College students who are neurodivergent face many challenges that might easily be pigeonholed into cognitive issues; but the range of challenges is quite broad, as many struggle with anxiety, depression, and social isolation, which can lead to leaves of absence, academic and personal setbacks, and even self-harm. Understanding some of these adjacent socio-emotional aspects is a vital step in seeing these students as not just a collective diagnosis, but rather as individuals with both overlapping, and individual needs - and that a one-size approach of diagnoses, accommodations and compliance does not really fit all. What if we could reverse engineer this approach, and be less prescriptive and policy-bound? What if we could hear what their lived experiences are like as college students so that we can re-assess our institutional and individual approaches to supporting them?

This panel aims to center student experience as a starting point in devising how best to support neurodivergent populations, rather than as an afterthought. Panelists will share their personal stories of being current CUNY students or alum: how have their neurodivergent characteristics presented themselves; what supports have they received internally and/or externally; and what has worked for them, and what needs to be improved upon? By emphasizing and integrating student experience into the policies and services we provide, we can ultimately build stronger individuals, stronger institutions, and a stronger, more supportive community.

Additional Presenters: Morgan Dreher and Jullian Vera