Cassandra Keisala

Washington State University Vancouver, USA

Title: Dismantling the Rigid Academy: Lived-Experience Innovations and Co-Created Support Ecosystems for AuDHD Students in Higher Education

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Biography

Cassandra is a lived-experience advocate, researcher, and behavioral specialist dedicated to transforming institutional support structures for neurodivergent individuals. They currently serve as a behavioral specialist with the Center for Social Dynamics, blending front-line behavioral frameworks with student advocacy. As a researcher currently enrolled at Washington State University Vancouver, they bridge the gap between empirical academic research and the lived realities of the neurodivergent community. Their work focuses on dismantling archaic, rigid higher education systems to co-create flexible, dopamine-friendly environments that mitigate autistic burnout and accommodate the unique executive profiles of students with co-occurring Autism and ADHD (AuDHD).

Abstract