Did you know that 13th – 19th March is Neurodiversity Celebration Week?
To mark the occasion, our Communications and Engagement Officer Sarah went along to Middlesex University for a day of celebrating neurodiversity!
The day was packed full of interesting talks, performances and discussions from members of the neurodivergent Middlesex University community and the wider Barnet area.
Highlights of the day included a performance from the inclusive theatre company Chickenshed, where their students shared what it was like to experience neurodivergence in their everyday lives.
Another highlight was the Q&A with comedian Ria Lina, who was diagnosed with autism as an adult and has since gone on the journey to figure out what that means to her identity.
She spoke on the difficulty of getting an autism diagnosis as a woman, with female-presenting autism often having different symptoms than what we tend to think of.
The university said that the day was “An opportunity to learn about and celebrate the unique strengths and perspectives of individuals with neurological differences, such as autism, ADHD, dyslexia and more.”
Inclusion Barnet held a stall and enjoyed chatting with attendees about their experience of neurodiversity, and discussing how we may be able to support them.
It was great to see some other local and national organisations there, including…
- Resources for Autism: providing person-centred support to autistic people and their families
- Posturite: creating ergonomic assistive technology to support disabled people at work and at home
- Sapphire Community Group: London based foundation that provides mentoring, coaching, entertainment and workshops to young people.
Overall, it was a really positive day, celebrating the different perspectives that all of us can bring to the table.
It was exciting to see that the university was treating this as a starting point for discussing neurodiversity, making the festival an annual event, so that Middlesex can become a really welcoming place for neurodivergent students.