We are looking forward to seeing you at our in-person workshop! Below is a tentative schedule. Please note that all sessions include interactive components to facilitate discussion and networking.
| Day 1 - Thursday, May 30, 2024 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Time | Event | Room |
| 9:00am-12:00pm | Neurodivergent Researchers Pre-Conference Workshop
Invitation Only |
2309 |
| 12:00pm | Lunch and Check-in | 2212 2309 (quiet room) |
| 1:00pm | Welcome | 2204/2208 |
| 1:30-2:15 | Keynote
We are Not Hard to Reach: Engaging the African
American Autism Community in Research to Improve
Outcomes
Dr. Allysa Ware |
2204/2208 |
| 2:15-3:15 | Panel 1: Research Representative of the Diversity of Experiences and Identities within the Community | 2204/2208 |
| 3:15-3:30 | Break | |
| 3:30-4:45 | Paper Session 1 (parallel sessions) | |
| Room 1: Demonstrating Impact and Leader Perspective | 2309 | |
| Room 2: Inclusion and Supports in Education and Beyond to Improve Representation and Impact | 2212 | |
| Evening | Conference Dinner | |
| Day 2 - Friday, May 31, 2024 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Time | Event | Room |
| 9:00-10:00 | Panel 2: Translatable research: How can researchers engage employers and providers to improve impact? | 2204/2208 |
| 10:00-10:15 | Break | |
| 10:15-11:25 | Paper Session 2 (parallel sessions) | |
| Room 1: Experiences of neurodivergent people in employment | 2309 | |
| Room 2: Transforming Job Seeking and Supports for Greater Representation and Impact | 2212 | |
| 11:30-12:30 | World Cafe: Novel Approaches to Preparation | 2204, 2212, 2309 |
| 12:30-1:30 |
Lunch Birds of a Feather |
2212, 2309 (quiet room) |
| 1:30-2:30 | Panel 3: Centering Neurodivergence | 2204/2208 |
| 2:30-2:45 | Break | |
| 2:45-3:00 | Ecosystem Stakeholders Roundtable Discussions | |
| 3:00-3:15 | Break | |
| 3:15-4:15 | Panel 4: Pursuing Funding | 2204/2208 |
| 4:15-5:00 | Concluding Discussion Closing |
2204/2208 |
| Day 1 - Thursday, May 30, 2024 | |
|---|---|
| Paper Session 1 Room 1 |
Hala Annabi, Elizabeth Follmer, Jennifer Mankoff and Scott Bellman. SEEN Tech Professionals: Success Enablers that Empower Neurodivergent Technology Professionals |
| Susan Hayward, Claire Brown and Jennifer Spoor. How to engage employers in autism employment research | |
| Walker Ray Dornisch and Judy Reilly. Adopting black dogs: the lived experiences of corporate neurodiversity program leaders and the business case for neurodiversity at work | |
| Brooke Wilken, Teresa Thomas and Maggie Houck. The Neurodiverse Federal Workforce Pilot Program: A Quantitative Evaluation | |
| Christine Moeller and Hala Annabi. Neurodivergent Supervisors Leading Change in Libraries | |
| Paper Session 1 Room 2 |
Eleanor Loiacono and Heartley Huber. Exploring Effective Approaches to Learning Disabilities in Employment: An Analytical Review |
| Jennifer Wessel, Alexander Williams, Dawn Culpepper, Grace Daley, Kathryn Dow-Burger, Nancy Forsythe, Shevaun Lewis, Precious McQuade, Elizabeth Redcay and Elizabeth Robinson. Promoting Autism Inclusion and Representation in STEM: A Faculty Training | |
| Rachel Bonnette, Samuel Abramovich, Gregory Fabiano, Adrienne Decker, Valerie Sullivan and Hannah Alexandre. Alignment and Misalignment: Critical Differences in the Way That Instructors and Students Perceive Support for Neurodiversity in Undergraduate Computer Science Education | |
| Jamie Ahrens Nadjari. Removing Barriers: A Multifaceted Approach to Supporting Neurodivergent Individuals Experiencing Executive Function Challenges in the Workplace |
| Day 2 - Friday, May 31, 2024 | |
|---|---|
| Paper Session 2 Room 1 |
Walker Ray Dornisch. Disability identity development of neurodivergent employees participating in specialist coaching: a longitudinal interpretative phenomenological analysis |
| Elizabeth Follmer. Understanding Person-Environment Misfit through the Lens of Neurodiversity | |
| Michelle Checketts. Navigating the Duality of Autism in the Workplace: Understanding the Lived Experiences of Autistic Professionals | |
| Tiffany Jameson. A Person-Centered Workplace Framework: Research in Progress | |
| Paper Session 2 Room 2 |
Elizabeth Garrison, Stephen MacNeil, Matt Tincani, Donald A. Hantula and Slobodan Vucetic. Exploring the Use of a Virtual Interview Coach to Support Job Seekers with Autism Learn Interview Skills |
| Niloofar Kalantari, Jeongjin Kim, Sarah Marie Wittman and Vivian Genaro Motti. Including Neurodivergent Voices through Probing Interviews: A Methodological Approach to Enhance Hiring Practices | |
| Niloofar Kalantari, Jeongjin Kim, Sarah Marie Wittman and Vivian Genaro Motti. Bridging Human Insight and AI: A Comparative Study of Neurodivergent Workplace Experiences through Large Language Models and Manual Coding | |
| Sungsoo Ray Hong, Marcos Zampieri, Brittany Hand, Vivian Motti, Dongjun Chung and Ozlem Uzuner. Collaborative Design for Job-Seekers with Autism: A Conceptual Framework for Future Research | |
| World Cafe | Keivan Stassun, Erik Brenner and Judith Reilly. The Autism Self-advocacy Center for Equity and Neurodiversity in Engineering (A-SCENE): Proposed Research Questions Pertaining to Student Academic Success, Experiential Learning, and Employment |
| Nancy Forsythe and Kathryn Dow-Burger. Proposal: The Neurodiversity Lab at the University of Maryland | |
| Savannah Jerome-Solbakken, Beth Rosenberg and Haley Shibble. Can acquiring specific foundational career readiness skills through work-based learning programs enhance employment opportunities and retention for autistic individuals? |
Allysa Ware, PhD, MSW, is the Executive Director of Family Voices. She is a family leader and researcher with extensive experience in strategic planning, family engagement, grant writing, human relations, and systems change, and she believes strongly in family and community leadership in developing solutions and improving systems.
Dr. Ware's research is focused on the lived experience of individuals and families with an autism diagnosis. Her commitment to advocacy for individuals on the autism spectrum began with her personal experience as a parent and expanded through her practice as a social worker. She became increasingly frustrated with pushing families toward ineffective and inaccessible systems and made it her mission to help improve these systems with a goal of improving the overall functioning of children and youth with special health care needs and their families.
In addition to contributing to numerous academic journals, including Pediatrics, Children and Youth Services Review, Advances in Social Work, Health Policy, and Academic Pediatrics, Dr. Ware was recognized in 2022 with the Researcher Award for Milestones Autism Resources, an Ohio-based nonprofit organization that provides lifelong strategies and support for individuals on the autism spectrum. She has collaborated with notable researchers to conduct in-depth research on kinship care, transition to adult care, and early childhood systems.
Dr. Ware is the principal investigator on several initiatives at Family Voices, including a PCORI Eugene Washington Engagement Award for building capacity for autism research in the African American community; the ACL-funded Center for Transition to Adult Care for Youth with Disabilities; and Pediatrics Supporting Parents, an early childhood social-emotional development initiative.
Dr. Ware holds a BA in Psychology from University of Maryland Global Campus and a master's and PhD in social work from The Catholic University of America. She is based in Euclid, Ohio and enjoys board games, shopping, and reading. She's an immensely proud mother of an autistic young adult daughter who is majoring in music performance.
Above all, she wants to ensure that the wellbeing of children and families are at the heart of all she does.
The Celebration Dinner will be held at the University of Maryland's Adele H. Stamp Student Union Grand Ballroom from 6-8pm.
This is one of the largest and elegant reception halls in the College Park area.
Along with the buffet-style meal, there will be a jazz musician and percussionist performing separately
(in the background), a SuperHero photo booth, and Zenaviv digital art gallery.
Directions to Adele H. Stamp Student Union: 3972 Campus Dr., College Park, MD 20742