I am a transformational storyteller, speaker, neurodiversity, disability, and cultural inclusion consultant, and AuDHD (Autistic + ADHD) mental health peer supporter.
I work across industries including digital health, media, entertainment, education, and nonprofit sectors to help organizations move beyond performative inclusion to build psychologically safe, culturally-rooted, and neurodiversity-affirming spaces. My lived experience grounds everything I do.
Through my work, I’ve:
Consulted on the first autistic character Lavender in Blue’s Clues & You! (Disability Belong, formerly RespectAbility + 9 Story Media)
Spoke in person and virtually at companies, conferences, educational institutions, and nonprofit organizations, with over 2,000 attendees.
Led the creation of the monthly Autism Resource Toolkit and Tip Sheet for the Autism Society of America and its national affiliate network
Developed a neurodiversity and disability inclusion tip sheet guide for the A&E Network
Provided lived expertise and co-created Autism and Neurodiversity Education Courses and modules for the Autism Society of America
Created training, education, and FAQs content for Vablet, a healthcare sales enablement platform
Co-created curriculum including the InVision Universal Design Program (Fox Family Foundation)
Co-created a nationally accessible resource toolkit for the Asian Americans with Disabilities Initiative (AADI)
I also work with companies, ERGs, and educational institutions to build inclusive team culture, affirming community support structures, and better representation. I specialize in authentic storytelling and media consulting through the lens of culture, neurodiversity, and disability justice.
Whether I’m leading a workshop, speaking on a stage, or collaborating on curriculum, I’m driven by one goal: to help others feel seen, valued, and empowered in their full identities.
Let’s reimagine what inclusion can look like together.
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, I always wanted to do the same. Life hasn’t always been easy and I constantly struggled a lot and just didn’t know why.
From the outside world, you a picture of me wearing a sweater with a navy apple cap and smiling out in nature. Throughout my life similar to this picture, a lot of people have known me for my 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 my family traumas and upbringings. With these experiences and intersectionalities shaping the person I was and am becoming, I had to overcome a lot to get to this point in my life.
Growing up as a Southeast Asian and Vietnamese American in the United States from a low-income background 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 I navigated my journey through life, I had experienced bullying, ableism, abuse, discrimination, and inaccessibility that had greatly impacted me.
All of these experiences and traumas have shaped me into the person I am today for both the good and bad. For quite some time, I had always felt like I didn’t belong or it was difficult for me to connect with others based upon the experiences and circumstances that had shaped me. It was something that was holding him back and preventing me from being happy as I didn’t feel as close to others as I should. As humans, we all crave for human connections and to have meaningful connections with each others. This very thing was something I had always wanted for myself, but was missing in my life.
In 2020, when I received my late autism diagnosis after years of struggle, it became a turning point in my life. A storyteller was born as I became the protagonist of my own life as I learned to live a life that is authentic to me and my differences. Turning my struggles into strengths as I shifted my perspective and mindset from surviving to thriving, helping, and empowering others along the way. This led me to share my story to connect with others with the hope that someone out there can benefit from learning about my experiences and journey in life.
I initially thought I was the fastest man alive like “the Flash”, but it was my autism and ADHD all along. I didn’t need to be like “the Flash” I just needed to…
“Be the representation I needed, when I was younger and the change I wanted to see in the world”
My journey and story are shaped by my multi-faceted and intersectional identities, such as:
Being a queer, partially blind, late-identified autistic-ADHDer,
Being Vietnamese and Southeast Asian American
Living with glaucoma and C-PTSD
Growing up in a low-income household
Navigating the world without the language for my differences for most of my life, I’ve had to unlearn shame, survivalism, and silence in order to reclaim joy, pride, and presence. Now, I use my story and platform to help others do the same.
Asian Lifing Podcast
At the start of 2021, I began sharing my 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. This podcast traces my journey navigating life as a partially blind and late-identified autistic-ADHD (AuDHD) person with glaucoma and C-PTSD as I help others shift their mindset from surviving to thriving. Since launching, the podcast has reached 1.1K listeners.
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.
