On April 26th in Furcolo Hall the Developmental Disabilities and Human Services Program hosted the Neurodiversity and Disability Studies Summit. The summit included a poster session of undergraduate and graduate student research projects, oral presentations from alumni and adjunct faculty, and a keynote presentation with discussion.
Capria Berry, instructor for Disability Identity: Intersections of Race, Gender, and Sexuality at UMass Amherst, gave the welcome address entitled "Introduction to Neurodiversity and Disability Studies".
Ariel Pliskin, MSW, LICSW, instructor of the Autism class at UMass Amherst, gave the presentation "Neurodivergent Sex" which reviewed the research on autistic sexuality and gender to reveal parallels between approaches that pathologize sex and those that pathologize neurodivergence.
Griffin Leistinger, MPPA, Assistant Director of Accessibility Resources and Services at Hampshire College, led the talk "Becoming the 'Proper' Disabled Student: How Academic Access is Negotiated in the Classroom". This talk presented their research on disability accommodations, examining the nuanced ways that students, faculty, and staff leverage their power to negotiate access within the classroom.
The keynote presentation "Self-Advocate, Advocate, Ally, Accomplice: Coming Together to Create New Paradigms around Neurodiversity" was given by Jennifer Brunton, PhD writer/editor/speaker and co-author of The #ActuallyAutistic Guide to Advocacy: Step-by-Step Advice on How to Ally and Speak Up with Autistic People and the Autism Community. She discussed ways to truly live our inclusive values and uplift intersectionality in our daily lives, and address the ableism, discrimination, and stereotypes that pervade professional practices.
Overall the summit was an excellent opportunity to connect with members of UMass and the community and translate new ideas and mindsets into allyship and advocacy action. The summit was supported by the Office of Equity and Inclusion, the Developmental Disabilities and Human Services Program, the Department of Psychological and Brain Science, and the Hampshire College Office of Accessibility Resources and Services.