In honor of the 34th anniversary of the passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Duke Graduate School highlighted some of the exciting, ongoing work of students, faculty, and staff as it relates to disability in the article, “Dimensions of Disability at Duke: Academics, Advocacy, Community, and Culture.”
Sam Brandsen, PhD, a research analyst with Duke Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, and psychiatrist Tara Chandrasekhar, MD, were featured in the article.
Disability Inclusion and Community Empowerment
Brandsen co-chairs the newly-launched Disability Inclusion and Community Empowerment affinity group (DICE) with William Malcolm, MD, a professor of pediatrics. Focused primarily on accessibility at Duke as an institution of higher education, DICE serves staff and faculty across Duke University and Duke University Health System.
Brandsen, who started at Duke as a PhD student in physics, is committed to autism advocacy and inclusion. He now works at the Duke Center for Autism and Brain Development, studying quality of life in neurodivergent individuals.
“Having a general sense of community can be incredibly helpful—it can be the difference between feeling that you have permission to exist in a workplace or place of study versus feeling like you truly belong and are welcome.”
— Sam Brandsen, PhD
Duke Neurodiversity Connections
In addition to her research and clinical work primarily in the area of autism and leadership of the child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship, Chandrasekhar is deeply involved with Duke Neurodiversity Connections, a group she helped establish a few years ago.
Neurodiversity Connections provides trainings for faculty and staff, creates materials focused on using principles of universal design in the classroom, supports sensory-friendly events and spaces on campus, and hosts career events.
“I worked at Counseling & Psychological Services for seven years, which is really where I saw the need to have more conversations about neurodivergent students. With Neurodiversity Connections, we’re at a point now where we’re trying to formalize the work and make sure it’s available to undergraduate, graduate, and professional students.”
— Tara Chandrasekhar, MD
Read the full article on the Duke Graduate School website to learn more about Brandsen’s and Chandrasekhar’s work in the areas of disability and neurodiversity—and the disability advocacy of many others across Duke.