Call for Proposals

Editors:

Whitney Hardin & Julia E. Kiernan

Narratives of persistence and survival: At the intersection of neurodivergence, academic identity, and systemic ableist structures 

Despite growing awareness of neurodiversity, faculty experiences with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) remain critically underexplored in academic discourse (Hoben & Hesson, 2021; Swick-Jemison, 2023). Neurodiversity in general is often invisible at the faculty level—conversations about helping students with ADHD ignore the reality that academics of all stripes also need institutional support. As Hoben & Hesson (2021) explain, “the silence within both the policy and research contexts, is so overwhelming that one might be forgiven for wondering if faculty with ADHD actually exist” (p. 38). This is especially true for those who exist outside the dominant cultural image of ADHD: white, cisgender, heterosexual men and boys. Women—of all ages—remain underdiagnosed and underserved, and are much more likely to be diagnosed later in life as well as high-masking. Similarly, although recent work has explored the potentially high occurrence of ADHD among trans and nonbinary individuals (Goetz & Adams, 2024; Yildirim, Perdahli Fis, Yazkan Akgul, & Ayaz, 2017), no research exists that focuses on trans- and nonbinary academics. Meanwhile, the experiences of men and boys continue to frame many of our conversations about who has ADHD, what it looks like, how to identify it, and how to provide support for it.  

Through examining the intersections of neurodivergence, academic identity, and systemic ableist structures, this collection works to center the largely invisible lived experiences of those members of academia who exist outside the dominant medical and popular narratives of ADHD diagnosis. Diverse methodological approaches—including autoethnography, personal narrative, and critical reflection—will illuminate the complex ways ADHD manifests in academic environments. More than a scholarly intervention, this collection seeks to offer visibility to peripheral neurodiverse experiences across the academy: including but not limited to graduate students, tenure-track faculty, tenured faculty, contract faculty, and administrators. This collection is not imagined as a how-to-guide, offering strategies for surviving and thriving in academic spaces (although we welcome these contributions as well). Nor does it seek merely to challenge institutional assumptions by making visible those whose experiences are often overlooked. Contributors are encouraged to share narratives of success and triumph—to showcase the many unique ways they have challenged adversity—reflective narratives that examine struggle, failure, and defeat will also be showcased. Ultimately, we see this collection as an opportunity for contributors to “claim critical agency”  (Hoben & Hesson, p. 41, 2021) and join us in working to raise awareness, build coalition-and-community, and advocate. This work seems even more crucial at a time when, at least in the United States, institutions that provide support for those living with disabilities such as ADHD are being dismantled. It is more important than ever that we refuse to be silenced and work to support ourselves, each other, and our students. 

This edited collection invites contributions from scholars working across all disciplines and fields of academia. Gendered experiences of ADHD (including LGBTQIA2S+) and layered intersectional perspectives (socioeconomic class, age, ethnicity, race, religion, etc.) are welcomed and encouraged. As editors we recognize it is “not easy to find a space to write about our experiences in a public manner” (Hoben & Hesson, p. 45, 2021) and that “learning to live with a classification of mental illness is a multifaceted learning project,” which for many includes “working out the political calculus of disclosure” (Brookfield, 2014, p. 25). Still, we encourage and invite proposed chapters that work through, but are not limited to, the following topics:

• Experiences navigating the “political calculus of disclosure” 

• Experiences requesting/receiving support at the institutional level 

• Experiences with colleagues, administrators, and/or disability offices

• Experiences with students

• Examination of the friction points of a career/career trajectory that assumes neurotypicality 

• Experiences with early diagnosis, late diagnosis, and/or self diagnosis

• How stereotypes about ADHD inform/misinform your own experiences

• How the choice to medicate or not medicate have shaped your career

• ADHD in and/or across different positions in academia 

• Development of pedagogies or pedagogical resources through the lens of ADHD

• Mental health implications of ADHD/common comorbidities associated with ADHD

• The female body and ADHD (pregnancy, menopause, perimenopause, menstruation, etc.)  

• Age in the context of ADHD

• Collaboration in the context of ADHD

• Academic contexts/situations that nourish the ADHD brain

• ADHD and managing service expectations  

• Managing novelty vs burnout in the context of ADHD

• ADHD, faculty identity, and self-advocacy

• ADHD, faculty wellness, and enhanced mindfulness

• Imposter syndrome and self-doubt

• Resilience, grit, and/or courage

Deadline for Proposals: 500 word abstract and a 100 word bio are due 15 May 2025. Send as email attachments (preferably MS Word) with the subject line “Narratives of persistence and survival” to Whitney Hardin (hardinwn@gmail.com) and Julia Kiernan (jkiernan@ltu.edu). Inquiries are encouraged and welcome. Authors whose abstracts are provisionally accepted for inclusion will be notified by mid-June 2025.

Proposals Due: May 15, 2025

Provisional Acceptance: June, 2025

Manuscripts Due: December 1, 2025

Projected Publication: 2026