About tangents
We provide a compass rather than a track for those affected by ADHD.
We acknowledge that people with ADHD will often struggle to follow society's "standard" pathways, and therefore carve their own pathways out of necessity. Our purpose is to ensure those pathways lead toward positive outcomes rather than the negative outcomes of academic and professional problems, or entering the justice system.
We provide the tools and direction for individuals to navigate life on their own terms, while simultaneously working to remove the systemic barriers in education, employment, and law that make those paths unnecessarily difficult to carve.
Theory of Change
Alternative Pathway Carving
The Problem
Standardised societal "tracks" — in education, justice, and the corporate world — are designed for neurotypical cognitive profiles. For those with ADHD, these rigid tracks often lead to friction, failure, exclusion, and entry into the justice system. Not because of a lack of potential, but because of a lack of navigational tools and systemic barriers.
What We Invest
- Lived experience mentors — successful ADHD adults who took "the long way around"
- Expertise — legal, educational, and HR specialists with ADHD-specific focus
- Strategic partnerships — links with PRUs, prisons, corporate HR bodies, and schools
What We Do
- Direct intervention — mentoring, life admin support, parent coaching
- Systemic advocacy — court expert witness, exclusion appeals, HR consultancy
- Structural change — lobbying for flexible education and workplace policies
Short-term Outcomes
- Increased self-acceptance and "compass" navigation skills in mentees
- Reduced reliance on permanent exclusions in partner schools
- Adoption of reasonable adjustments in partner businesses
- Court sentences reflecting deeper understanding of ADHD
Long-term Impact
- Decarceration — lower recidivism rates among ADHD populations
- Economic productivity — higher employment retention and innovation output
- Systemic shift — "alternative pathways" recognised as a societal norm
A different approach
How the compass model compares to traditional support.
| Traditional Support | Our Approach | |
|---|---|---|
| Goal | Compliance with the "track" | Navigating with a "compass" |
| ADHD View | A deficit to be managed | A different way of carving a path |
| Justice Focus | Punishment / rehabilitation | Understanding + pivot points |
| Workplace | Fitting the "job description" | Optimising the "innovation potential" |
Help us carve more pathways
Your support helps us provide mentoring, advocacy, and practical support to people with ADHD who need it most — from young people at risk of exclusion to prisoners seeking a new direction.
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