Engagement of Marginalized Autistic Communities
Cultural Autism Studies at Yale (CASY, ethnography project led by Dr. Dawn Prince-Hughes) warmly welcomes Sierra Hicks and Rebecca McCabe on Monday, April 28, 7-8 p.m. EDT (4-5 p.m. PDT). Both are key members of the neurodiversity community at Cornell University and will be speaking on the important topic of “Culturally-Appropriate Engagement of Marginalized Communities within Neurodivergent Spaces.”
There is no cost to attend, and international participants are welcome. For this and future events, RSVP by joining our free Meetup group online at https://tinyurl.com/ytastdyv
MESSAGE FROM SPEAKERS: We will be sharing insights on engaging marginalized communities in neurodivergent spaces, emphasizing research collaborations. This will include findings from our ongoing “BIPOC & Neurodivergent Student Experiences & Needs” survey study. Publicly-engaged scholarship and community-engagement are important, but too often neglected or unethically conducted. Furthermore, claims of objectivity in science negatively impact not only neurodivergent people, but attempt to undermine other knowledge systems. Emphasizing the cultural situatedness of science, we'll dispel notions of Western Science objectivity, with examples of implications for neurodiversity. We’ll discuss ongoing work, by various entities, at the intersection of neurodiversity and race/ethnicity, and highlight the varying cultural understandings of autistic people. An emphasis will be placed upon selecting culturally appropriate collaboration protocols for any particular research project, and example frameworks will be provided. The presentation will conclude with discussion prompts around (a) decolonizing/deconstructing neurodivergence and (b) transforming university systems to “bake in” sufficient ethical frameworks, such as with funding sources, IRB protocols, etc.
BRIEF BIO: Sierra Hicks https://www.linkedin.com/in/sierra-h/ (they/them) is an autistic & ADHD Conservation Social Scientist and Community Engagement Specialist who began neurodiversity work in 2022 when they started their PhD. They coordinate Neurodiversity@Cornell's Neurodiversity Dialogues (a monthly speaker series), represent the Student Neurodiversity Alliance at Cornell on the Graduate & Professional Student Diversity Council, and co-lead a survey-based study into "BIPOC & Neurodivergent Student Experiences and Needs" which stands to inform university policies and procedures. Sierra's community-engagement, ethical research and advocacy skills are in service not only to the neurodivergent community, but to Indigenous Peoples and their stewardship/management of cultural landscapes. As their main gig, Sierra conducts dissertation research in partnership with the Karuk Tribe Department of Natural Resources and supports the development of Indigenous Knowledge & Data Sovereignty Policy.
BRIEF BIO: Rebecca McCabe https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-mccabe/ (she/her) is an autistic & ADHD engineer who began neurodiversity advocacy work in 2022. She is the president of the Student Neurodiversity Alliance at Cornell, an ambassador for the Neurodiversity@Cornell https://www.linkedin.com/company/neurodiversity-at-cornell/ grassroots initiative, and advisor to various neurodiversity-related participatory research projects on campus. Outside of Cornell, she is an alum of the Autistic Self Advocacy Network’s Autism Campus Inclusion leadership program, has participated in numerous neurodiversity-affirming autism research studies, and is on a steering committee for the Virginia Tech Center for Autism Research. In her day job, she is a mechanical engineering PhD student researching devices that generate renewable energy from ocean waves.
ABOUT Cultural Autism Studies at Yale (CASY): An 'ethnography' is an exploration of how a group of people express themselves in a cultural way. Autistic people have a growing kind of culture, and each autistic experience is a vital part of it. Dr. Dawn Prince-Hughes is an anthropologist, ethnographer, primatologist, and author who is autistic. Join her for an exploration of the importance of autistic self-expression and the culture that grows from it. Those who wish to share their content are free to do so on our private Facebook groups (see below), organically contributing to a growing autistic culture.
Links to online events will also be shared on these private Facebook groups: CASY Cultural Autism Studies at Yale http://tinyurl.com/4ckbyut7 (recommended for autistic adults) and SOCIAL CONNECTIVITY FOR AUTISM http://tinyurl.com/mrxnxmnc (recommended for allies, professionals, and family members).
CREDITS: The preparation of this material was financed under an agreement with the Connecticut Council on Developmental Disabilities (CTCDD). CASY Sparks membership and events are free. CASY Sparks is sponsored in part by The Daniel Jordan Fiddle Foundation Adult Autism Research Fund and Dr. Roger Jou https://www.youtube.com/c/DrRogerJou
Hey everyone! I've been really struck by the vital conversations happening around neurodiversity lately, especially after learning about the insights Sierra Hicks and Rebecca McCabe shared at the Cultural Autism Studies at Yale (CASY) virtual event. It truly made me think about how we can all contribute to creating genuinely inclusive spaces for marginalized neurodivergent communities. For many of us who are neurodivergent, there’s a concept called 'neurodivergent inertia' that deeply impacts daily life. It’s not laziness, but a real challenge in initiating or switching tasks, even when we want to. This inertia can be incredibly frustrating and often misunderstood. Imagine knowing exactly what you need to do, but feeling an invisible wall preventing you from starting, or getting stuck on one task for hours. Understanding this, as Sierra Hicks and Rebecca McCabe advocate, is crucial for designing truly supportive environments. Instead of expecting neurodivergent individuals to simply 'power through,' we need systems that accommodate these differences, recognizing that traditional setups often aren't 'grounded' in neurodivergent realities. This is why discussions about ethical frameworks, like those supported by CTCDD and CASY Sparks for events like the one promoted on the event poster featuring our speakers, are so important – they help us build bridges of understanding. The neurodivergent community is incredibly diverse. We often hear about different facets of autism, sometimes informally referred to as 'altism,' and discussions range across the entire spectrum. While there might be calls for bodies like a 'national council severe autism,' the truth is, a singular approach often overlooks the unique needs and cultural contexts of various autistic individuals. The work Sierra Hicks does, focusing on BIPOC & Neurodivergent student experiences, highlights this beautifully. It’s about recognizing intersectionality – how race, culture, and neurotype intertwine to shape someone’s experience. Just as the speakers discussed, dispelling notions of Western Science objectivity is key to truly hearing and respecting these diverse 'autistic voices.' We need to ensure our engagement protocols are culturally appropriate and community-led, not just top-down directives. This leads directly to the core message of culturally-appropriate engagement. It’s not enough to simply include neurodivergent individuals; we must engage them ethically, respectfully, and on their own terms. This means decolonizing our understanding of neurodivergence, moving away from deficit-based models, and embracing neurodiversity as a natural variation of the human brain. The call to transform university systems to 'bake in' ethical frameworks, from funding to IRB protocols, is a powerful one. It ensures that research and support initiatives are truly beneficial and non-exploitative. Thinking about the virtual event that was announced for a specific event date and time, it’s heartening to see initiatives like CASY creating platforms for these critical conversations. They are helping to build a future where neurodivergent individuals, across all communities, are genuinely empowered and their contributions valued.
