Atlas Etienne
Research Mentor(s): Kathleen Ignatoski
Mentor Department: University of Michigan
Authors: Atlas Etienne, Kathleen Ignatoski, Chris Laurinec
Session: Session 4 (1:00pm – 1:50pm)
Presentation Type: Poster 56
Abstract
Faculty and staff at many universities, including our own, have fewer supports regarding neurodiversity than they need. We are investigating what policies concerning neurodiversity exist at the federal, state, local, and University of Michigan levels, as well as how they are applied to faculty and staff at the university and how effective they are at helping the demographic they are made for. The policy subteam looks at how policies at each level are structured, implemented, and enforced, as well as how neurodiversity is defined in any relevant policies. We aim to find policies that are exceptionally helpful to study why, and policies that are ineffective to study how they could be corrected. Our conclusion is that most policies affecting neurodiversity rarely mention neurodivergence by name, often referring to disability as a whole instead. We aim to question why neurodiversity is not addressed in policy and to see who is affected by the absence of specificity.
