With registration starting this week we’ll have seniors speak about which spring 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 firstha

This Tuesday join DNA  for a meeting on how the nervous system, digestion, and neurodivergence are all connected. We’ll explore: The “second brain” in your gut and how it affects focus and mood Why neurodivergent and chronically ill people often experience GI issues How anxiety, meds, and sensory sensitivities affect eating Gentle nutrition and realistic care for unpredictable bodies We will meet in Rueben Cooke at 7PM like always!

For many of us, fatigue isn’t about being tired — it’s about our bodies running on flight or fight .Join DNA  for a conversation on how neuroimmune conditions like lupus, POTS, or long COVID shape cognition, energy, and mood — and why they deserve a place in the neurodiversity conversation. We’ll discuss: How the immune system impacts the brain What chronic fatigue really feels like (and why rest doesn’t always help) The emotional toll of “fluctuating disability” How to pace

Ever reread the same page five times and still not absorb it? You’re not alone.Join the Duke Neurodiversity Advocates (DNA)  for a discussion on “brain fog” — what it is, why it happens, and how to study when your brain just won’t cooperate. We’ll explore: The science behind cognitive fatigue and inflammation Low-energy study methods and pacing strategies How to communicate with professors when you’re struggling to focus Letting go of guilt around productivity

No GBM this Thursday! Enjoy your halloweekend!

Last year, we opened an honest conversation about Duke’s attendance and withdrawal policies — and how they often fail students living with chronic illness and neurodivergence.This year, we’re expanding that discussion. Join the Duke Neurodiversity Advocates (DNA) for a student-led forum on the systemic barriers that still make Duke an inaccessible place for many disabled, chronically ill, and neurodivergent students. Because accessibility isn’t just about extra time on tests

Have a good Fall Break guys!

This week, the Duke Neurodiversity Advocates (DNA)  are teaming up with the Student Disability Access Office (SDAO)  for an open conversation about accessibility on campus — what’s working, what isn’t, and how we can build a more neurodivergent-friendly Duke together. Too often, accessibility is talked about  rather than with  the people it affects. This meeting flips that script. SDAO staff will begin by briefly outlining what services and accommodations they provide — testi

This week, we’re bringing back one of our favorite meetings — the Peer Resource Swap!  This is an open, collaborative session where members share the tools, apps, habits, and strategies that make college life a little easier for neurodivergent and chronically ill students. Come ready to show or talk about: Your favorite study or organization tool (digital or paper). The best note-taking or focus trick you’ve discovered. Helpful campus resources, accessibility hacks, or routin

We’re so excited to welcome We’re thrilled to welcome Lisa Jurecic, LCSW back to the Duke Neurodiversity Advocates (DNA)  for another conversation on how neurodivergent people adapt, rebuild, and grow in a world not designed for them. Last time, Lisa helped us unpack what neurodiversity really means . This time, she’s diving deeper — exploring resilience : not the “push through it” kind, but the quiet, creative kind that neurodivergent minds use to survive and thrive. We’ll t

Join DNA for a panel featuring neurodivergent Duke seniors  who will share what it’s really been like to navigate Duke with learning differences, chronic illnesses, and diverse brains. From getting accommodations (or struggling to), to finding supportive professors, to unlearning perfectionism and finding belonging — this panel will explore the real story  behind success as a neurodivergent student. Our seniors will talk about: How their understanding of neurodivergence has

The biggest obstacle for many neurodivergent students isn’t the coursework — it’s the people in charge of it. Join the Duke Neurodiversity Advocates (DNA)  for a deep dive into the power dynamics  that shape neurodivergent experiences in higher education. Drawing from a recent study published in MDPI , we’ll discuss how faculty knowledge, attitudes, and classroom practices  can either empower or marginalize neurodivergent students — and what real allyship in academia looks li

Like every semester we are going to have a meeting about what Neurodiversity is for all our new members. We’ll unpack how this term connects to so many brain–body conditions that shape thinking, attention, movement, and sensory experience — including dyslexia, Tourette’s, epilepsy, migraines, POTS, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, OCD, traumatic brain injury, seizure disorders, chronic pain, and more. For many people, neurodivergence isn’t a label they were born with — it’s something

Join the Duke Neurodiversity Advocates (DNA) for an open, supportive group discussion about what it means to live with  a learning difference or chronic disability. This isn’t a lecture or workshop — it’s a safe, judgment-free space to talk about daily life, coping, identity, and the complicated emotions that come with having a brain or body that doesn’t always cooperate. Whether you have dyslexia, dyscalculia, EDS, POTS, migraines, post-concussive symptoms, or any condition

Hey everyone,This week’s DNA meeting is going to be a little different — I’ll be leading it myself. I want to talk about something that doesn’t get said enough: what it’s like to live with ADHD when you spend years not knowing, and what happens when the “solution” doesn’t actually feel like help. I wasn’t diagnosed until college, after years of thinking I was just lazy, forgetful, or broken. Getting that label was a relief — it finally made sense why my brain works the way it

Hi everyone! As you know Devon Tonneson, DNA's President, is studying abroad this semester. Thus I will be leading meetings this semester! Our First GBM will be next Tuesday 9/17. All our meetings are in Rueben Cooke, Room 207, at 7 PM. If you haven't already please fill out the interest form  to be added to our mailing list and groupME.

Happy Final. Like every semester DNA will be providing quiet co-working hours again on Tuesday and Thursday from 7-10PM in our usual room (Rueben Cook, Rm 207). If you have never attended a co-working hours before read below: Co-working hours provides a low-stimulus environment — soft lighting, minimal background noise, and built-in timed breaks — to help you stay productive. Bring anything you’re working on: papers, readings, problem sets, or planning your study schedule. DN

Happy last week of classes! Finals start in 7 days. So like every semester DNA will be providing quiet co-working hours on Tuesday and Thursday from 7-10PM in our usual room (Rueben Cook, Rm 207). If you have never attended a co-working hours before read below: Co-working hours provides a low-stimulus environment  — soft lighting, minimal background noise, and built-in timed breaks — to help you stay productive. Bring anything you’re working on: papers, readings, problem sets

Remote and hybrid learning promised flexibility — but for many neurodivergent students, it brought a new wave of challenges. Join the Duke Neurodiversity Advocates (DNA)  for a discussion on how environmental and situational factors  in online and hybrid learning environments intersect with neurodivergence. From sensory overload and Zoom fatigue to executive dysfunction and unpredictable home distractions, we’ll unpack how digital spaces can both help and hinder neurodivergen

Join the Duke Neurodiversity Advocates (DNA)  for a lecture on the often-overlooked vestibular and visual consequences of concussion  — how untreated balance, eye-tracking, and sensory issues can quietly derail recovery and lead to years of brain fog, nausea, migraines, and focus problems. Many who live with post-concussive symptoms are never told that their dizziness or headaches aren’t psychological — they’re neurological, and treatable. We’ll explore: What really happens i

Join the Duke Neurodiversity Advocates (DNA)  for a conversation on what happens when the brain changes after trauma — from concussions and accidents to medical events like strokes or seizures. We’ll unpack how recovery isn’t always a return to “normal,” and why post-injury cognition, emotion, and sensory processing deserve a place in neurodiversity conversations. Many students and athletes live with the lingering cognitive effects of TBI, concussion, or neurological injury  

We often talk about the challenges of being neurodivergent — but what about the strengths that come with it? Join the Duke Neurodiversity Advocates (DNA)  for a conversation about the ways neurodivergent people bring unique creativity, focus, and problem-solving skills  to fields that weren’t designed for them — from conservation biology and computer science to design, art, and policy. We’ll explore how traits like hyperfocus, pattern recognition, and deep curiosity  — often

The Duke Neurodiversity Advocates (DNA)  are thrilled to welcome Susan Gingras Fitzell, M.Ed., CSP  — a nationally recognized educator, author, and consultant who has spent over 25 years helping students and professionals with diverse learning profiles thrive. Susan’s work focuses on neurodiversity beyond the usual headlines  — exploring how conditions like dyslexia, dyscalculia, auditory processing differences, and working-memory challenges  shape how people learn, collabora

Like every semester we are teaming up with ARC  for a hands-on session focused on practical accessibility tools  that make studying and test-taking more manageable. ARC staff will demo and distribute gadgets that support focus, comfort, and sensory regulation — including accessible keyboards, fidgets, noise-reducing headphones, and more. We’ll also talk about: How to identify which tools match your specific learning needs. Ways to incorporate assistive devices into everyday s