“While not everything is measurable, all the things we do are impactful.”
—Fred Poses, Founder & CEO
Shaping the world for difference ®
Our vision
Together, we can shape the world for difference
The mother of a child with ADHD whose outbursts in public leave her feeling judged as a parent. The young teen who longs to have friends but is bullied at school for not fitting in. The teachers and pediatricians who want to reassure concerned families that their loved one is no less intelligent because of dyslexia. Every person who wants to dispel the myth that learning and thinking differences are weaknesses.
Understood.org is the leading organization dedicated to providing solutions and support for the nearly 70 million Americans — including one in five children — who have learning and thinking differences, like dyslexia and ADHD. Our work is grounded in an even larger vision: shaping the world for difference so that all people who learn and think differently can thrive at every stage of life.
Changing perceptions, building community
Over the last decade, we’ve built and sustained an active community in the U.S. of 10 million individuals, families, and care providers. But this is just a fraction of the millions of people who need resources that only we can provide.
Today, we’re on a journey to scale our impact. By 2030, we’re committed to expanding our reach so that 100 million people, including individuals with learning and thinking differences and their supporters, can achieve their goals with confidence and support. Read on to learn how we’re working to reach this ambitious goal.
The Understood approach
In the nearly 10 years since Understood.org was created, we have evolved and grown to bring new understanding to the needs of people whose lives are touched by learning and thinking differences, like ADHD and dyslexia.
Yet, from our very first days, the mission that connects us to our community has remained the same: to shape the world for difference so that every person has the tools and opportunities to thrive and realize their goals.
At Understood.org, this means coupling expert-driven qualitative and quantitative research to forge new insights into how individuals learn and process information. This enables us to create a growing ecosystem of services and support for raising the bar at school, in the workplace, and in everyday life so that people with learning and thinking differences feel less alone and more understood.
Understood.org’s Knowledge Team has conducted numerous proprietary studies, meta-analysis reviews, and thousands of in-depth interviews with individuals and children who learn and think differently, their parents, teachers, and doctors.
2014
Year Understood.org was founded
3,000+
Number of articles, printables, and other resources we offer in English and Spanish
70+
Experts we work with, representing a wide range of fields
450+
People touched by learning and thinking differences we interviewed to inform our work
Our impact
Build confidence. Reduce stigma. Drive advocacy — these three pillars build on our mission and the core beliefs that guide us in delivering leading-edge resources and services that engage, inspire, and activate the communities we serve.
What if everyone had the same opportunity to thrive?
With your support, we can shape the world for difference by ensuring that the millions of people who learn and think differently will have the tools and support they need to overcome obstacles and thrive.
Who are you shaping the world for?
