In the days since Nancy Gray unexpectedly passed on Jan. 14, there have been many conversations about how to keep the Neurodiversity Support Center going and to honor and ensure Nancy’s legacy. I volunteered to work on this legacy directly as interim NSC Director due to the fact that Nancy was a personal friend and because I felt uniquely poised on campus to do this work for a few months while the NSC was already in a planned leadership transition. I have PEERS for Young Adults certification, and several of my WRC staff have worked at the Study Tables that the NSC offers to their students. 

In my crash course on what the NSC does, I have come to see three or four main essential functions:

• The NSC is a student space for quiet time. The Center has a quiet, safe space to study, relax, stim, self-regulate, and socialize. The sensory space with tents and bean-bag chairs is a no-talking zone where many students come to decompress between classes when they are on campus. This space is open to all who are respectful and welcomes many users each week. 
• The NSC partners with tutors on campus and sometimes success coaches to offer something called Study Tables.  Study Tables are designated times where students can do school work with NSC staff present and receive help as needed. Some students work with tutors from the WRC or Tutoring at these Study Tables, and some students receive other support such as peer mentoring, self-advocacy support, and accountability assistance.
• Every Monday, there are students who are registered with the NSC who take a workshop called “Seminar” which focuses on communication skills and strategies for succeeding in school, at work, and in relationships. 
• The NSC will serve as home for a newly-forming student group called VIBE(Voices for Inclusion, Belonging, and Empowerment) student group. VIBE will be open to any student who identifies as neurodivergent and will work to create opportunities for mutual support, advocacy, and community leadership. 

Look for their mobile Sensory Tent at upcoming campus events once they get up and running! If you have students who have questions about the NSC, feel free to refer them to me, swangler@nmc.edu and I can get them started.