Dice and Divergence is 'a relaxed boardgame night for neurodivergent adults' that's held on Wednesday evenings, although "the plan is for this to grow into a proper little community", according to its website. As per the event's details that are listed on Meetup and the group's website, the first game was scheduled to be held on September 23 at tile Board Game Café and participants could choose between red, amber and green badges to signal whether they were ready to mingle. (The host declined to be interviewed for this article.)

Sarah Youssef launched Neuroaffirm Hub in November last year. The idea, she explains, is to conduct about five different meet-ups a month through the community.

Youssef hosted the first edition of one of its meet-ups called 'Walk & Talk' this month at Boon Speciality Coffee Roasters in Dubai Hills Mall. When we speak a day later, she explains that participants could grab a coffee and walk around the mall either alone or with others - she chose this activity specifically because talking while walking side-by-side with someone reduces the pressure of having to maintain eye contact.

(Source: Khaleej Times)