The barriers that prevent neurodivergent students from having a successful college experience are almost too numerous to mention. Too often, the discussion about these challenges ignore the role that colleges themselves play in creating these barriers. The problem is not that students in the neurominority struggle to navigate the system; it's that the system wasn't designed with them in mind. This presentation will offer a framework through which to understand these barriers and steps that both individual students and institutions can take to simplify the complex processes for college entry and accommodations. To do so we will highlight three key barriers: understanding the college process, navigating the accommodations model, and accessing instruction in the college classroom. We will discuss how institutions can address these challenges through both supporting skill-building and systemic change. This must involve clarity of expectations, supporting students with the skills needed to meet those expectations, and reexamining these expectations to make college a more truly accessible experience.

Through concrete examples, we will offer strategies for making the hidden curriculum of college more explicit, shifting from a compliance-based approach to a culture of proactive access, and redesigning instructional and institutional practices through Universal Design for Learning (UDL). Participants will leave with practical approaches to rethinking college readiness, not as a question of whether students can adapt to existing structures, but as a shared responsibility to create environments where all students can thrive.

Additional Presenter: Brendan Wolff