Jordan Smelley: Advancing Neurodiversity, Mental Health Recovery & Person-Centered Support

Edition – Global Impact Leaders: Visionaries Shaping the Future

Jordan Smelley is an internationally recognized and award-winning speaker, author, and disability advocate whose work is dedicated to advancing understanding of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD), mental health recovery, neurodiversity, and systems change. Drawing on both professional expertise and lived experience, he brings a powerful perspective to conversations about inclusion, sensory processing, personal growth, and person-centered support.

Jordan serves as a Mental Health Peer Support Specialist (MHPS), IDD Peer Support Specialist, and People Planning Together (PPT) Trainer. He currently works with the Transition Support Team at Integral Care in Austin, Texas, where he serves as the organization’s first IDD Peer Support Specialist. In addition, he is the developer of the ASSUME a Sensory Reason™ framework, which encourages greater understanding of sensory experiences and the importance of individualized support.

Through his speaking engagements, training programs, and advocacy, Jordan helps educators, healthcare professionals, employers, and community leaders develop more inclusive approaches to supporting individuals with diverse needs. His work emphasizes the importance of listening to lived experiences, challenging assumptions, and creating systems that recognize the strengths, dignity, and potential of every individual.

Featured in “Global Impact Leaders: Visionaries Shaping the Future,” Jordan Smelley represents a meaningful voice in disability advocacy and mental health awareness, inspiring communities to embrace neurodiversity, promote inclusion, and create lasting change.

Please share the beginning of your career journey with us.

My professional journey cannot be separated from my lived experience. I have navigated intellectual and developmental disabilities, sensory processing differences, and systems that too often make decisions about people without listening to them. These experiences shaped a question that continues to guide my work: What changes when we begin with a person’s experience rather than our assumptions about their behavior or abilities?

I did not enter this field simply to build a résumé. I wanted to help create the kind of understanding and support that can be difficult to find when you are the person navigating complex systems. Over time, I transformed my lived experience into peer support, education, training, writing, and systems-level advocacy. I earned my Mental Health Peer Specialist certification through the Texas Certification Board in March 2021, and my work gradually expanded to include supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and helping professionals better understand the perspectives of those they serve.

A defining part of my journey has been learning to translate personal experiences into practical tools that others can use. Proprioceptive dysfunction and tactile dysfunction, for example, are not abstract subjects to me. They affect how a person experiences the world, responds to their environment, and navigates everyday expectations. When these differences are misunderstood, a support need can be mistaken for a behavioral problem. That misunderstanding can follow a person into schools, employment, healthcare, and community settings.

In May 2025, I joined Integral Care’s Transition Support Team as an IDD Peer Support Specialist. My role focuses on systems-level support, including provider education, technical assistance, and multidisciplinary consultation rather than direct service delivery. I also participate in statewide case-review work, bringing the peer perspective into discussions about complex needs and appropriate support. This is meaningful to me because peer expertise should inform not only individual conversations but also how organizations and systems operate.

My career has grown through opportunities to speak at conferences, train professionals, write educational materials, and advocate for changes in Texas Medicaid and disability services. Every step reflects the same purpose: helping people move from judgment toward curiosity, from exclusion toward belonging, and from making assumptions toward truly listening.

Could you highlight the key offerings?

My work centers on education, lived-experience-informed training, public speaking, publications, and disability policy advocacy. I develop presentations that help professionals recognize how sensory processing differences can influence behavior, communication, participation, and a person’s sense of safety. My aim is to provide practical approaches that can be applied in real-world environments, rather than discussed only in theory.

One of my central offerings is the ASSUME a Sensory Reason™ framework, presented in my book, ASSUME a Sensory Reason — Rethinking Behavior Through Regulation, Not Intent. The framework encourages people to consider sensory regulation before assigning motives to behavior. Its six steps are Ask, Scan, Shift, Use, Modify, and Escalate. Rather than assuming that an action reflects defiance, unwillingness, or a negative attitude, I encourage teams to explore what the person’s nervous system, environment, and communication may be telling them.

I have adapted this framework into PowerPoint training presentations that incorporate examples from my personal lived experience. These presentations are designed for school settings, behavioral health and substance use disorder services, employment environments, and disability service providers. Although the needs of these audiences differ, the underlying principle remains consistent: people deserve to be understood in context.

I also provide training on two forms of sensory processing challenges experienced by neurodivergent people, person-centered planning, tools to support individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), bullying and its consequences, and the importance of belonging, mental health, and self-worth. My work on bullying and neurodivergence has led to the development of several tailored PowerPoint presentations:

Middle and High School Students: A 30-minute presentation.
After High School: A 60-minute presentation.
Workplace Settings: A 60-minute presentation.
Mental Health and Substance Use Settings: A 60-minute presentation.

I am an approved Texas Education Agency continuing professional education provider and a Texas Certification Board continuing education provider. These credentials allow me to offer structured learning opportunities for educators and other professionals.

Advocacy is another major component of my work. I engage with Texas Medicaid policy, fair-hearing processes, access to medically necessary services, and the inclusion of peer support within IDD systems. I authored The Texas Medicaid Fair Hearing Survival Manual for Appellants to help individuals better understand a process that can otherwise feel intimidating.

I have also advocated for expanding access to Mental Health and Substance Use peer support to younger Texans enrolled in Texas Medicaid. The planned expansion of eligibility from age 21 to age 14 as a Texas Medicaid benefit is expected to take place in or around December 2026. This is an important example of the systemic change I have directly helped advance.

Across all these offerings, I bring a perspective grounded in lived experience. I do not present personal experience as a substitute for every form of research or clinical expertise. Instead, I use it to identify questions that systems sometimes overlook and to encourage more responsive, person-centered practices.

What are your long-term goals, and where do you envision yourself in the coming years?

My long-term goal is to help make lived-experience expertise a standard part of how services are designed, delivered, and evaluated. I want people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, mental health needs, and sensory processing differences to be recognized as knowledgeable partners, not merely as recipients of services.

I envision ASSUME a Sensory Reason™ reaching more educators, clinicians, employers, residential providers, and families. I want the framework to become a practical starting point for difficult conversations about behavior and support needs. When a person appears distressed, withdrawn, resistant, or unusually active, I want professionals to consider the sensory environment and the person’s regulation needs before drawing conclusions about their intent.

I also want to continue developing tailored versions of my training for different audiences, including schools, state-supported living centers, home- and community-based services, and employment programs. Effective training must connect with the actual decisions people make every day. My goal is not simply to deliver an inspiring presentation; it is to equip participants with the knowledge and practical tools to change what they do afterward.

At the policy level, I hope to contribute to stronger Medicaid protections, more accessible appeals, better coordination of services, and broader access to peer support. I want people who are most affected by a policy to have a meaningful role in shaping it. I also hope to continue speaking nationally and internationally, where accessible, and collaborating with organizations that are genuinely committed to person-centered change.

Success, for me, is not defined only by awards or speaking invitations. It is measured by whether a student is understood instead of punished, whether an adult receives support instead of being dismissed, and whether a person’s voice helps change a decision that affects their life.

Who has been the most significant source of inspiration in your life?

My greatest inspiration has come from people who continue to advocate for their own lives despite facing systems that do not always make room for their voices. I am inspired by people with disabilities who challenge expectations, ask difficult questions, and insist on being included in decisions that affect them. Their persistence reminds me that advocacy is not simply about speaking for someone; it is about creating the conditions in which they can speak for themselves and be heard.

I also draw inspiration from my own experiences overcoming barriers. Each time I have been underestimated, it has strengthened my commitment to helping others be understood more fully. These experiences remind me why it is important to challenge assumptions, listen with empathy, and ensure that every person’s perspective is valued.

Please list some of the notable recognitions and accreditations that you and your organization have received.

I am grateful for the recognitions that have brought attention to my work in disability advocacy, recovery supports, and education. In 2026, my book, ASSUME a Sensory Reason — Rethinking Behavior Through Regulation, Not Intent, received the Outstanding Literacy Achievement Award in Psychology from the International Impact Book Awards. I was also named among MSN’s Top 10 Leading Men in July 2026 and featured in the Wall Street Times in August 2026.

I received the 2025 Mental Health Professional Recognition, presented in January 2026 by personsoftheyear.com, and Best Presentation Recognition at the 2025 International Conference on Applied Psychology. The Texas chapter of the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities recognized me with the 2024 Dr. Ollie Seay Knowledge Award and the 2023 Empowerment Award for Excellence in Promotion of Self-Advocacy.

My professional credentials include Mental Health Peer Specialist certification through the Texas Certification Board, earned in March 2021; People Planning Together Trainer certification, earned in November 2024; Texas Education Agency-approved continuing professional education provider status (Provider #910019); and Texas Certification Board continuing education provider status (Provider #2127-23).

I have also had the opportunity to present at professional conferences and educational events, including the 2026 APSE National Conference, and to contribute to statewide discussions concerning disability services. I currently serve as a Disability Advocate Representative on the Rehabilitation Council of Texas and as the only Peer Support Specialist on the Texas HHSC IDD Case Review Panel.

These recognitions, credentials, and professional roles reflect my individual contributions and ongoing commitment to disability advocacy, education, peer support, and systems-level change.

What were the most challenging obstacles you’ve encountered in your career?

Some of my greatest obstacles have been the very barriers my work seeks to address: misunderstanding, inaccessible systems, and assumptions about what people with disabilities can contribute. Living with proprioceptive and tactile processing differences has given me direct experience of how an environment or expectation that appears ordinary to someone else can create real challenges. When those challenges are interpreted as attitude or intent, the person may be blamed rather than supported.

I have also encountered the complexity of navigating healthcare and disability systems. Rules, procedures, and administrative decisions can determine whether someone receives timely support. Advocating in these environments requires persistence, preparation, and a willingness to ask questions that others may prefer not to confront. My experience with Texas Medicaid has reinforced how important procedural protections and meaningful access to appeals can be.

Another obstacle has been ensuring that lived experience is recognized as a form of expertise. Professionals bring valuable technical knowledge, but people who have lived through a system also understand how its decisions affect everyday life. I have worked to bring these perspectives together rather than place them in competition. That takes patience, particularly when systems are accustomed to hearing from providers more often than from the people they serve.

Accessibility also shapes how I work. I have learned to advocate for communication formats and accommodations that allow me to participate effectively. I believe accessibility should be part of planning from the beginning, not an exception granted only after someone encounters a barrier.

These experiences have taught me that overcoming obstacles does not mean pretending they are easy or that every barrier can be solved through determination alone. Some barriers require policy change, organizational accountability, and practical accommodations. My career is built around that distinction. I want to demonstrate what individuals can accomplish while also challenging systems to remove the obstacles that should never have been there in the first place.

A Final Thought from the ASSUME a Sensory Reason™ Framework

“Behavior is not always a choice.

Sometimes it’s communication.

Sometimes it’s protection.

And sometimes…

It’s the body asking a question we were trained not to hear.”

Editor’s Note: Jordan Smelley — Advancing Neurodiversity, Disability Advocacy & Person-Centered Change

Jordan Smelley’s journey reflects the importance of lived experience in shaping more inclusive and responsive systems. Through his work as an IDD Peer Support Specialist, educator, author, and disability advocate, he challenges assumptions about behavior and encourages professionals to understand the sensory, emotional, and environmental factors that influence individual experiences.

Through his ASSUME a Sensory Reason™ framework, training programs, publications, and policy advocacy, Jordan promotes a more thoughtful approach to disability support—one grounded in listening, understanding, and respect. His commitment reminds us that meaningful change begins when people are heard, their experiences are valued, and their voices help shape the decisions that affect their lives.

Connect with Jordan Smelley

Website: www.jordansmelleyprss.com
Email: jordansmelleyprss@gmail.com

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Jordan Smelley: Advancing Neurodiversity, Mental Health Recovery & Person-Centered Support