Celebrating Neurodiversity Week at Deakin Library
This week we’re celebrating Neurodiversity Celebration Week – a time to challenge stereotypes, expand our understanding and recognise the strengths and perspectives of neurodivergent people in our communities.
If you’d like to learn more about what’s happening across Deakin, this Deakin Life article offers a great overview of the week and why it matters.
Libraries, universities and workplaces all play an important role in creating environments where neurodivergent people can thrive. One way we can contribute is by learning from neurodivergent voices and engaging with research, lived experience and practical tools that help build more inclusive spaces.
At Deakin Library, we wanted to share some recommendations from our collections and beyond to explore this week.
Read
Our collections include a wide range of books written by neurodivergent authors, researchers and advocates, spanning memoir, research and critical scholarship.
- The year I met my brain: a travel companion for adults who have just found out they have ADHD – Matilda Boseley
- Late bloomer: how an autism diagnosis changed my life – Clem Bastow
- Neuroqueer heresies: notes on the neurodiversity paradigm, autistic empowerment, and postnormal possibilities – Nick Walker
- Authoring autism: on rhetoric and neurological queerness – Melanie Yergeau
- Someone like me: an anthology of non‑fiction
- Visual thinking: the hidden gifts of people who think in pictures, patterns and abstractions –Temple Grandin
- Empire of normality: neurodiversity and capitalism – Robert Chapman
- The reason I jump: one boy’s voice from the silence of autism – Naoki Higashida
- Unmasking autism: discovering the new faces of neurodiversity – Devon Price
- Communication and Teamwork Skills to Support Neurodiversity – Teagan Menhenett, Nick Milne, and Siva Krishnan
All titles are available via Deakin Library in print and/or ebook formats.
Research and perspectives
Beth Radulski’s work explores autistic masking and camouflaging the ways neurodivergent people navigate neurotypical expectations and includes both academic research and accessible online content (including TikTok videos).
- Conceptualising Autistic Masking, Camouflaging, and Neurotypical Privilege
- A Sociology of Autistic Masking and Camouflaging (PhD thesis)
You may also be interested in:
- Autistics at work: a practical guide
- We’re all neurodiverse: how to build a neurodiversity‑affirming future and challenge neuronormativity
Watch
ADCET webinar: Neurodiversity Paradigm 101 – Lessons from the movement for higher education
An introduction to the neurodiversity paradigm and what it means for universities and learning environments. Watch here.
ADCET webinar: “I feel like the University is not made for people like me” – Embedding neuro‑affirming practices and building a neurodiverse community in the Library
This webinar explores how libraries and institutions can embed neuro‑affirming practices and create more welcoming environments for neurodivergent students. Watch here.
Practical tools and good practice
There are also a range of practical resources that support accessibility and inclusive practice:
- Adjustments and being a Disability Confident Leader – Thomas Peach
- Explore options for converting text to audio, which many neurodivergent clients and others may find helpful.
- Explore options for using the OpenDyslexic font in some library ebooks
- Explore good practices for supporting neurodivergent staff developed by neurodivergent staff, like the Neurodiversity employment toolkit.
These resources highlight how relatively small adjustments can make a meaningful difference.
Community and professional networks
ANDPA – Alliance for Neurodiversity and Disability in GLAMR Professions Inc.
A professional network supporting neurodivergent and disabled people working across Galleries, Libraries, Archives, Museums and Records. Visit the ANDPA website to find out more.
Training for Deakin Staff
There is an online course on Understanding and Supporting Neurodivergent Students that staff can self-enrol in via the Staff Learning Portal.
The course provides practical insights into how neurodivergent students experience higher education and how inclusive approaches can be embedded in teaching and professional practice.
Celebrating neurodiversity this week and beyond
Neurodiversity Celebration Week is an opportunity not only to learn, but also to reflect on how our practices, spaces and systems can better support neurodivergent students, staff and community members.
By engaging with neurodivergent voices, challenging assumptions, and adopting inclusive practices, we can help create environments where more people feel welcomed, supported and able to belong.