ND Event Recordings – Learning Strategies Center

Wednesday, January 17, 2024: Neurodiversity Dialogues: Effect of the age at self-identification / diagnosis.

Facilitated by: Florencia Ardon, ADHDer & dyscalculic, Neurodiversity @ Cornell lead, neurodivergent student support program manager at the Learning Strategies Center. We discussed the effect of an early or late self-id or diagnosis on neurodivergent people–the pros and cons. Many people in our neurodivergent community were diagnosed or they self-identified/recognized they possess a particular neurotype early in life. Many others were much older when that happened. We showed results from a survey sent to the neurodivergent community at Cornell as well as existing literature on the topic. Finally, attendees who chose to shared their experiences. You can watch the recording here, and read more about the session in this document.

Wednesday, December 20, 2023: Neurodiversity Dialogues: Reasonable Accommodations at Work under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Facilitated by: Wendy Strobel Gower, Thomas P. Golden Executive Director, Yang-Tan Institute, and Will Warren, YTI intern and member of SNAC (Student Neurodiversity Alliance at Cornell) & Neurodiversity @ Cornell. The facilitators provided an overview of reasonable accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (the legal requirements) and also explored ways that some companies are applying accommodations more broadly in an effort to ensure they are disability inclusive. There was a Q&A portion, with the caveat that under the ADA the answer to a lot of questions is “it depends”. Each request for accommodation will depend on the person, their job duties and the environment in which they work. You can watch the recording here (only available to the Cornell community), and read more about the session in this document.

Wednesday, November 15, 2023: Neurodiversity Dialogues: How awareness, acceptance, and compassionate treatment of Neurodivergent people has evolved.

Facilitated by: Mario Martinez, Informatics Data Analyst at Facilities Management and member of Neurodiversity @ Cornell. We spoke about the timelines of identification and discovery of different neurodivergent conditions. We discussed what we can learn from history to promote awareness, acceptance, and compassion towards neurodivergent conditions. Some historical records were interpreted with present day knowledge. You can watch the recording here, and read more information in this document.

Wednesday, October 18, 2023: Neurodiversity Dialogues: Human Development and Neurominorities

Facilitated by: Zosia Zaks, M.Ed., C.R.C. We discussed how human development theories apply to neurominorities, questioning the validity of frameworks used to evaluate the abilities and capacities of neurodivergent individuals. We also heard about alternative theories of development that attempt to account for human diversity in non-pathologizing ways. Additionally, we spoke about how to support neurodivergent people to help them thrive. You can watch the recording here, and read more information in this document.

Wednesday, May 17, 2023: Neurodiversity Dialogues: The intersection between neurodivergence and queerness

Facilitated by: Sierra Hicks, doctoral student in Systems Engineering and & Neurodiversity Ambassador, with a preliminary presentation by Meredith Nicholson. There is a higher prevalence of LGBTQ+ people in the neurodivergent community in comparison to the general population. There is also a considerable overlap in advocacy topics including the need for understanding and acceptance. You can watch the recording here, and read more information in this document.

Wednesday, April 19^th, 2023: Neurodiversity Dialogues: Classroom Experiences of Neurodivergent People.

Facilitated by: Rachel Gunderson, Cornell’s Center for Teaching Innovation (CTI). Why should we care about having a neurodivergent student body and institution? Cornell is already a neurodiverse institution, with many faculty, staff, and students who are neurodivergent. We spoke about the ways neurodivergent students have felt supported and could feel supported. We also identified and discussed some of the challenges or barriers to belonging for neurodivergent students. The following questions emerged: How can we create an environment where neurodivergent people feel comfortable across their intersecting identities? What support can they fall back on when something doesn’t go well with disclosure and how is that support created? How will students know that support is available? You can watch the recording here, and read more information in this document.

Monday, March 27th, 2023: Fireside Chat: Lived Experiences & System Opportunities for Belonging

In collaboration with the Education Minor. Panelists: Lauren Hough Williams (Executive Director of the Program for Inclusion and Neurodiversity Education @ NYU Steinhardt, Florencia (Flor) Ardón (Study Skills Lecturer & Neurodivergent Student Support Program Manager at Cornell’s Learning Strategies Center), and several Neurodiversity @ Cornell student ambassadors! You can watch the recording here.

Friday, March 17th, 2023: Participatory Research Panel

We heard experiences and ideas from students and researchers at Cornell, CUNY and Tufts engaged in Participatory Research. Participatory research refers to the practice of conducting neurodiversity-related research respecting and valuing the capabilities and knowledge of neurodivergent people. Participatory Research groups include neurodivergent people in the planning, conducting, and evaluating of studies. Facilitated by: Em McClintock (CAPS) and Sierra Hicks (Neurodiversity Ambassador). You can watch the recording here.

Wednesday, March 15th, 2023: Neurodiversity Dialogues: Psychological Needs of Neurodivergent Students

Facilitated by: Em McClintock (CAPS). We discussed some recent statistics of mental health issues among the general population of college students, then going into more detail on the mental health conditions and their prevalence in students who have ADHD or autism. You can watch the recording here and find more information in this document.

Friday, March 10th, 2023: Teaching and Advising Neurodivergent Students

Facilitated by: Florencia (Flor) Ardon, Learning Strategies Center, and Shanna Leipzig, Office for Academic Diversity Initiatives; in collaboration with Campus Groups. What are characteristics of neurodivergent students? How can you tailor your advising and teaching to support their needs? Why is it valuable for student organizations to be welcoming to neurodivergent members? We spoke about these topics and about neurodiversity in general. You can watch the recording here