Mark O’Connor – Opening Doors to Safer and More Inclusive Schools

Author: Mark O’Connor

Author

Mark O’Connor

Mark O’Connor is a retired Software Engineer, Software Engineering Executive, and founder of The Traveling Dojo. With over 40 years of experience managing diverse engineering teams in an industry that has some of the highest concentrations of neurodivergent workers (technology & software development) he brings a unique perspective to his martial arts business, an industry heavily commercialized and largely focused on mainstream communities.

Mark also has over 43 years of experience in six martial arts styles and holds a 4th degree black belt. He has seen firsthand the lack of support for the neurodivergent and LGBTQ+ communities in the martial arts industry. He has observed how underrepresented communities are treated in a mainstream martial arts program, and not in a managed or integrated manner (i.e., crowded dojos, high audible stimulation, lots of personal contact and lack of respect for personal space boundaries).

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Portrait of young karateka in kimono standing and working with fighting techniques during training in karate

Advocacy, Neurodiversity-Affirming, People

How Martial Arts Can Help Those Who Have Experienced Exclusion, Bullying, Seclusion & Restraint

by Mark O’Connor March 18, 2026 0

As a child growing up in the mid-1960s, I became the product of early private school education, an experience that no doubt changed me for years to come. For as... Read more.