NeurodiversAtSea is The Seafarers’ Charity’s Charity of the Month in the November 2025 issue of Seapost, its newsletter for the maritime welfare community. The feature, an interview with our founder Dan Smith, looks at how we help seafarers arrange private assessments for conditions such as autism, ADHD and dyslexia, and at the difference a diagnosis can make.
It is a proud moment for a small charity, and a chance to thank one of the organisations that has backed us from the start.
From one seafarer’s idea
NeurodiversAtSea began in 2022 with three aims: to raise awareness, to publish research, and to give neurodivergent seafarers a voice. Dan, an autistic seafarer, funded the early work himself. When The Seafarers’ Charity awarded us a grant to cover our running costs, it gave a young organisation the stability to grow.
Dan is candid about how far the industry has to go.
Maritime is at least a hundred years behind the rest of the world on DEI.
Starting with a diagnosis
As the charity began talking to seafarers, one problem kept coming up. Before anyone could ask for adjustments at work or in exams, they needed a diagnosis, and for many that simply wasn’t possible.
We realised people couldn't even access a diagnosis.
NHS waiting lists for an adult ADHD assessment can stretch towards a decade, and time at sea makes it even harder to stay in the queue. So, with the Seafarers Hospital Society and with support from The Seafarers’ Charity, we set up a confidential, ring-fenced grant scheme. UK-based working seafarers can apply online for help with the cost of a private diagnostic assessment, for ADHD, autism, dyslexia, dyspraxia and other learning differences. Safeguarding is central to how the scheme runs.
The feature describes what seafarers have gained: clarity and a sense of identity; less self-blame, exhaustion and burnout; access to workplace adjustments and exam accommodations; some protection from poor HR practice; and, for many, validation of experiences they had struggled to explain for years.
Working ourselves out of a job
The long-term goal goes beyond diagnosis. We want to open up clear pathways into the industry for neurodivergent people, and to make neurodiversity an ordinary part of how maritime employers recruit, train and manage. Dan’s hope is that, in ten years, NeurodiversAtSea won’t be needed.
Thank you to The Seafarers’ Charity for the feature, and for your continued support. If you’d like to help us get there, see how you can get involved.
Sources: Seapost, November 2025 · The Seafarers’ Charity case study
