Meet Carol Hegan
Founder, Disability & Developmental Educator & Lead Inclusion Consultant
Lived-experience leader in disability inclusion, neuroaffirming practice, and community capacity building.

Carol Hegan is one of regional Western Australia’s leading disability inclusion consultants and neuroaffirming practice specialists. As a disability & developmental educator, advocate, behaviour support practitioner, and mother to three neurodivergent children, Carol brings a powerful blend of professional expertise, lived experience, clinical insight, and community leadership that is rarely found in the sector.

Her work spans across individual, family, organisational, and community levels — guiding schools, services, local governments, and businesses to design environments where disabled and neurodivergent people can genuinely belong, participate, and thrive.

Who I Am & What I Stand For

Lived experience + professional expertise = meaningful change.

Carol’s leadership is grounded in:

  • A lifelong journey of navigating disability and neurodivergence personally, as a parent, and as a professional

  • Specialised training in developmental education, behaviour support, and neuroaffirming practice

  • Over a decade of community inclusion work across the Pilbara

  • The belief that inclusion is not simply “nice to have”—it is a human right

  • A deep commitment to amplifying lived-experience voices in every space

Her approach blends:

  • Human rights frameworks

  • Neuroaffirming and trauma-informed practice

  • Identity-first language and lived-experience wisdom

  • Practical, realistic solutions that work within regional contexts

What I Do

Disability Inclusion Consulting & Strategic Advisory

Carol partners with organisations to embed genuine inclusion across policy, culture, programs, and service delivery.
Services include:

  • Inclusion audits

  • Policy and procedure review

  • Accessibility planning

  • Strategic design for inclusive spaces, events, and programs

  • Lived-experience sector advisory

  • Disability access & inclusion planning (DAIP) support.

Neuroaffirming Practice Training for Professionals

Carol delivers evidence-informed, lived-experience-grounded neuroaffirming training to:

  • Schools

  • Early years providers

  • Allied health professionals

  • Local governments

  • Community organisations

  • Sporting clubs

  • Businesses

Topics include:

  • Understanding Autism through a neurodivergent lens

  • ADHD & AuDHD in context

  • The GROW™ Neuroaffirming Behaviour Framework

  • Inclusive communication and accessible practice

  • Hidden messages behind behaviour

  • Designing inclusive programs and community initiatives

Community Inclusion & Project Leadership

Carol is widely recognised for leading community-driven inclusion initiatives across the Pilbara, including:

  • Pilbara Disability Network (Chairperson)

  • International Day of People with Disability events

  • Happy Hub social programs for children and teens

  • Circle of Inclusion community capacity building projects

  • Neurodivergent-led parent education and support groups

Her leadership strengthens the entire community—not just the disability sector.

Specialist Behaviour Support & Individual Consultation

With years of experience supporting neurodivergent children and families, Carol provides:

  • Person-centred, neuroaffirming behaviour support

  • Functional capacity insights

  • Early intervention guidance for families

  • Collaborative planning across home, school, and community

  • Advocacy support for NDIS, education, and access needs

Why Organisations Choose to Work With Carol

Lived-Experience Leadership

Carol brings a perspective that cannot be taught in a textbook — and reflects the lived reality of thousands of neurodivergent people and families.

Regional Expertise

Carol deeply understands the challenges and opportunities of regional service delivery — because she lives them every day.

Evidence-Informed + Practical

Her recommendations are grounded in research, clinical reasoning, and real-world feasibility.

Community-Embedded

Carol works alongside local organisations, not above them, creating sustainable change from within.

Trusted by Families, Schools, Government & Sector Leaders

Her work is recognised at regional and state levels for its impact, innovation, and authenticity.

Impact & Achievements

Carol’s leadership has contributed to:

  • Training hundreds of professionals in neuroaffirming practice

  • Supporting over 300 neurodivergent families annually

  • Leading the Pilbara’s largest inclusion-focused events and programs

  • Establishing the region’s only neuroaffirming behaviour support framework (GROW™)

  • Presenting at national conferences

  • Developing multiple community capacity-building programs across WA

  • Partnering with local government, schools, and organisations to improve inclusion and access

Who Carol Works With

  • Local and state government

  • Education providers (schools, early childhood centres)

  • Community organisations

  • Allied health teams

  • Sporting clubs

  • Regional businesses

  • Not-for-profit organisations

  • Parents and carers

  • Disability sector leaders

How to Work With Carol

  • For organisations wanting to strengthen accessibility, policy, programs, or staff capability.

  • Book a customised neuroaffirming practice training for your school, team, or organisation.

  • For ongoing collaboration with local government, networks, and sector partners.

  • Book Carol to speak at conferences, PD days, community events, or leadership gatherings.

  • Specialised behaviour support and neuroaffirming guidance (NDIS or private) through Grow Therapy Services

Book

Contact us.

Ready to work together?
Carol welcomes partnerships with organisations and communities passionate about genuine inclusion.

Contact Carol & The Inclusive Movement Team