Humanities 101 has a growing community of volunteers and we would be remiss to not include their unique voices. One volunteer, Ashley, shared her personal experience with Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) that we were honored to share on our Blog:

With October wrapping up next week, Halloween is just around the corner. This means that there will be societal expectations come October 31st that may not be the most accessible to neuro-divergent individuals. Micro-accommodations and a plan can significantly make this ghoulish day a lot more fun.

The founders of Humanities 101 are no strangers to selective mutism. Having parental experience observing it in our children and personal experience of occasionally finding it difficult to make any words come out, one of the first resources that we decided to focus on developing was a nonspeaking communication aide.

Attending the Diverge Community Bash was a truly remarkable experience. From the moment I arrived, I could sense the thoughtfulness and care that had gone into making this event an inclusive and welcoming space.

In an attempt to go beyond the traditional approach to recognizing the needs of students with disabilities, Anthony Wayne Local Schools reached out to Humanities 101 for what they called “basic, civil ways to address students’ needs.”

Heat affects everyone differently, but for neurodivergent folks, it can make or break our day. For example, it affects the way our clothes feel on our bodies. While nothing is worse than a seam against your skin, that feeling mingles with sweat in the hotter months to form a formerly unimagined sensory hell.

As Dr. Hazlett took everything in from the two-day event; he noted a few things that made him feel particularly welcomed and feel as though he could invite other members of the autistic community to the occasion. 

In July 2024, Doc delivered a powerful presentation at Wayne State University, focusing on neuro-inclusion and micro-accommodations—small, cost-effective adjustments that improve job conditions for autistic people.

In honor of Eat What You Want Day let’s talk about Neurodivergent Dietary Restrictions (NDR). Neurodivergent dietary restrictions are limitations to certain foods due to their accessible taste, texture, and temperature.

Allergies, Hay Fever and other sensory hellscapes.

Our bodies release chemicals called histamines. Their main function is to respond when ‘foreign proteins’ enter your body. If you are allergic to these proteins, your immune system goes into overdrive to expel them by releasing histamines into your bloodstream.

A recurring theme emerged throughout the conference: the necessity of reevaluating how institutions approach disability. While many initiatives focus on physical accessibility, true inclusivity requires systemic changes.

Doc calls the speaking event "an insightful conversation about masking, autism, and improving communication with neurodivergent constituents."

To better understand the Humanities 101 Foundation it helps to understand how it came to exist. What started as an attempt to make our classrooms more accessible, turned into the journey to make our human experience more accessible.

On November 15, 2023 Humanities 101 began working with the Genesee School District to bring Autism Inclusion Workshops to the classroom, and later the local libraries in the county.