ADCET Webinar: Accessibility and Inclusion Experiences of Neurodivergent Students at the University of Tasmania

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Neurodivergent students are increasingly represented within higher education, yet they continue to face barriers that can affect engagement, belonging, wellbeing, and academic success. This presentation shared findings from a University of Tasmania study that explored the experiences of their neurodivergent students alongside the perspectives of staff who support them. Using ecological systems theory and student engagement framework, the research examined how individual, interpersonal, and institutional factors interacted to shape neurodivergent student outcomes.

Analysis of neurodivergent student survey data identified six key factors shaping the neurodivergent student experience: institutional culture of inclusion, study self-efficacy, peer interactions, accessible learning materials, adjustment experiences, and belonging and resilience. Neurodivergent students' resilience, persistence, and sense of belonging were most strongly associated with perceptions of institutional and staff inclusion, followed by study self-efficacy and positive peer relationships. These findings suggested that inclusive educational environments influence student success both directly and indirectly through their impact on student confidence, connection, and engagement.

Analysis of staff survey data revealed four interconnected dimensions shaping neurodivergent student experiences and outcomes: institutional support systems, staff knowledge and confidence, student participation and belonging, and student self-efficacy. Staff identified practical inclusive practices that support neurodivergent student success, as well as institutional, communication, and social barriers that may hinder their engagement and participation. Recognition of neurodivergent strengths emerged as a stronger predictor of staff confidence in supporting neurodivergent students, highlighting the importance of strengths-based understandings of neurodiversity in achieving inclusive and accessible learning environments.

Drawing these findings together, the presentation proposed an ecological model of neurodivergent student success in which institutional inclusion, accessible learning practices, peer connection, and self-efficacy operate as mutually reinforcing factors that contribute to belonging, resilience, engagement, and academic persistence.

Presenter

Dr Kathy French is a Neurodiversity Programs Adviser at the University of Tasmania, a new role designed to support improvement in educational experiences of neurodivergent students through program development, advocacy and inclusive practice initiatives. Her work focuses on inclusive learning design, student support and neurodiversity-informed practice in higher education. Kathy is the founding convenor of the University of Tasmania's Neurodivergent Staff Community of Practice and contributes to national and international communities focused on neurodiversity and inclusive education.

(November 2026)

ADCET is hosted by the University of Tasmania