Looking to meet others that think like you? Need a break from stimulation overload? Join us for a relaxed social event designed for neurodivergent students, staff and friends at UNSW as part of Diversity Festival 2025. This is a space where you’re encouraged to be yourself, share your special interests or just listen and connect with peers who share a similar lived experience. Snacks, fidgets and things to keep your hands busy provided!

Engage at your own pace, unmask if you feel comfortable. Different zones will be set up to suit a range of sensory needs. Whether you’re keen to chat or prefer to observe, you’re welcome! Feel free to drop in and out as you like.

Event organisers

This event was imagined as a way to create a relaxed space for people across teams, divisions, and faculties to meet, share interests, and make connections.

Lou Cardinale is an Academic Learning Facilitator, Doctor of Education candidate, and neurodivergent human. Her strengths include knowing a scary amount of song lyrics, the best ways to brew coffee and random facts her magpie brain has accumulated over the last three-ish decades. She also teaches and helps people with developing academic skills occasionally. Lou is currently working on a research project that examines the differences between neurotypical and neurodivergent thinking patterns and promises her supervisors on a weekly basis that she is in fact working on it and not just making pretty mind maps in Obsidian.

Ash Harrington is a Senior Diversity and Inclusion Officer and neurodivergent human. Her strengths include good book recommendations, being able to pull off science experiments with kitchen items and pulling out random facts from years of working in a Museum for trivia. She is also a massive history nerd and loves creating accessible and inclusive spaces. Ash currently works on supporting the improvement of disability inclusion and neuro-inclusion at the Uni.

This event is supported by Academic Skills, Equitable Learning Services, and Diversity and Inclusion.

FREE EVENT

Accessibility

The Teaching Commons is wheelchair accessible, has air conditioning and wall/floor power banks. The event will provide fidget toys, lower sensory spaces and visual ways to indicate communication level preferences.

Please indicate any further accessibility requirements in the registration form.