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Neurodiversity Celebration Week 2024
The 内射大奶 is celebrating neurodiversity!
About neurodiversity
Neurodiversity denotes a natural variation in cognitive functioning and includes many non-dominant neurotypes such as autism, ADHD/ADD, Tourette's, Dyslexia, OCD, and Dyspraxia. It can also include conditions acquired at a certain point in your life, like brain injury. We call people who are not neurodivergent neurotypical because this is a value neutral term. While neurotypical brains may work the way the majority of brains do, this does not mean they work better or correctly. This week we hear from academics and practitioners who use their own neurodivergence at work to their advantage.
While some people view their own neurodivergence as a disability it can also be a source of strength, new insights, and special talents. In Neurodiversity Celebration Week we celebrate and spotlight the ways that neurodivergent people make the 内射大奶 what it is.
Neurodiverse or Neurodivergent?
Find out more about the history of Neurodiversity Celebration Week (NCW):
For full details of events, resources and support being promoted for Neurodiversity Celebration Week, please click on the tabs below
Events taking place during the week
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You can also watch recordings of some of our previous events:
Click on the event titles below to access event recordings
Find out more about the launch of our new Neurodiversity Cafe
The Neurodiversity Caf茅 is a social group that is open to any staff member or PGR student who identifies as neurodivergent 鈥� we use Nick Walker鈥檚 definition of neurodivergence ().
The Caf茅鈥檚 aims to create a neurodivergent-led, confidential and supportive space to meet regularly to talk about things that matter to us. We will also set up a private Teams channel to have a space for informal chat.
The Caf茅 holds monthly online meetups and termly in-person socials. We also run weekly body doubling sessions. Body doubling is a form of focused working where we sit together online and commit to focused work in a supportive and non-judgmental environment. Sessions run alternating Wednesdays and Fridays.
To receive information about the Neurodiversity Caf茅 and register for our regular monthly socials and body doubling sessions, please fill in this .
ADHD Babes
Vivienne Isebor is a Social Entrepreneur and Clinical Associate in Psychology. She graduated from the first cohort at UCL while working for the NHS facilitating psychology-informed interventions for individuals with Complex Emotional Needs in East London, as well as being an MSc holder in Cultural approaches to mental health care from Queen Mary.
She is Founder and CEO of ADHD Babes - the first support group for Black Women and Black Non-binary people with ADHD in the UK, where she is also the Director of Community Outreach and Wellbeing.
Since being diagnosed in her 20's with ADHD and living with mental health difficulties Vivienne has run awareness sessions and advocated on platforms such as BBC, MentalHealthToday, The Guardian, Forbes and Mind.
She was named 鈥楾op 50 Influential Neurodivergent Women鈥� in 2022 and won the award for 鈥楤est Dyslexic Owned Business鈥� at the A2i Black Achievement Awards in 2021.
Besides working in mental health Vivienne is a proud Pan-African, Womanist and a combined performing artist, organising and facilitating events & creative workshops with special focus on multi-disciplinary art and Black British history under her initiative love&music.
ADHD Babes - Creating Safer Spaces for Neurodivergent Folks of Colour: Intersectionality of race, gender, disability + education
Wednesday 20 March 14:00 - 16:00
Part 1: 14:00 鈥� 15:00 (Everyone from our University鈥檚 staff and student community is welcome)
An online presentation exploring ADHD & neurodiversity within the intersection of race, gender and education. Hosted primarily through the lense of Disabled Black Women, we will explore:
What is ADHD?
The concept of neurodiversity & the social model of disability
ADHD and intersectionality - race & gender
ADHD in education
A framework of community building: ADHD Babes - Creating safer spaces for Black Women and Non-binary folk with ADHD
Part 2: 15:00 鈥� 16:00 (Open to all staff and students of the global majority who identify as neurodivergent)
A reflective space for members of the global majority who identify as neurodivergent to reflect, debrief and discuss the content of the presentation.
This session will be an open semi-structured discussion to encourage honest expression, community connection and collective responsibility for the future of neurodivergent folks of color within your network.
Other events on neurodiversity coming up
Neurodiversity Cafe
Thursday 21 March 12:00 to 13:00 - The Neurodiversity Cafe is a safe space for all neurodivergent staff to come together, share their experiences and provide a network of support. Open to all staff and PGR students.
Friday 22 March - Our termly in-person Neurodiversity Cafe Social - come and learn about the Exeter grounds team and their plant nursery. Meeting outside Reed Hall email s.worwood2@exeter.ac.uk with questions
Career Zone
Tuesday 19 March 12:00-13:30 - 鈥淒isclosing a Disability and finding a supportive employer鈥� online webinar for students - for further information and to book
Wedesday 20 March 17:30 to 18:45 - 鈥淣eurodiversity Virtual employer panel event鈥� - For further information and to book
Chaplaincy
On Sunday 17 March at 19:00 there will be a special service in the Mary Harris Memorial Chapel to mark the beginning of neurodiversity celebration week. The service will last around 45 minutes and is open to students, staff and their families. The service will be from the Christian tradition, and will be an opportunity to celebrate the gifts and vocations of neurodivergent people, as well as to lament the ways that Churches and other religious organisations have historically failed to understand neurodiversity. A variety of seating options will be available, and attendees are welcome to participate in the service as much or little as they like. Holy Communion will be shared in an accessible way. The Mary Harris Chapel is next to the Old Library on Streatham Campus.
On Wednesday 20th March at 19:00 in the Chaplaincy Quiet Room, the Old Library, Streatham Campus the Student Christian Movement Group (SCM) will be discussing autism and faith, centred on reflections from autistic students of faith. The Quiet Room is upstairs in the Old Library, and the meeting will last around 1 hour and 30 minutes. SCM is an inclusive Christian group which is open to students of all backgrounds and traditions and seeks to be a friendly, non-judgemental safe space.
The Neurodiversity Celebration Week organisation
Find a packed schedule of events run by the Neurodiversity Celebration Week organisation here:
Full list of resources on neurodiversity
Find more information on the Staff Wellbeing neurodiversity page
YouTube recording on neurodiversity in the workplace
Watch a recording of Director of Education for Degree Apprenticeships 's recent talk for CMI Regional Voice (South West) on "Neurodiversity and the Workplace: Embracing the strengths of individuals":
Podcast
Hear 内射大奶's Kelly Preece (R, D and the In-betweens) talking to Dr. Jane May Morrison and Dr. Edward Mills about being a neurodivergent PGR in honour of Neurodiversity Celebration Week!
Learn more about neurodiversity
Please explore our full of information, resources and support available, for both neurodivergent colleagues and anyone who would like to learn more about neurodiversity. The webpage has been created by Colleague Wellbeing with support from neurodivergent individuals and field experts across the 内射大奶.
Read stories shared by your colleagues about their experience of neurodiversity .
Reading recommendations
The Library has produced a
- Transformative Education Showcase
Find comics about living with ADHD:
Blogs and video recommendations
Read a blog by 内射大奶's Kelly Preece:
Find a list of blogs by Actually Autistic bloggers here:
Find YouTube videos about ADHD:
- 27 year old late-diagnosed autistic (& ADHD) woman from the UK. You may find her video a useful starting point.
- YouTube channel about living as a late-diagnosed autistic woman. Thoughts on neurodiversity and whatever else interests her
- Autistic & ADHD content creator and advocate based in Bristol
- a neurodivergent (Autistic-ADHD) clinician, parent, and advocate
- ADHD - Neurotypical couple, wrote the book Dirty Laundry
- A mom of 2 who was diagnosed as autistic at 31
- TEDX Talk by KC Davis
Support available for neurodivergent staff and students
内射大奶 staff support
Information about support available from our Occupational Health team can be found here.
Consider joining our Neurodiversity Cafe for staff and post-graduate researchers. Find out more information under the 'Neurodiversity Cafe' tab.
内射大奶 student support (Streatham and St. Luke's)
Information about disability support available from our Wellbeing and AccessAbility teams can be found here.
Information about the full range of wellbeing support available at 内射大奶 support can be found here.
内射大奶 student support (Cornwall)
The supports students with disabilities, learning differences and health conditions to apply for (Disabled Students' Allowance) and .
Not eligible for DSA? Check out these .
The have resources and advice to help with your mental health.
If you think you might have autism or specific learning differences (such as dyslexia or ), email inclusive@fxplus.ac.uk to access free online screening. Or visit the for more information.
NHS support
Information about Devon Partnership Trust's services (including neurodiversity services) can be found .
Information about Cornwall Partnerships Trust's services (including autism assessment services) can be found .
A message from Dr Michael Wykes, Divisional Director of University Corporate Services and Chair of the Disability Equality Group
2024 will be the third year that the 内射大奶 has marked Neurodiversity Celebration Week: a worldwide initiative that both challenges stereotypes and misconceptions about neurological differences as well as being a chance to celebrate neurodivergent talent and all the benefits of a neurodiverse workplace. The week is also a great opportunity to remind everyone of the importance of being kind, tolerant and accepting of everyone.
The idea of taking part originated from the University鈥檚 Staff Disability Network who wanted to mark neurodiversity on a week that centres neurodivergent people鈥檚 own experiences and achievements. They also appreciated that Neurodiversity Celebration Week takes a broad view of what Neurodiversity is 鈥� not just autism and ADHD but also Tourettes, Dyspraxia, brain injury and a range of other conditions. This year鈥檚 events will showcase Exeter researchers working on fields including dyspraxia and neurodivergent experiences of breast cancer. We are also really excited to host ADHD Babes, a support group for Black women and Black non-binary people of African-Caribbean descent with ADHD.
It's weeks like these which make me feel really proud to work at a University which strives to develop an environment where all students and staff can flourish. I hope that you might be able to pause and reflect this week on neurodiversity and take part in the events which have been arranged.