Neurodivergent people deviate from the norms of the dominant society in terms of sensory processing, focus, and social needs. Yet universities have always been neurodiverse places - places where people with very different cognitive and social styles come together. Academic structures typically have a love-hate relationship with neurodivergent individuals: Their "creative" ways of thinking are sometimes celebrated as genius, sometimes devalued, their hyperfocus is found sometimes inspiring, sometimes too obsessive. A common coping mechanism for neurodivergent individuals is "masking" - a cognitively exhausting over-adaptation to the neuronormative environment. As a result, neurodivergent academics often remain invisible and don’t (feel safe to) communicate their needs. This talk is aimed at both neurodivergent researchers and their neurotypical colleagues. It discusses, among other things, the following questions:
