Autism and Neurodivergence Celebration Month 2026

Flyer for Autism and Neurodivergence Celebration Month 2026

Image Description: Flyer with a white background. At the top, the text reads, "Autism and Neurodivergence Celebration Month” with a rainbow infinity sign next to the words “Celebration Month.” Below that reads, "April 2026." Underneath that are 8 sections of text, each with a colorful oval based on the colors of the rainbow infinity symbol next to it with the date of the event. There are gold lines below each section except for the last section. The text reads "April 1 Flag Raising and Reception 4:30 PM - 6:00 PM | VU 6th Floor Lobby & VU 735," "April 3 State of the Centers 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM | VU MPR," "April 8 Disability Accommodations and Finding Community 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM | Zoom," "April 8 Neurodiversity Inclusion Collaborative 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM | Zoom," "April 15 Disability, Sex, and Pleasure 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM | VU 464," "April 22 Disability Employee Resource Group 12:00 noon - 1:00 PM | VU 735 & Zoom," "April 28 Accessible Course Design 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM | Zoom," and "Throughout April Autism and Neurodivergence Book Display Haggard Hall." The event listing for the State of the Centers has the Centers logo next to it, the event listing for Disability, Sex, and Pleasure has the 'Be Well' Office of Health Promotion and Resilience logo next to it, and the Accessible Course Design event listing has the Institute for Critical Disability Studies logo next to it. Below the event listings reads, “AA/EO. Accessibility Statement: These events are intended for all participants including those with apparent or non-apparent disabilities. For disability accommodation(s) (such as ASL interpretation or TypeWell transcription), please contact disability.outreach@wwu.edu.” At the bottom of the flyer are the Disability Outreach Center and Counseling and Wellness logos.

Autism and Neurodivergence Celebration Month is a month-long celebration throughout April that celebrates our autistic and neurodivergent community.

Autism and Neurodivergence Celebration Month combines Neurodiversity Celebration Week, originally recognized March 16 - March 22 during the winter quarter finals week, and Autism Acceptance Month, recognized throughout April.

Throughout the month, the Disability Outreach Center and Disability Access Center, in collaboration with our partners the Counseling and Wellness Center, the Office of Health Promotion and Resilience, and the Institute for Critical Disability Studies, will have a variety of events and programs for students, faculty, staff, and community members.

Event Details

Wednesday, April 1 | 4:30 PM - 6:00 PM | VU 6th Floor Lobby & VU 735

To kick off Autism and Neurodivergence Celebration Month, join us on Wednesday, April 1 for a Flag Raising and Reception! As Flag Plaza is under construction, we are unable to have our annual flag raising there. However, we will be hanging both the Autism Pride Flag and Neurodiversity Pride Flag on the VU skybridge. We will meet on Wednesday, April 1 at 4:30 PM in the VU 6th floor lobby to view the flags. We will provide a visual description of and information about the flags. Then, we will head upstairs to VU 735 to have a reception!

Friday, April 3 | 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM | VU MPR

At the State of the Centers, we will highlight the impactful work that The Centers has been doing over the past year, including the DOC and Autism and Neurodivergence Celebration Month. The Centers will provide updates from each of our areas and learn about how the layoffs that occurred in the summer of 2025 have impacted The Centers and our areas’ ability to continue providing services. We will explore ways you can help make a meaningful difference in our campus community. The second half of the program will feature a student panel. Students will share their experiences working with The Centers, how they have received support, and what meaningful support looks like for them moving forward.

Wednesday, April 8 | 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM | Zoom

Join the Disability Access Center (DAC) and Disability Outreach Center (DOC) to learn more about the accommodation process through the DAC and how to get involved with the disabled community on campus through the DOC. Everyone is welcome, including incoming first year, transfer, returning, and graduate students, as well as caregivers and K-12 educators. Accommodations in the K-12 environment (such as 504 Plans or IEPs) do NOT automatically transfer in the higher education setting. We will explain what you need to know in order to obtain housing, dining, and academic accommodations at Western. We will also highlight the numerous opportunities available to disabled students for getting connected with peer support and community, including at the DOC and with Autism and Neurodivergence Celebration Month.

Wednesday, April 8 | 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM | Zoom*

The Neurodiversity Inclusion Collaborative is a working group made up of students, staff, and faculty from across the University who advocate for change on-campus and strive to bring awareness, acceptance, and community building for an inclusive and accessible campus for neurodivergent people. 

*Email neurodiversity.inclusion@wwu2.onmicrosoft.com for the Zoom link and to get connected.

Wednesday, April 15 | 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM | VU 464

Join the Disability Outreach Center and Health Promotion and Resilience Office for a conversation about disability and sex as part of Autism and Neurodivergence Celebration Month and Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) with folks from WinkWink, Bellingham's woman-owned, identity-inclusive sex shop.  This event will include a demo with toys, books, and resources, as well as information about accessibility and adaptations.

Wednesday, April 22 | 12:00 noon - 1:00 PM | VU 735 & Zoom*

The Disability Employee Resource Group is an ERG for disabled, chronically ill, neurodivergent, Blind and low vision, Deaf, DeafBlind, and Hard of Hearing employees and community allies. This month, we will be discussing what we, as neurodivergent staff and faculty, need!

*Email disabilityerg@wwu2.onmicrosoft.com for the Zoom link and to get connected.

Tuesday, April 28 | 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM | Zoom

Join the Institute for Critical Disability Studies and Disability Outreach Center for Accessible Course Design, an interactive workshop on implementing universal design principles when designing and teaching courses. This workshop will cover different definitions of access, including brief discussion about new access laws and regulations, concepts of universal design learning, and student perspectives on what makes a course accessible. Participants will be given the chance to share their own experiences and turn to one another for support in making their own courses more accessible.

Visit the book display at the WWU Libraries in Haggard Hall to view a selection of books on autism and neurodivergence. 

Event Locations

Accessibility Information

AA/EO. Accessibility Statement: These events are intended for all participants including those with apparent or non-apparent disabilities. For disability accommodation(s) (such as ASL interpretation or TypeWell transcription), please contact disability.outreach@wwu.edu. Advanced notice is appreciated and sometimes necessary to arrange for some accessibility needs.
  • Masks: Masks are strongly encouraged at in-person events. KN95 masks will be available at the door and upon request. Help protect our community by wearing a mask.
    • Masking makes in-person gatherings accessible for many, especially those in our immunocompromised and immunodeficient communities. However, we know that masking is inaccessible for some in our community.
  • Air Purifiers: In-person events will have an air purifier that has four-stage hospital-type filtration with a true HEPA filter.
  • Testing: Attendees are encouraged to test for COVID prior to coming to in-person event, if possible. We will have a limited number of rapid COVID tests available upon request.
  • Illness Policy: For in-person events, if you are experiencing any symptoms of contagious illness such as cough, sore throat, fever, or nausea, we encourage you to please stay home and join us at another time as our community includes members who are immunocompromised or have immunodeficiencies.

Please refrain from wearing scented products such as perfume, cologne, and fragrant personal care products while attending in-person events, as they can trigger serious health issues for those with fragrance allergies and/or chemical sensitivities. We appreciate your cooperation in making our events accessible! For more information, visit the Accessible Spaces: A Fragrance-Free Toolkit.

Parking is available after 4:30 PM at no cost in the C, 12G, 27R, and Lincoln Creek lots. For information about visitor parking, please visit the Transportation Services Visitors page. For information about accessible parking spots, please visit the Transportation Services Disability Access page.

Viking Union is accessible by several WTA bus routes:

  • Heading between downtown Western or Bill McDonald Parkway? Catch routes 105, 107, 108, 190, 196, or 197.
  • Heading between Lincoln Street or Lincoln Street Park and Ride and Western? Catch routes 190, 196, and 197.
  • Heading between 32nd Street and Western? Catch route 105.
  • Heading between the York neighborhood and Western? Catch the Blue Line at Billy Frank Jr. and Holly.
  • Heading between Happy Valley and Western? Catch route 14.
  • Getting to Western from anywhere else? Catch the bus to Bellingham Station and transfer to the Blue Line to Western or park at Lincoln Creek and catch routes 190 or 197 to Western.

The WTA bus stop immediately outside of Haggard Hall (right next to the DAC in Wilson Library and across the street from the PAC) is served by Routes 14, 14S, 105, 105S, 108, 190, 190S and 197 on their Northbound legs. There is also a WTA stop outside the Viking Union that services nearly all the same routes in the southbound direction (often arriving from Downtown Bellingham).

Please refer to the Campus Accessibility Map for information about the nearest accessible doors, elevators, walkways, routes, and parking spots.

Co-Sponsors

Planning Committee

  • Axel Cichocki, Disability Access Center & Disability Outreach Center
  • Oscar Hastings, student, Disability Outreach Center
  • Sarah Kapostasy, Counseling and Wellness
  • Zelda Rood, student

*Planning committee members must opt-in to be listed

Resources

Neurodiversity Celebration Week is a "worldwide initiative that challenges stereotypes and misconceptions about neurological differences. It aims to transform how neurodivergent individuals are perceived and supported by providing schools, universities, organisations, and others around the world with the opportunity to recognise the many skills and talents of neurodivergent individuals, while creating more inclusive and equitable cultures that celebrate differences and empower every individual." In 2025, Neurodiversity Celebration Week was March 16 - 22.

According to the Autism Society, "Autism Acceptance Month celebrates and honors the experiences and identities of Autistic individuals. It emphasizes understanding, inclusion, and support, moving beyond awareness towards meaningful acceptance." Autism Acceptance Month is celebrated throughout the month of April. 

Neurodivergent Pride Flag

 

Neurodivergent Pride Flag

The Neurodivergent Pride Flag features the rainbow infinity first created for Autistic Pride Day in 2005. While the Autism Pride Flag (below) has this on a gold background, this flag features it on a white background representing all forms of neurodiversity.

Autism Pride Flag

Autism Pride Flag

The Autistic Pride Flag was designed by Autistic Empire, an autistic social organization in the UK. The Autistic Pride Flag by Autistic Empire is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Describing the flag, they state, “The infinity symbol represents neurodiversity, the rainbow represents the pride movement. Gold is used by autistic advocates as the chemical symbol for gold is Au (from the Latin aurum). Gold is promoted as an alternative to non-autistic-led groups designating colours such as blue as a symbol for autism." 

Books

  • Price, D. (2022). Unmasking autism: Discovering the new faces of neurodiversity. First edition. New York, Harmony Books.
  • Nerenberg, J. (2020). Divergent mind: Thriving in a world that wasn't designed for you. First edition. New York, HarperOne.
  • Walker, N. (2021). Neuroqueer heresies: Notes on the neurodiversity paradigm, autistic empowerment, and postnormal possibilities. Fort Worth, TX: Autonomous Press.

Articles

  • Dwyer, P., Mineo, E., Mifsud, K., Lindholm, C., Gurba, A., & Waisman, T. C. (2023). Building neurodiversity-inclusive postsecondary campuses: Recommendations for leaders in higher education. Autism in adulthood: Challenges and management, 5(1), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1089/aut.2021.0042

Website

Note: The Autism and Neurodivergence Celebration Month Planning Committee provides these resources for informational purposes only and does not endorse any specific one. We encourage you to view these resources as a starting place and to conduct your own research and explore multiple sources. 

Student Engagement

Student Support Services

Academics