The fall 2024 edition of the Syracuse University School of Eduction’s Ganders Lecture series welcomes Kala Allen Omeiza, a prolific author at the intersection of race, culture, and autism. “Autistic and Black: Calling for Intersectional Understandings of Neurodiversity” takes place on Sept. 18, 2024, from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Watson Hall Theater on the Syracuse University campus.
College is a great opportunity to advocate for a more inclusive and accessible world for all, notes Omeiza, who has been involved in research and advocacy projects around the world to address mental health and well-being outcomes among multiply-marginalized neurodivergent individuals.
Omeiza will discuss lessons and insights we can draw from BIPOC neurodivergent individuals, inspired by her acclaimed book Autistic and Black: Our Experiences of Growth, Progress, and Empowerment (2024, Jessica Kingsley Publishers).
In addition to her scholarship and advocacy, Omeiza is the founder and leader of I’m Heard, a nonprofit channeling efforts towards the destigmatization of mental illness in minority communities. She is a graduate of Miami University and holds a master’s in Psychological Research from the University of Oxford.
The Harry S. and Elva K. Ganders Memorial Lecture Series remembers Harry S. Ganders, the School of Education’s fourth Dean (who oversaw the transformation of the Teachers College into the “All University” School of Education) and his wife. The lecture was established by the Ganders’ daughters and is also supported by alumni and other contributions to the Harry S. and Elva K. Ganders Memorial Fund.
Co-sponsored by the Atrocity Studies and the Practices of Social Justice Minor, David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics, Humanities Center, Department of African American Studies, Office of Diversity and Inclusion, and School of Education Center on Disability and Inclusion.