For many people on shore, getting assessed for a neurodivergent condition is already a long and exhausting process - NHS waiting lists for ADHD alone can stretch towards a decade. For seafarers, it can feel almost impossible.
The result? Countless people spend their entire maritime careers undiagnosed, unsupported, and unsure why certain parts of the job feel harder than they should.
NeurodiversAtSea is working to change that. With support from The Seafarers’ Charity, the organisation is helping neurodivergent seafarers access understanding, diagnosis, and the practical support they’ve been missing for far too long.
An Invisible Crew
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“Maritime is at least a hundred years behind the rest of the world on DEI. We’re only just getting to grips with the idea that seafarers aren’t all the same - it’s not just the stereotypical straight white man with a big beard. Neurodiversity isn’t even on most people’s radar.”
Dan Smith
Founder of NeurodiversAtSea
Because it’s often still viewed as niche, maritime leaders need a crash course in neurodiversity before real change can begin. As Dan explains:
“Before we can deal with the real problems, we have to explain what neurodivergent even means. That delay is a barrier in itself, and it means seafarers stay undiagnosed and unsupported.”
Hidden Strengths on Board
Dan, a seafarer and an autistic himself, has seen plenty of examples of crew members feeling they must hide who they are for fear of stigma. It’s a painful irony, he says, because neurodivergent strengths are often exactly what a vessel needs.
“A dyslexic seafarer is likely to be a brilliant engineer - naturally hands-on, an intuitive fixer, the sort of person you want in charge of machinery. And an autistic person has a great chance of thriving as a deck officer. They’re detail-focused, routine-driven, and able to go deeper into how things work than most.”
With a lack of success stories on show, the industry struggles to see the value - and change stalls.
Pushing for Change
NeurodiversAtSea began in 2022 with a straightforward mission: raise awareness, publish research, and give neurodivergent seafarers a voice. Dan funded the early work himself, but it quickly became clear that the need - and the urgency - were far greater than expected.
“We realised people couldn’t even access a diagnosis,” Dan says. “Without that, they couldn’t unlock any support. That wasn’t on our radar at all, but suddenly it was everything.”
The Seafarers’ Charity provided a grant to help cover the organisation’s immediate running costs - a crucial boost at a point when the work was becoming unsustainable for Dan to carry alone. This support gave Dan’s team enough stability to concentrate on addressing the biggest issue: helping seafarers access timely, life-changing assessments.
A Life-Changing Diagnosis
Working with the Seafarers Hospital Society (SHS) - and supported by The Seafarers’ Charity - NeurodiversAtSea developed a grant system enabling UK-based seafarers to access private diagnostic assessments far faster than public routes allow. Working seafarers can now apply online for confidential grants to access assessments for conditions such as ADHD, autism, dyslexia, dyspraxia, and other learning differences using this link.
The grants are ring-fenced, confidential, and administered with safeguarding at the centre. Seafarers can apply discreetly, and for many the impact is transformative.
A diagnosis can:
- offer clarity and identity
- reduce self-blame, exhaustion, and burnout
- unlock workplace adjustments and exam accommodations
- provide some protection from poor HR practice
- validate years of misunderstood experiences
“People stop thinking they’re broken,” says Dan. “They realise they’re different, and that’s OK.”
Looking Ahead
NeurodiversAtSea has already helped spark overdue, honest conversations about neurodivergence in maritime. Their work is enabling seafarers to have safer, fairer, more fulfilling careers.
But Dan’s long-term goal is simple:
“We want to create pathways into the industry for neurodivergent people and support them to stay for a long and fulfilling career.
“But my biggest hope is that NeurodiversAtSea doesn’t exist in ten years. Because if we’re still here, then the industry still hasn’t changed.”
