We aim to empower neurodivergent community members to be more active in open source. This initiative is part of Merge Forward, a Technical Community Group focused on building a cloud native community where everyone feels welcome and heard.

Are you neurodivergent? Or maybe you're an ally, passionate about fostering a thriving open source community where everyone is welcome. Join our effort!

How to join

• CNCF Slack channel: #neurodiversity

• Stay connected: "Join" this group above to receive updates

Why a Neurodiversity initiative?

In any community, if you don't see individuals "like you" thriving in a particular field, it can be difficult to envision a path for yourself. Without visible representation, they may not even know that such opportunities exist.

To cultivate greater representation for all communities, we must establish pathways that enable individuals with specific disabilities to enter the cloud native and open source space. By paving the way for a critical mass of individuals from different backgrounds to succeed in these fields, we can inspire and empower them to become role models within their own communities. In turn, these role models will serve as catalysts, motivating a new generation of engineers to join them on this journey.

Our goal is to foster a more welcoming and vibrant tech community, where everyone has the opportunity to contribute their unique perspectives and talents.

Our goals

• Create pathways for neurodivergent individuals into cloud native and open source

• Empower them to become more visible members within the cloud native community

• Build a community of neurodivergent individuals to network with, learn from, and support each other

Leads

• Rin Oliver & Diana Todea