2024 Neurodiversity Symposium:
Intentional Connections

Welcome & Introductory Remarks

9:00 am – 9:30 am, Eastern Time US

  • Severino Alfonso, MSAAD, Dipl-Ing, Director, Synesthetic Research & Design Laboratory, Assistant Professor, College of Architecture & the Built Environment (CABE), Thomas Jefferson University
  • Loukia Tsafoulia, MSAAD, Dipl-Ing, Director, Synesthetic Research & Design Laboratory, Assistant Professor, College of Architecture & the Built Environment (CABE), Thomas Jefferson University
  • Wendy Ross, MD, FAAP, Inaugural Director, Jefferson Center for Autism and Neurodiversity
  • Sabra Townsend, Director of Operations, Jefferson Center for Autism and Neurodiversity
  • Lauren Koffler, MSW, Head of Admissions, Communications & Client Relations, Shrub Oak International School
  • Caitlin Sweetapple, EdD, Director of Research, Shrub Oak International School
  • Lizbeth Goodman, MA, MLitt, PhD, FRSA, Professor, Founder and Director of SMARTlab, Founder and Director of the Inclusive Design Research Center of Ireland @ UCD
  • Susan Aldridge, PhD - President, Thomas Jefferson University
  • Barbara Klinkhammer, RA (DEU), Dipl-Ing, Dean and Professor, Thomas Jefferson University, College of Architecture & the Built Environment (CABE), Director SMARTlab@Jefferson

PANEL 1

Via Arts - ARTS | SCIENCE

9:30 am – 10:45 am, Eastern Time US

Art-inspired Interactive Systems:
The DanzArTe Emotional Wellbeing Technology Project

  • Antonio Camurri, PhD, Casa Paganini Research Centre and DIBRIS, University of Genoa, Italy

Immersive Art for Wellbeing:
A Deep Dive into Calm at Ravenhill Chapel

  • Raegan Davis, MS, Statistician, Jefferson College of Population Health
  • Rosemary Frasso, PhD, SM, CPH, Professor of Population Health, Jefferson College of Population Health; Director, Public Health Program; and Director, Mixed Methods Research, Asano-Gonnella Center for Research in Medical Education and Health Care, Sidney Kimmel Medical College
  • Lyn Godley, MFA, Professor, Industrial Design Program; Director of Jefferson Center of Immersive Arts for Health
  • Nate Godshall, third-year undergraduate student, Industrial Design Program - Thomas Jefferson University
  • Elijah Jones, fourth-year undergraduate student Industrial Design Program - Thomas Jefferson University
  • Wendy Ross, MD, FAAP, Director, Jefferson Center for Autism and Neurodiversity

In Dialogue. Moderated Discussion & Audience Q&A  

PANEL 2

Reaching Out - DESIGN | COLLABORATION

11:00 am - 12:15 pm, Eastern Time US

Learning from Experiences of Autistic Adults:
The Role of the Built Environment in Independent Living

  • Phuong Lan Nguyen, PhD, Research Associate, KU Leuven, Department of Architecture, Research[x]Design, Belgium

Advancing Meaningful Inclusion through Design:
Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration

  • Jennifer Carpenter, RA, AIA, LEED AP, Principal, Verona Carpenter Architects
  • Linda Friedlaender, Head of Education, Yale Center for British Art.
  • Eron Friedlaender, MD, MPH, Professor of Clinical Pediatrics, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine; Attending Physician, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHoP)
  • Stuart Neilson, PhD, writer and image-maker, Cork
  • Denise Resnik, president/CEO, First Place AZ and Global Leadership Institute; co-founder, Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center (SARRC); founder/CEO, DRA Collective
  • Irina Verona, RA, AIA, Principal, Verona Carpenter Architects
  • Chris Walsh, undergraduate student - Brown University

In Dialogue. Moderated Discussion & Audience Q&A

PANEL 3

Shifting Cultures - EDUCATION | PARTICIPATION

1:00 pm - 2:15 pm, Eastern Time US

Listening to autistic voices:
What shifting the paradigm to participatory research reveals about prioritizing good mental health for autistic individuals

  • Stephen Shore, Clinical Associate Professor of Special Education

Spark Authenticity:
Student-Led Opportunities for Meaningful Engagement in Higher Education

  • Laura K. Sibbald, MA, CCC-SLP, ASDCS, CYMHS, Executive Director, Neurodiversity Initiatives at Chestnut Hill College; Advisory Board Member, Shrub Oak International School

Cultivating Intentional Connections:
Education as a Catalyst in Culturally Diverse Neurodivergent Spaces

  • Camille Proctor, Executive Director, The Color of Autism Foundation

In Dialogue. Moderated Discussion & Audience Q&A

WORKSHOP

Neuroinclusive Practices @ the Design Process

2:30 pm - 4:00 pm, Eastern Time US

Methods of Neuro-inclusive Co-creation

  • Shannon McLain, Architectural Designer/ Adjunct Professor, Stanev Potts Architects, Thomas Jefferson University
  • Magda Mostafa, PhD, Autism Design Consultant, Progressive Architects
  • Elena Sabinson, Assistant Professor in the Program of Environmental Design at the University of Colorado Boulder
  • Rachel Updegrove, WELL AP, Assoc. AIA, Adjunct Faculty, Thomas Jefferson University; Laboratory Planner, HERA Laboratory Planners, Autistic Self-Advocate
presented by

Synesthetic Research & Design Lab (SR&DL) at the Jefferson College of Architecture & the Built Environment (CABE), Thomas Jefferson University

Center for Autism & Neurodiversity (CAN) at Thomas Jefferson University and Jefferson Health

in partnership with

University College Dublin Inclusive Design Research Centre of Ireland with SMARTlab teams

sponsored by

Shrub Oak International School