By Vanessa Shehu, Secretary & Staff Writer; and Sophie Greer, Carlee Warfield and Sophia Malatesta, Contributing Writers
Introducing EnAble and the Neurodiversity Movement:
Bi-Co EnAble is a community of neurodivergent students at Bryn Mawr and Haverford Colleges whose vision is to provide support to neurodivergent students and to advocate for accessibility services and disability issues on campus. Our official mission statement states:
“EnAble is a Bi-Co club made by, for, and of neurodivergent students. We support & empower the neurodivergent community at Bryn Mawr & Haverford Colleges and raise awareness of disability issues on our campuses.”
EnAble also seeks to educate the Bi-Co about the richness neurodiversity brings to our larger community. Nevertheless, some of our peers may be wondering, “What exactly does neurodiversity entail? What does it mean to be neurodivergent?”
Neurodivergence is the state of being neurodivergent, which can refer to an emotional, cognitive, learning, mental and/or developmental condition, disability or other difference. Neurodivergent conditions include autism, dyslexia, anxiety, depression, OCD, ADHD, dyspraxia, Tourette’s and more. Legault et al. (2021) poignantly describes neurodivergence as “belong[ing] to a normative vocabulary.” The norm at hand is that of neurotypical cognition. This norm has historically placed neuroatypical individuals on the margins. Today, however, we stake proud claim to this label to find commonality in experience and build inclusive communities.
Neurodiversity is a term that describes the natural variation or diversity of neurological or neurocognitive profiles among human beings. The Australian sociologist Judy Singer is generally credited for popularizing this term in the 1990s. This concept of neurodiversity has been instrumental in the modern movement for autism advocacy, and it has expanded to include the advocacy of several other groups, including people with ADHD, learning disabilities and Tourette’s. A fundamental quality of neurodiversity is that it removes a pathologizing stigma from neurodivergent individuals and instead emphasizes that the neurodivergent brain is simply a product of natural human diversity, akin to the neurotypical brain.
Neurodivergent students are important members of the Bi-College community. We bring to the table innovative ideas, unique patterns of thinking, resilience, a history of advocacy for social welfare and equity and empathy for our fellow human beings. These latter two points are of particular importance: neurodiversity is a growing movement which posits that neurological and cognitive diversity benefit society. The mission of EnAble is rooted in this philosophy, and growing research in the fields of neurology, cognitive science and psychology endorse the advantages of neurodiverse individuals in society, in parallel with the advantages of their neurotypical counterparts (Leadbitter et al., 2020; Austin and Pisano, 2017).
The Role of EnAble at Bryn Mawr and Haverford:
EnAble welcomes students from diverse backgrounds who identify with the spectrum of neurodivergence or who want to learn more about our cause. Through EnAble, students will find a community of peers that listens intently, whether it be in celebrating the gifts of neurodivergence or sharing frustrations and challenges of life in a society which so often caters to a neurotypical schema. We also welcome students with loved ones on the neurodivergent spectrum who wish to better understand neurodivergent experiences and grow in their allyship.
We meet weekly at Bryn Mawr College on Sundays in the New Dorm 3rd floor common room and discuss matters important to us. Students are also able to attend virtually through Zoom. In addition to general meetings, we host special events like sensory nights and partner with similar clubs in the Bi-Co to host events like movie nights. Ultimately, our goal is to contribute to a Bi-Co community which is more accessible and inclusive in general.
Ongoing Advocacy—What we are actively trying to achieve in the Bi-Co
Sensory overstimulation is a challenge experienced by many neurodivergent individuals, especially those on the autism spectrum. When faced with excessive sensory input, such as bright lights, loud noise or an array of smells, individuals with sensory sensitivities may experience an array of debilitating symptoms like anxiety, panic and extreme irritability.
After discussing inaccessibility at Bryn Mawr during one of our first meetings, we knew that one of our most pressing goals would be changing the environment of Erdman Dining Hall. We unanimously concluded that the chairs created a hostile sensory environment, as their loud scraping against the tile invokes negative response in neurodivergent and neurotypical students alike.
We decided to remedy this issue by putting socks on the bottom of the chair legs. We did some research and found a few products that looked good, and bought one pack to test them out. They worked incredibly well—they silenced the chair we put them on and stayed on the chair legs. Erdman Dining management graciously offered to pay for chair stoppers that would reduce their sound output. As stated, this campaign benefits the entire student body, and we are so proud and happy that it was a success!
Additionally, EnAble looks forward to publicizing a “Guide to Navigating Bryn Mawr’s Access Services Department,” which was made during the 2020–21 school year by a few other disability advocacy groups. The guide is finished and is being reviewed by Bryn Mawr College now, and we will circulate it as soon as we can.
EnAble was founded in 2016 and was revived in January 2021 after the club went inactive earlier on during the pandemic. Spring 2021 was more of a trial semester, but we hit our stride in fall 2021. This past semester, we created a club website, complete with FAQ, Key Terms, Advocacy and Resources pages. We also revamped our Instagram account, @bmcenable. Our website has many other perks, including links to download Google Chrome extensions that can make reading text online easier for people with ADHD and dyslexia, but that may be useful to anyone. We successfully saw our campaign to quiet the chairs in Erdman through to completion (and are grateful for Bryn Mawr College’s Dining Services’ help). We also held a fidget toy event, in which attendees could come take fidget toys—especially helpful for finals stress—and discuss fidgeting and finals in an amicable, laid-back setting. This fidget toy event was our last meeting of the semester and it was our most popular, drawing upwards of 25 people! Additionally, we hosted weekly meetings in which attendees could discuss each week’s theme in an informal setting with like-minded people. Themes included “neurodivergence and productivity,” “neurodivergence and processing emotions,” and “neurodivergence and friendships.” We are so happy to have had the opportunity to be a safe space and a community for so many people, and look forward to accomplishing even more in the spring of 2022 and beyond!
If you would like to be added to our email list, please email enablebrynmawr@gmail.com or visit our website.
Image credit: Vanessa Shehu. Pictured: EnAble club members at a meeting in January 2022.
