Mary Colley was an educator, a humanitarian and visionary; who believed that the holistic acceptance of all kinds of people was a mission and a passion. Mary Colley who founded the Charity DANDA (the Developmental Adult Neuro-Diversity Association) died on the 22nd September 2010. This was an extremely sad day for those who had discovered who they were from meeting Mary, and found a place for simultaneous solace and celebration.
Mary will be greatly missed as she was a hard worker, a source of inspiration, energy and knowledge. If it was not for Mary I may have not found out that I was ADHD. With her empathy and being able to recognize me “Scanning” (Looking around the room) and swinging on my chair, and flicking bits of paper at my peers during one of her lectures; my life now may be very different.
I believe that I am not the only person who she has had a profound affect upon in their lives, but I thought I should share it. When I thought a life long friend had walked into my life, those footsteps became echos, and knowledge to all of us who work and live with the ideology that is the acceptance of Neurodiversity.
