Design, Empathy, & Neurodiversity
Journalist and author Jenara Nerenberg will share hidden stories of people with sensory differences and what designers, architects, and technologists are doing to cater to all types of neurodivergent people — those with ADHD, autism, synesthesia, high sensitivity, and sensory processing disorder, many of whom likely work on your teams and in your office but whose needs are not known. Women, in particular, have been neglected in research, and their needs go largely unaddressed. From sound to color to building design, this talk is a rare glimpse into an entire demographic of people who’s gifts are often withheld from the world due to access constraints. It’s time for designers to change that.
Author of the forthcoming book Divergent Mind, Jenara’s work as a journalist has appeared in Fast Company, CNN, KQED and elsewhere and her groundbreaking events with The Neurodiversity Project have featured 99U’s Scott Belsky, NYTimes bestselling author Pico Iyer, Sundance’s Kamal Sinclair, SYPartners, Angel Kyodo Williams and many others. She regularly interviews leading luminaries including Krista Tippett, Joan Halifax, Gabor Mate, Sebastian Junger, Steve Silberman, and many others for the UC Berkeley Greater Good Science Center and Garrison Institute.