During my senior year at UNT, I wrote a story for my feature writing class about a woman who worked with neurodiverse students to help them realize their full potential. She has a disability and heavily advocated independent living and overcoming adversity. It was chosen at the end of the semester as one of the few stories in in the class to be pitched to and published in the Transformers series in the Denton Record Chronicle.
Excerpt: A woman in a long floral sundress, long sleeves, wearing a black mask with a cartoon mouth on it, enters her office.
The woman is Lydia Evans, the program coordinator for ENGAGE, a University of North Texas initiative dedicated to helping autism spectrum and other neurodiverse students adjust to university life and prepare them for careers after graduation. UNT ENGAGE (Embracing Neurodivergent Groups in Academics and Gainful Employment) guides students through one-on-one meetings to help them reach these academic and life goals. Evans took over the program in October 2019, and since then, it has grown from around 10 students to 21.
In the corner of her office, obscured by her large desk next to the entrance, sits a student at a round table, laptop open, wearing a rust-colored sweatshirt and looking on expectantly. Evans takes a seat in a rolling chair across from the student as they discuss the student’s plans, upcoming appointments and any difficulties she may have.
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