The university is a world not yet able to accommodate neurodiversity

By Sebastian Møller Bonde Larsen, 2/29/2024

Behind from the beginning

I enrolled in a Bachelor of Engineering in robotics last year and quickly realised that I couldn't keep up on the same terms as my fellow students. Today, almost six months after starting my studies, I have been diagnosed with both ADHD and autism. Getting an explanation of why I function the way I do has increased my awareness of the numerous challenges that I face on a daily basis while others do not. I started reflecting on these situations with other students in similar situations. These students all expressed that they did not feel seen or respected, as well as a shared experience of existing in a world which is not designed for atypical brains, and which consequently contains a long list of obstacles and problems.

Neglected and looked down upon

The lack of respect for diagnoses is almost more the rule than the exception. Authority figures neglect our problems throughout the educational system, and we are constantly met with a lack of understanding when we don't function well in standardised teaching situations. In that way, diagnoses are still a taboo and are still heavily stigmatised. For instance, one lecturer has directly stated that people with certain diagnoses would not succeed in the educational programme in which he was teaching. Many neurodivergent people therefore opt out of university even before enrolling; understandably, they are scared off by the currently unfolding situation regarding challenges in acquiring help and support at university due to a lack of understanding of the extent of their issues.

Pressured to opt out of the programme

As a result, all too often, neurodivergent people feel compelled to opt out of their programme. While the desire to study remains, the energy required to make it through the daily obstacle course is long gone. However, the possibility of getting help to overcome the many obstacles remains hidden behind a maze of websites, phone numbers and waiting times that no one really has any overview of. This makes it an impossible task to accomplish for people who already experience a basic daily lack of energy.

Extensive restructuring is necessary

More people are being diagnosed than ever before. We need to realise that brains are made up in significantly different ways. Such a diversity entails both strengths and complications that must be taken into account in order for everyone to be able to function in our shared society. Extensive restructuring is necessary, since the system we currently work in doesn't even come close to accommodating this large portion of the population.  Change takes time, but we won’t get started until the day we take all students seriously.