1479 - NEURODIVERGENT BIPOC STUDENT EXPERIENCES & NEEDS STUDY

Session: P_D05S004 - Poster Session 4 - Division 5
AUTHORS:
Sadiq Aishat (Cornell University ~ Ithaca, New York ~ United States of America) , Hicks Sierra (Cornell University ~ Ithaca, New York ~ United States of America) , Mccabe Rebecca (Cornell University ~ Ithaca, New York ~ United States of America)
Abstract text:
Neurodivergent students consistently report greater marginalization than peers (McDowall and Kiseleva, 2024), with BIPOC individuals experiencing compounded vulnerabilities shaped by race, disability, and institutional culture. Although evidence is limited, students with ADHD display lower GPAs and higher attrition rates (Henning et al., 2021), and only 34% of students with disabilities graduate compared to 51% of nondisabled peers (Newman et al., 2011). Yet, intersections of race and neurodivergence remain underexplored. This knowledge gap hinders a systemic understanding of the issue, thereby ongoing campus organizing and administrative efforts to solve them. To address this gap, the Student Neurodiversity Alliance at Cornell (SNAC) and the Black Graduate and Professional Student Association (BGPSA) co-developed the BIPOC and Neurodivergent Student Experiences & Needs Survey. This community-based participatory mixed-methods study investigates how neurodivergent BIPOC (ND BIPOC) students navigate structural and cultural barriers in a predominantly white neurotypical academic environment. Over 500 students participated in Fall 2024. Quantitative measures included the Everyday Discrimination Scale (Williams, 1997) and the Sense of Belonging Scale (Hurtado & Carter, 2002). Qualitative data from 17 open-ended items were analyzed through inductive coding (Patton, 1990; Miles, Huberman, & Saldaña, 2013), examining barriers and facilitators to accommodation use and environmental accessibility. Emerging findings reveal: (i) ND BIPOC students report higher discrimination scores and lower belonging scores relative to white and neurotypical peers; (ii) Only 8.3% of respondents are formally registered with Student Disability Services, despite strong evidence of unmet need; (iii) Graduate and professional students accounted for 44% of respondents, underscoring that challenges extend beyond the undergraduate level. This project represents one of the largest studies to date documenting intersections of race and neurodivergence in higher education. Our study demonstrates that there are disparities in belonging, access, and institutional support, potentially indicating a need for additional and improved supports for neurodivergent students.