The Neurodivergent Student Union (NDSU) gathered in the Gavle rooms on Friday, Nov. 21, for their “Neurospice Season” fundraiser. As part of seniors Sarah Welker and Helena Smith’s disability capstone project, the event furthered the organization’s goal of reaching students who need a safe, judgment-free zone to unwind and unmask.
Students wandered between tables with fidget toys, raffle prizes, coloring pages, scrapbooking, self-help books, secondhand clothing and games like “Guess the Neurodivergent Celebrity!” SOAN Society x Yarn Club, Hey Jane(y) & Co. and the Thomas Tredway Library were also represented at the event.
NDSU has only existed on campus since 2024. Previously called “Augie Autistic Experiences,” the organization changed its name to better represent more facets of the neurodivergent experience.
Each event NDSU hosts is carefully curated to be the most accessible space for neurodivergent and disabled students, with dietary, sensory and physical restrictions as top priorities. Cathy Webb, faculty advisor of NDSU and coordinator of the disability studies minor, said that these accessible spaces are both unique and important.
“The strength of NDSU is its community,” Webb said. “Oftentimes, people who are neurodivergent are sloughed into medical spaces … NDSU is not a place for therapy or medical information, it is a place for community and helping people connect with each other.”
Augustana students are leading the way in building community for disabled students and promoting disability as a field of study. Many NDSU members, including executive board members and event planners Welker and Smith, are minoring in disability studies.
Webb first started Augustana’s Disability Studies program, the second in Illinois, in 2022 and graduated a class of three in 2024. Now, there are 40 declared minors, and the program continues to grow.
Although “disability” is a large umbrella term, each student can shape the program to fit their own interests and experiences. Many students are involved with activism on campus and fight continuously to make Augustana a more accessible and inclusive institution, whether combating physical or attitudinal barriers.
Smith, president of NDSU, said their inspiration has been the powerful slogan of the disability rights movement, “Nothing about us without us,” from a book by disability rights activist James Charlton.
“At NDSU, we talk about [barriers] and advocate for change. We talk to the administration when there is someone who won’t accept our accommodations … not all of us have the bandwidth to do that alone, but when we talk to one another, it gets something done,” Smith said. “Even if it’s not tearing down structural barriers, sometimes getting it off your chest is enough for the day.”
With many institutional barriers still in place for people with disabilities or neurodiverse brains, NDSU and the disability studies program aim to be a safe place to learn and grow in the community. As Social Chair of NDSU, Welker said that they aim to make the neurodiverse and disabled experience at Augustana approachable.
“Disability has always been personal,” Welker said. “There is no possible world in which learning more about disabilities is a bad thing.”
