DIVERSE LAB
Our mission
Our mission at DiverseMinds is to bring awareness to the experiences and challenges of neurodivergent women. We do this through our magazine, various programs, and now, through contributing to research on neurodiversity in women. Our team developed this research question with feedback from the neurodiverse community and through discussion with our advisory board, and then actively reached out to researchers in the field. Our advisory board is composed of experts including therapists, coaches, influencers and researchers, many of whom have lived experiences in the field of neurodiversity from around the world. Our community perspective that was used to develop this project makes it unique, and can have direct implications for our community.
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Learning Access: an investigation into female students' experiences of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)-related accommodations in Ontario universities
What are the experiences and perceptions of gaining academic accommodations for Ontario undergraduate women with ADHD?
This research is for a semi-structured interviews that investigate the experiences of women with ADHD gaining accommodations.
Why we participate in this research
While ADHD is one of the most common reasons that undergraduate students seek academic accommodations, there is little research on how accommodations practices and systems are working for female students with ADHD. The team will be interviewing 30-35 female students who have looked for, received, or used academic accommodations related to ADHD in Ontario universities. These interviews will help us learn about the supports that have been working well, and where students have encountered barriers. Our research seeks to inform university administrators, educators, and accessibility service workers in creating more equitable and supportive systems. Findings will also be shared with the community of neurodivergent women through DiverseMinds magazine, to help people in navigating systems and advocating for themselves.
This research is funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Council of Canada (SSHRC) through the Partnership Engage Grant program (award 892-2023-0028). Collaborators on the project include Dr. Ami Tint (https://www.theredoak.ca/dr-ami-tint) and Dr. Virginie Cobigo at the University of Ottawa (https://web5.uottawa.ca/www2/mcs-smc/media/experts-details-iframe-998193...).
Interested in Participating
Are you a female undergraduate at an Ontario university? Have you ever looked for or used academic accommodations for ADHD (Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder)? We would like to hear from you!
We are recruiting participants for a research study involving online interviews about women’s experiences seeking, receiving, and using academic accommodations in Ontario universities. Interviews will last 60-90 minutes and participants will be remunerated for their time. Participants will receive a $50 gift card for DoorDash or Amazon in appreciation of their time. For more information or to express interest, please contact us at learning.access.study@gmail.com or visit:
https://uwaterloo.ca/scholar/m23gibso/learning-access.
This research has been funded through a Partnership Engage Grant from the Social Studies and Humanities Research Council of Canada, grant number # 892-2023-0028.
The principal investigator is Dr. Margaret Gibson, an Associate Professor in Social Work and Social Development Studies at Renison University College, affiliated with the University of Waterloo. This study has been reviewed by, and received ethics clearance through, a University of Waterloo Research Ethics Board, protocol #45643.
Lab managers
Adrianna Schmeichel
Adrianna is a recent Queen's University graduate where she studied psychology. In her time at Queen's Adrianna was the co-founder and co-president of the Get Psyched Club, a club aimed to bring together a community of students to discuss relevant topics in psychological research. She has also published an article for the Queen's Sexual Health Research Lab blog, on the topic of self-sexualization as empowerment and objectification in women.
Anna Coughlan
Anna is a 4th-year stsudent at the University of Toronto specializing in Psychology and Physiology. She advocates for neurodiversity awareness and promotes a more inclusive and tolerant school and workplace environment.
Collaborators
Dr. Meg Gibson
Principal Investigator
Meg is an associate professor in Social Development Studies and Social Work at Renison University College, University of Waterloo, Canada. Her scholarship and teaching focus on queer and trans studies, critical disability studies, social work, feminist research methods, and the history and philosophy of social services. Meg's current research explores several areas: the perspectives of Autistic people on "eloping" or departing suddenly from places; the ways in which different people understand and use "neurodiversity"; and the experiences of diverse parents (particularly 2SLGBTQ and/or disability-identified parents) in meeting the care and work responsibilities in their households – and how policy can best support them.
Ami Tint (CAMH)
Virginie Cobigo
Collaborator
Collaborator
Ami Tint, Ph.D. (York University), is a clinician scientist and clinical psychologist at the Azrieli Adult Neurodevelopmental Centre at CAMH. She completed her pre-doctoral residency at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital and a postdoctoral fellowship at CAMH. Dr. Tint’s research uses mixed methods to understand how to improve supports and services for people with neurodevelopmental conditions, with a particular focus on the mental health needs of Autistic girls and women. She studies program development and evaluation with the aim of improving equitable access to care for neurodivergent people. Dr. Tint strives to achieve meaningful community partnerships and engages in coproduced research to inform policy and clinical practice.
Dr. Virginie Cobigo obtained her PhD in Psychology from the Université du Québec à Montréal and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Public Health Sciences at Queen's University, Kingston, Canada. Virginie Cobigo leads research that supports evidence-based practice in sectors supporting persons with cognitive disabilities and aims to promote the social inclusion of persons with cognitive disabilities. Her research program encompasses three streams: 1) Examining how to best support the social inclusion of people with cognitive disabilities, and monitoring social inclusion barriers and facilitators 2) Developing and testing solutions for the cognitive accessibility of our environment, and 3) Fostering inclusive research approaches.