The Mission

Hi, I’m Devon Tonneson, the founder of the Duke Neurodiversity Advocates (DNA). I started this group because I know firsthand what it means to learn differently. After 13 concussions, I was left with permanent eye-tracking difficulties and a slower processing speed. For me, getting through school has meant working two or three times harder than my peers just to reach the same level of understanding.

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But I’ve learned that intelligence isn’t something you’re simply born with—it’s something you grow through practice, persistence, and creativity. Succeeding both inside and outside the classroom wasn’t easy; it took years of testing out memorization strategies, new reading methods, and learning tools until I found what worked.

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I don’t want anyone else to have to navigate that process alone. That’s why I created DNA: a community where students can share what helps them, support each other, and prove that different ways of learning are just as powerful.

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DNA is a student-run space for anyone whose brain learns differently—ADHD, dyslexia, concussion recovery, processing speed differences, eye-tracking issues, and more. It's a community and resource center for those who learn differently from everyone else. 

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We have General Body Meetings every Monday and Thursday at 7 PM. Meetings are held in person in Rueben Cooke, Room 207. All major club announcements will be made via our groupMe. Please fill out the interest form to join.