The Qualitative Open Mic

Neurodiversity Matters: Monique Botha on funding priorities and community justice

7 snips
Mar 19, 2025
Monique Botha, an assistant professor at Durham University, advocates for neurodivergent communities through community-led research. She discusses the disconnect between funding priorities in autism research and actual community needs. Botha emphasizes the importance of citational justice and the need to incorporate personal narratives into academic discourse. She calls for dismantling oppressive systems in research and stresses the value of emotional experiences for a more inclusive understanding of neurodiversity. Ultimately, her insights challenge traditional academic approaches and offer a transformative vision for the future.
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INSIGHT

Involve Autistic People in Research

  • Autism research often dehumanizes autistic individuals by not involving them in studies.
  • Researchers who work with autistic people are less likely to dehumanize them in their work.
ADVICE

Fund Research that Matters

  • Fund research that makes tangible differences in autistic people's lives.
  • Prioritize research on support services, mental health, and stigma reduction, not just biological factors.
ANECDOTE

Examples of Good Funding

  • The Royal Society of Edinburgh and UKRI funded participatory research projects.
  • These projects involved autistic people in creating accessible guides on topics like intimate partner violence.
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