There are two sides to Vanderbilt’s treatment of neurodiversity - cultural and institutional. For the movement to create change at Vanderbilt, it must be addressed from both angles.

The first half of the equation is focused on campus culture, as we try to make Vanderbilt a place that’s supportive of self-identification. Stassun and Beasley both compared the new conversation about neurodiversity to the ongoing one about LGBTQI+ acceptance.

“Sexual orientation is another non-visible aspect identity… but we’ve decided as a university that it is a form of human diversity that we want to welcome and celebrate,” Stassun said. “There are supports, it’s a community. So, as a result of those things you actually see more and more of those students with diverse sexual orientations or gender identities self-identifying.”

Beasley explained that while many people think they may not know anyone who identifies as LGBTQI+, they most likely do, and that individual just may not be out. She said, “When I was growing up, there was such a stigma against that, and I’m so happy that that’s gone. And I think there are some parallels there.”

Stassun explained that true support of neurodivergent people must go beyond educational accommodations.

“The Women’s Center, our LGBT programs and spaces - those don’t exist for compliance reasons, they exist because we actually want to create welcoming spaces for people from different groups,” he said.

Beasley suggests that you “put yourself in situations where you’re with people who have some type of difference from you, whether it is neurodiversity-based difference or a physical difference” in order to better understand those differences.

Share this Story