Resources for Faculty & Staff
Neurodiversity @ Cornell
Neurodivergent Employee Community (NDEC)
NDEC is a community group for neurodivergent and potentially neurodivergent employees throughout Cornell. This group is intended as a safe space to discuss shared experiences, resources, tools and strategies for navigating life as a neurodivergent person.
Sensory Lending Library
This free library is open to all Cornell students and is stocked with items that can be especially helpful for neurodivergent people! We understand that sensory overload can be an extremely stressful experience. That’s why we’d like to offer a set of items that will hopefully aid in navigating overstimulating environments, and help you focus more on the things that matter to you!
Note: The Sensory Lending Library is currently open only to undergraduate and graduate students. However, we are planning a future expansion to faculty and staff!
Pop-Up Sensory Room
Interested in making your event more welcoming and inclusive to neurodivergent people (and anybody who dislikes loud or overstimulating environments)? Ever wish the LSC Sensory Room could go places that is … well … not the LSC? The Pop-Up Sensory Room is just the thing for you!
We established this service to be exactly what it sounds like – the Pop-Up Sensory Room lets interested event hosts borrow a set of sensory items so that they may cater to their attendees!
Individual Consultation & Workshops
Faculty and staff can make an appointment with Florencia Ardon to discuss ways to support neurodivergent students, create a more inclusive environment, or advocate for the neurodivergent community (schedule an appointment).
Additionally, students, faculty and staff can request a workshop tailored to the needs of their organization, laboratory, department, etc. Workshops are hosted by Neurodiversity Ambassadors with relevant expertise. If interested, please email neurodiversity@cornell.edu
Cornell Health
CAPS Referral Search Engine
Looking for Therapists, Diagnostic Evaluations, or an ADHD Coach? The CAPS off campus referral search engine allows you use different filters to find professionals in the community that may be able to support you. This search engine can be used by anyone! For more info, please refer to the Cornell Health Website.
Cornell Dining
How to Request Dietary Accommodations
Eating well at Cornell when you have dietary restrictions or strong preferences can be difficult. Fortunately, there are ways to ensure dietary restrictions are accommodated at Cornell’s dining halls.
All faculty and staff can make an appointment with the staff nutritionist, Michelle Nardi, to speak about personal dietary needs and discuss which eateries can be helpful considering schedules and other factors, as well as other options that would best accommodate your needs. You can reach out to Michelle via phone (607-254-2389) or email at diningnutrition@cornell.edu.
To read more about how Cornell Dining can accommodate special dietary needs, please refer to their webpage: https://scl.cornell.edu/residential-life/dining/eateries-menus/nutrition-special-diets/food-allergies-special-diets
Giving Feedback to Cornell Dining
Cornell Dining maintains Give Us the Dish, a feedback form that diners may use to comment on their experiences at Cornell’s dining facilities. The form may be accessed here.
Cornell Dining also hosts the Mystery Shopper Program, where volunteers are sent to visit three on-campus eateries each semester and anonymously evaluate the customer experience. It serves as a means of ensuring Cornell Dining services properly serve its students and remain high-quality, and volunteers get perks to their BRBs and MealChoice accounts! Interested in learning more about the Mystery Shopper Program? Read about it here on Cornell Dining’s website.
Other
Tompkins County Blue Envelope Program
https://www.tompkinscountyny.gov/News-articles/Sheriffs-Office-Blue-Envelope-Program
Tompkins County Sheriff Derek R. Osborne has announced the adoption of the Blue Envelope Program, a safety initiative aimed at supporting drivers with autism. Sheriff Osborne explained that individuals with autism may have physical or verbal responses during a traffic stop that may be misunderstood by law enforcement officers. This can sometimes lead to unfortunate incidents where the driver’s actions are misinterpreted.
To mitigate such issues, the Blue Envelope Program has been introduced. It encourages drivers with autism to keep important documents such as their license, registration, and insurance in a Blue Envelope. When the officer observes the envelope, they are immediately alerted to the driver’s condition and can adjust their response to the situation accordingly.
Along with clear instructions for the driver, explanatory information is printed on the envelope for the law enforcement officer, to include an emergency contact.