Welcoming and Managing Neurodiversity in the Writing Center

University Writing Cente

Barriers to Access : Report on the Barriers Faced by Young Disabled and D/deaf People in Accessing Youth Arts Provision in Scotland

This report outlines research that investigated the barriers faced by young disabled and D/deaf people in accessing youth arts provision in Scotland. Funded by the Time to Shine National Youth Arts Strategy for Scotland, the research was conducted by Dr. Matson Lawrence in conjunction with Birds of Paradise Theatre Company. The research relates to young people aged 0 – 25, with specific empirical focus on young people aged 16 – 25. Through in-depth interviews and online surveys, the research engaged with 20 disabled and D/deaf young people across Scotland, alongside a number of individuals working within the Scottish youth arts sector and in disability and D/deaf arts. The research found that young disabled and D/deaf people face multiple and intersecting barriers to accessing arts provision. Five main barriers were identified: 1. Finding suitable arts provision; 2. Availability of access information; 3. Lack of provision for access and support; 4. Travel, transport and location; and 5. Attitudes and awareness of arts providers. The research identified five key strategies to address these barriers: 1. Provision specifically for young disabled and D/deaf people; 2. Centralised information about arts opportunities; 3. Front Door to Stage Door Access provision; 4. Connections built with disabled and D/deaf communities across Scotland; and 5. Education and awareness for arts providers. These strategies offer arts providers concrete recommendations for improving disabled and D/deaf access. It is anticipated that, in light of this report, organisations and agencies providing arts opportunities to young people will be better informed of the barriers faced by young disabled and D/deaf people, and better equipped to address these barriers and improve access to their provision

Neurodivergence in Dance Performance: A Thesis

Does neurodivergence have any effects on dance performance? The goals of this research project are to reflect, analyze, and understand how individual neurodivergence impacts creativity, identity, and the choreographic process. The intersection of dance and disability studies is an ever-growing area of research that is in conflict because of the societal nature of the two concepts. Within the disability studies field, neurodivergence and neurodiversity are relatively new and undeveloped ideas that primarily interact with dance studies as pedagogical areas of interest. There is little attention on the impacts of neurodivergence in dance makers and their creative products in performance. The number of artists actively engaging with neurodivergence as a topic of creative research is small, but provides inspiration and support to future creatives. Through personal narrative, phenomenological and creative research, historical development, and engagement with other art forms, I provide a comprehensive review of the impacts of neurodivergence on a year-long creative research project

‘There is No Cause, There is No Effect’: Experiences at the Intersection of Transgender and Neurodivergent Identities

A significant body of clinical research has demonstrated that neurodivergent individuals are more likely than neurotypical individuals to have transgender and/or gender expansive identities (Janssen et al., 2016; Strang et al., 2014; Warrier et al., 2020). Within this body of research, neurodivergence and transgender identities are commonly mutually pathologized. Existent medico-psychiatric literature has been found to describe neurodivergence and transgender identities as “co-morbidities” and hypothesizes neurodivergence as a “cause” of transgender identity (Shapira & Granek, 2019, p. 506). A small but growing body of clinical, sociological, and theoretical scholarship has demonstrated the importance of non-pathologizing approaches to mental and physical healthcare for this population, the complexity of neurodivergent and transgender identity construction, and the importance of intra-community solidarity (Egner, 2019; Oswald et al., 2021; Strang et al., 2020). However, little is known about individuals’ internal experience of this phenomenon. iv The present study utilizes hermeneutic and queer phenomenology to explore transgender and neurodivergent individuals’ experiences and understandings of gender identity and neurodivergence, connections drawn between gender identity and neurodivergence, experiences within broader LGBTQ+ community, and experiences accessing gender-affirming, medical, and mental healthcare. Participants who identify as both transgender and neurodivergent were recruited via social media and 13 individuals took part in the hour-long semi-structured interview process. Five essential themes emerged from the data: (1) fluid and expansive identities, (2) relationality and identity development, (3) connections between gender and neurodivergence, (4) diverse experiences within LGBTQ+ community, and (5) experiences within the healthcare system. Participant gender and neurodivergent identities were found to be fluid, and identity development and expression were found to be informed by relationships and social dynamics. All participants drew at least some connections between their gender identities and neurodivergence. Participant experiences within the broader LGBTQ community included both those of inclusion and exclusion. Finally, participants did not report ableist discrimination in gender-affirming care settings. However, all participants reported experiencing transphobia in healthcare settings. Implications for social work education and practice are presented as well as directions for future researc

Representation of neurodivergence in fiction books:Exploring neurodivergent young peoples' perspectives

In recent years, there has been growing awareness of the importance of representation in fiction books, to ensure all children and young people can see themselves reflected in what they read. Much of this work has focused, importantly, on increasing ethnic representation, yet there has been much less exploration of the representation of other minority experiences, such as those of neurodivergent young people, and how these are perceived by neurodivergent young people themselves. This article provides new insights into neurodivergent young people's perceptions of representation of neurodivergence in fiction books (and other text types) based on semi-structured interviews with 16 neurodivergent young people (aged 14 to 17 year olds) from 2 high schools in Scotland. Using an inductive data-driven thematic analysis process, three themes were identified: (1) representation of neurodivergence should be complex, realistic, and positive; (2) representation of neurodivergence should be normalised; (3) representation of neurodivergence beyond books is important. Each of these themes is explored in detail, followed by implications for future research, practice and the publishing of Young Adult fiction.</p

Waiting for discovery and support?:Divergent subjectivities in the Swedish education landscape

PURPOSE: In this paper, we explore and contrast the Swedish state and NGO arguments for installing two changes in national educational degree objectives in Swedish teacher education: one regarding sex and cohabitation education, and the other regarding support for pupils with ʻneuropsychiatric difficultiesʼ (here referred to as neurodivergent pupils, such as autistic or ADHD pupils). APPROACH: Using critical policy analysis, we compare the arguments from the government as well as responding bodies for instating the two objectives, with a focus on neurodivergent pupils.RESULTS: Our findings suggest that discourses concerning sex and cohabitation education for all pupils and support for pupils with ʻneuropsychiatric difficultiesʼ respectively, derive from different educational ideologies and reproduce different ideas about pupils; as active citizens versus passive objects of interventions. The objective of sex and cohabitation education is framed within a norm critical discourse putting forward reflexivity and identity, and where pupils are active subjects to be involved in the process. In contrast, neurodivergence is framed within a deficit approach as neurobiological, individual impairment, and a special educational problem that should be managed by professionals. It is seen as a risk for school failure, where neurodivergent pupils are passive objects of professional discovery and support.CONCLUSION: In a Swedish educational policy landscape, stressing the importance of educating pupils in line with ideas of children as right-bearers, our exploration illustrates how ʻall pupilsʼ versus neurodivergent pupils, already in teacher education, are positioned as belonging to different categories of citizens; as active subjects of rights, versus passive subjects of care. This perception of neurodivergence, we argue, hampers progress towards embracing neurodivergence as social category, and neurodivergent pupils as political subjects.<br/

Towards Neuro-Inclusive Workplaces: Insights From Neurodivergent Individuals in a Conservation-Based Organization

This study examines the workplace experiences of neurodivergent individuals in a conservation organization using the biopsychosocial model. Fifteen neurodivergent participants (13 staff and 2 postgraduates), including seven who additionally identified as disabled, shared insights in interviews designed with input from an advisory group. Facilitators of inclusion included empathy, acceptance, and use of strengths. Barriers involved sensory-overwhelming environments, limited mental health support, and cultures prioritizing overwork. Key recommendations for neuro-inclusion are fostering job fit, emphasizing well-being, and promoting flexibility and autonomy. Achieving inclusion necessitates adapting workplace practices to accommodate diverse needs, engaging neurodivergent workers in decision-making, and educating colleagues about neurodiversity

Neurodivergent education for students, teaching & learning (NESTL) toolkit

The toolkit presents a framework for neurodivergent-inclusive teaching and learning, which comprises four areas of action: Awareness and Understanding Teaching Practice, Space, and Materials Assessment and Feedback Adjustment and Support Each area requires four forces of change to drive progress: Individual Initiatives Communal Efforts Institutional Changes Sector-wide Transformations The toolkit provides ideas for practice, offering practical guidance on how to make teaching and learning more neurodivergent-inclusive. It also includes case studies, checklists, myth busting, glossary, and further resources. The NESTL Toolkit is also accessible via the University of Oxford’s Canvas platform, which includes interactive activities

The Evolving Concept of Neurodivergence and Challenges in Operationalizing Diversity

Neurodivergence is a social-cultural identity not exclusively tied to any condition but often used by individuals with neurodevelopmental conditions. In scientific literature, neurodivergent is widely operationalized as autism, ADHD, and learning conditions (Clouder et al., 2020). The present study investigated the proportion of college students who identify as neurodivergent and which diagnostic labels they use to describe themselves in a sample of 215 Binghamton undergraduate students (M age = 18.93 years, SD = 1.20). Among those who identify as neurodivergent (n = 28), 75% reported a clinical and/or self-diagnosis of a neurodevelopmental condition, and 25% reported having non-neurodevelopmental conditions such as anxiety and depression. These findings shed light on the evolving definition of neurodivergence as a social phenomenon in contrast to disorder-based research criteria. Demographic information will also be compared across the neurodivergent and non-neurodivergent identifying groups.https://orb.binghamton.edu/research_days_posters_2024/1033/thumbnail.jp