About Me

Meet Dennis Tran, the fastest man alive, jk. Although it would be cool to do things very quickly and travel to different places. Like many kids who grew up watching their favorite superhero making an impact in the world, he always wanted to do the same. Life hasn’t always been easy and he constantly struggled a lot and just didn’t know why.

From the outside world, you see a picture of Dennis wearing a sweater with a navy apple cap and smiling out in nature. Throughout his life similar to this picture, a lot of people have known him for his smile, laugh, work ethic, awkwardness, and as the quiet one. However, behind all of that was a guy who was struggling with his cultural identity and navigating life as a queer, disabled, and neurodivergent Vietnamese American of the Asian diaspora, while carrying the weight of his family traumas and upbringings. With these experiences and intersectionalities shaping the person he is, he had to overcome alot to get to this point in his life.

Growing up as a Southeast Asian and Vietnamese American in the United States with traditional Vietnamese and immigrant parents and family members, mental health and disability were rarely discussed. It was perceived very negatively due to cultural stigma and was met with shame and guilt. As he navigated his journey through life, he had experienced bullying, ableism, abuse, discrimination, and inaccessibility that had greatly impacted him. All of these experiences and traumas have shaped him into the person he is today for both the good and bad. For quite some time, he had always felt like he didn’t belong or it was difficult for him to connect with others based upon the experiences and circumstances that had shaped him. It was something that was holding him back and preventing him from being happy as he didn’t feel as close to others as he should. As humans, we all crave for human connections and to have meaningful connections with each others. This very thing was something he had always wanted for himself, but was missing in his life.

In 2020, when he received his late autism diagnosis after years of struggle, it became a turning point in his life. A storyteller was born as he became the protagonist of his own life as he learned to live a life that is authentic to him and his differences. Turning his struggles into strengths as he shifts his perspective and mindset from surviving to thriving, helping, and empowering others along the way. This led him to share his story to connect with others with the hope that someone out there can benefit from learning about his experiences and journey in life.

Dennis initially thought he was the fastest man alive like “the Flash”, but it was his autism and ADHD all along. He didn’t need to be like “the Flash” He just needed to…

“Be the representation he needed, when he was younger and the change he wanted to see in the world”

Asian Lifing Podcast

At the start of 2021, Dennis began sharing his story to connect with others as a disabled and neurodivergent Vietnamese American guy navigating mental health challenges after 6 months of big sis life coaching with Christine Chen (Insta: @xoxochristinechen), which is featured down below. His podcast traces his journey navigating life as a partially blind and late identified autistic-ADHD (AuDHD) person with glaucoma and C-PTSD as he helps other shift their mindset from surviving to thriving. Since launching, the podcast have reached 1.1K listeners.

Listen Here!

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My Profession

Dennis Tran is a social impact storyteller, DEIA Speaker, and Consultant, who is on a mission to build a more neuroinclusive and accessible world, where people with disabilities and neurodivergence can live a meaningful and fulfilling life.

He currently works as the Marketing Specialist for the Autism Society of America, a Certified Peer Supporter and Peers Advisory Board Member on Peers.net, a Cultural and Disability Authenticity Entertainment Consultant with Disability Belong, formerly RespectAbility, and is the creator and host of his podcast, Asian Lifing, which traces his journey navigating disability and late neurodivergence with mental health challenges. He currently also serves as the Director of Partnerships for the Asian Americans with Disabilities Initiative (AADI), an organization that uplifts the voices of disabled Asian Americans.

He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Public Health Policy with a Business Management Minor from the University of California, Irvine.

Born and raised in the South Bay area of Los Angeles, Dennis experienced limited resources in access to care, transportation, and education that affected his quality of life. This lack of access led to Dennis' late diagnoses – at the age of 17, he was diagnosed with severed glaucoma and then autism 10 years later. Through these struggles and hardships, Dennis found his passion for creativity and storytelling. Dennis believes everyone has a story to tell, and through these stories, we can all identify with each other.

As a queer, demi-sex, partially blind, and late identified autistic-ADHD (AuDHD) Vietnamese American living with glaucoma and C-PTSD, Dennis is using the profound knowledge, wisdom, and mindset shifts he has gained through his late diagnoses, life coaching, and introspections towards neurodiversity inclusion.

He advocates for others in the disability space and those in marginalized communities across various sectors, to ensure authentic representation, inclusiveness, and accessibility for all through storytelling, media production, community building, and innovative philanthropic products, programs, and services.

He has specific interests in uplifting and advocating for the Asian Americans Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (AANHPI) Community, breaking stigmas and trauma cycles, and bridging the intergenerational cultural gap.

Portfolio

Contact Dennis:

Get in touch with Dennis for collaboration opportunities, speaking engagements, and consulting services. Together we can build a more neuroaffirming world where individual regardless of their differences can live a meaningful and fulfilling life. Celebrate difference, embrace diversity.

Book Here