Division of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging

I wish that the people I work with would stop acting like everything I do in a way that is different than the way they expect it to be done is somehow necessarily wrong. 

It's the way I do things. The way I think about things. I get to the same place they do. I just take another path there. I shoudln't have to do things in only one way if what I do, I do well. 

- Staff Member

It can be hard to describe how exactly it feels to work in higher ed as someone who is neurodivergent. In some ways, it can be wonderful, as I am surrounded by a community that is both aware and fairly well equipped with sufficient language to help navigate challenges. However, I still experience so many instances of being made to feel that I am less capable, less hard-working, and less dedicated to what I do because others struggle to reconcile that something easy or obvious to them isn't to me. I spend so much time and effort reformatting and translating the world into something I can work with. I exist in an intricate web of "tips, tricks, and hacks," coping mechanisms, and contingency plans. I regularly joke that I only seem normal because "I've mentally straight-jacketed myself into the shape of a functional adult." Sometimes I dream about how much more I could accomplish, how much more positively others would view me if I didn't have to expend so much of my energy just trying to squeeze into a mold that will never actually fit.

- Staff Member

I am the proud parent of a bright young man who is autistic. He is a part-time college student with two part-time volunteer internships obtained through people and organizations who have known and supported him. He is a talented musician and has many interests.

I feel lucky to have had a supportive community of fellow parents, teachers, and therapists who have helped our family to support him. Yet, while I see what a strong contributor he is in his internships, I worry that he will be limited in finding long-term gainful employment due to his disability, or really to how people react. The workplace can be a complicated social and political environment as it is. I hope future supervisors understand that he brings many strengths and deep caring to his work. Patience and mentoring with the challenges will go a long way, but will it be enough?

- Staff Member/Ally/Family Member

When I was a student, a professor told me that he was grading me down because I was "distracting." My work was good, excellent even. But I myself was a problem and needed to be penalized. And that's what he did. (I did complain.)

I don't know if it was my ADHD or my being autistic that bothered him most. I don't know if my fellow students were at all bothered by me-by my existence! But I know I was devastated and never recovered. And I know that I was sure that I would encounter this same attitude in the workplace. I have. But not always to the same extent. Sadly, to protect myself from despair and rejection I often take evasive action, meaning I avoid situations where I think people will react badly to me being me. I try to work in a very separated space and found a job with little interaction with others. But I want to be around people. I hate this and know it's deeply unfair. I do what I have to to stay alive and make do.

- Current Staff

If I were to have a seizure at work, I wouldn't be able to count on anyone knowing seizure first aid, and would have to hope that the 2 trusted colleagues I talked to about what to do happened to be nearby.

If seizure first aid training were more readily available on campus, it would not only help faculty/students/staff feel safe keeping their epilepsy diagnosis private (if that was their preference) but would also help counteract the outdated/incorrect ideas many people have about what to do when someone is having a seizure. Without this knowledge, a well meaning bystander could try to help and make the person having a seizure less safe. I hope that Brandeis will consider providing this important training/information. 1 in 10 people will have a seizure in their lifetime so this is vital information for everyone to learn.

- Faculty

I didn't find out that I had ADHD until I was an adult with a fully established sense of self-doubt. Getting diagnosed didn't change much, it just gives me an explanation for the constant feeling of being not-quite-right. Medication helps, but it's not perfect. Office days are always the most difficult, but I try to find solutions, like listening to music to block out the distractions, coming in early to get an hour or so of alone-time, and avoiding social gatherings to prevent the sensory overwhelm. Driving is also a major fear of mine, because any lapse in focus could be fatal. It takes about a day to recover my energy after going to the office, more if there's a big event. I don't tell anyone about my ADHD due to the negative responses I've gotten in the past: "everyone is a little ADHD!," "just sounds like laziness to me," "didn't you know that ADHD is just a TikTok trend?" This has led to me hiding myself under a veneer of anxious perfectionism, because I have to be perfect or everyone will KNOW. I don't seek out social relationships because I might slip and impulsively say something that will out me, or I will excitedly interrupt and be seen as rude. It's better to be alone than face the stigma.

- Staff

Once again, it comes down to INCLUSION.

We all have to be open to thinking about things differently, pacing and organizing our work in various ways, and being RESPECTFUL.

Sometimes, you get to see something in a new way.

After all, we're all working toward the same goal - getting the job done, enjoying our work, and feeling successful.

- Staff