Universal Design for Learning (UDL) , developed by David Rose and Anne Meyer at CAST , is an evidence-based framework that helps educators create flexible learning environments that accommodate diverse learners from the start (CAST, 2018; Hall et al., 2012). Rather than relying on individual accommodations after problems arise, UDL asks how courses themselves  can be designed for variation in attention, memory, motivation, and processing style - hallmarks of neurodiversity. T

If neurodiversity and disability are part of human variation, what does that mean for how we approach cure ? Should medicine always aim to normalize the brain and body - or should society change the conditions that make difference so hard to live with? In Part II  of our Philosophy of Disability  series, the Duke Neurodiversity Advocates (DNA)  will explore the ethics of cure, care, and value . We’ll ask how the push to “fix” difference can erase identity, and how the philoso

What is a normal mind  - and who gets to decide? For neurodivergent and chronically ill students, that question isn’t abstract; it shapes how we’re taught, treated, and understood. This week, the Duke Neurodiversity Advocates (DNA)  will begin a two-part series on the Philosophy of Disability , starting with a deep dive into how the concept of “normal” came to define our ideas of ability and intelligence. In Part I , we’ll look at how medicine, education, and culture have con

No Meeting on Thursday!

Every neurodivergent learner has their own system — a note-taking app that finally makes sense, a noise-canceling trick that helps with focus, or a planner layout that keeps deadlines manageable. This week, the Duke Neurodiversity Advocates (DNA)  are creating space to share those strategies with each other. Bring your best tools for organization, studying, time management, sensory regulation, or executive function — whether that’s an app, a Chrome extension, a physical gadg

With spring registration starting this week we’ll have seniors speak about which fall professors and classes are the most accommodating to learning differences like ADHD, dyslexia, visual processing disorders, slower processing speeds, and more. Some professors are more understanding and flexible than others — offering different assessment styles (like choosing between an exam or an essay for the final), recorded lectures, or e-book versions of required readings. Come hear fi

Many neurodivergent students — especially those with ADHD, dyslexia, or slower processing speed  — spend hours studying but still struggle to retain information the same way others do. But cognitive science has shown that how  we study matters more than how much . This week, the Duke Neurodiversity Advocates (DNA)  will explore the neuroscience of memory and the evidence behind different learning techniques. We’ll discuss what research says about spaced repetition, mind mapp