By Maria Bernier
We are excited to announce the formation of a new Affinity Group for employees at UConn! The Disability and Neurodiversity Alliance (DNA) aims to create a supportive community for UConn employees who identify with a disability/as disabled, identify as neurodiverse, or have a related identity. Our mission is to foster a welcoming environment where we can share experiences, support one another, and advocate for inclusivity across our university. One of our first tasks when we came together was to agree on a group name that focuses on the strengths of diversity and inclusion as well as the range of members’ identities.
History:
The idea for this new group comes from the work and experiences of Dr. Erin Scanlon, Assistant Professor in Residence in the Department of Physics, Avery Point. Her research, inspired by experiences in her own classroom, includes investigating how to support students with disabilities in STEM fields. Dr. Scanlon, who identifies as having a disability, noticed that there was no existing UConn peer community around this identity to provide advice, answer procedural questions, and offer mentorship. In the year when she served as an Accessibility Fellow for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS), she interacted with many faculty members who had similar questions about requesting accommodations, managing medical appointments, and arranging sick leave. Seeing a need in the community, she brought up the idea of forming an affinity group to the Avery Point Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) committee as a specific initiative to pursue.
As a member of that committee, I volunteered to investigate how affinity groups are created at UConn. I spoke with Dr. Jonelle Reynolds, Director of Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives at the Office for Diversity and Inclusion (ODI), who also steered me toward Judy Lopez. Judy works in the ODI office and at the time helped to lead both the Women of Color Collective (WOCC) and the Association of Latina/o Faculty and Staff (ALFAS). I met with her early in January 2024 and learned much from her experience, such as the importance of having a group mission and goals, leadership roles, and potential meeting formats.
Next steps for the affinity group:
With encouragement from ODI, we were ready to make this affinity group official. ODI announced it in their July 2024 message about that month’s holidays and heritage celebrations, including Disability Pride Day (July 26). Dr. Scanlon and I reached out to some individuals to share the announcement with them specifically, knowing their interest in the subject.
Dr. Scanlon hosted an initial meeting of interested members in September to begin the conversation, discuss goals, and suggest ideas for an official name for the group. At the group’s second meeting in November, the Disability and Neurodiversity Alliance name was chosen. Other agenda items were recruitment, the process of formalizing as an official affinity group with a charter, and proposals for the group’s future work. Through these meetings, DNA members set a tone of community, belonging, trust, and support.
Because members may be located on any of UConn’s campuses, DNA expects to meet virtually with perhaps an occasional in-person gathering or retreat. Meetings could be an opportunity for people to come together and vent safely, and/or share strategies with others. Meetings could also feature guest speakers as suggested by members.
If you are interested in joining or would like more information about the group, please reach out to Erin Scanlon (erin.scanlon@uconn.edu). We’d love to hear from you!
Disability & Access Collective 