My name is Tess Carichner (she/her). I am a rising sophomore at the University of Michigan School of Nursing. I am also pursuing a minor in Global Health (more specifically disability studies). My project regards how ableist communication (often taking root in healthcare settings) negatively affects the self-concepts of young neurodivergent/disabled women (specifically OCD, Autism, and ADHD). In my free time I love to read, thrift, cook, collage, and be in nature. I am proud of my 95 specifically curated Spotify playlists and look forward to a few concerts this summer!
I am really passionate about this topic and have been involved in neurodivergence activism since my freshman year of high school. I think this passion will be a strength that will help me. However, this topic is also very concerning, as it relates to a failure in healthcare causing a lot of pain for the specified population. I think that when researching and working on such a topic, being mindful of burnout and self-care is important. Additionally, I do not have a lot of experience with this level of academic writing. Although I think this will be a challenge for me, I look forward to improving my abilities. Learning about norms in the world of research is something I am curious about. My long term goal is to alter healthcare systems to better serve disabled people in an empowering way. At the end of WAGSFP, I hope to have produced a literature review about this research topic. By becoming immersed in current literature on the topic, learning from my mentors, and engaging in survey/interview style research planning (to be conducted in the future due to time constraints), I hope to prepare myself for my future career goals and contribute to the growing knowledge of anti-ableism in healthcare.