Autistic and Black: Calling for Intersectional Understandings of Neurodiversity

College is a great opportunity to advocate for a more inclusive and accessible world for all. Kala Allen Omeiza has been involved in research and advocacy projects around the world to address mental health and well-being outcomes among multiply-marginalized neurodivergent individuals.

As a Black autistic woman writing at the intersection of race, culture and autism, 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).

About Kala Allen Omeiza

Kala Allen Omeiza is a prolific author at the intersection of race, culture, and autism. Her latest book—Autistic and Black: Our Experience of Growth, Progress, and Empowerment—has received widespread acclaim for its in-depth exploration of the unique challenges and triumphs faced by autistic individuals of minority backgrounds.

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.

Presented by the Syracuse University School of Education’s Harry S. and Elva K. Ganders Memorial Fund Lecture.

Co-sponsored by the Atrocity Studies and the Practices of Social Justice Minor, David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics, Department of African American Studies, Humanities Center, Office of Diversity and Inclusion, School of Education Center on Disability and Inclusion.