Belonging without Masking: Neurodivergent students in Residential Settings
Tracks
Track 3
| Tuesday, May 5, 2026 |
| 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM |
| E3 |
Overview
Student Experience & Wellbeing - Luke Fowler
Speaker
Luke Fowler
Head Of College
University of New England
Belonging without Masking: Neurodivergent students in Residential Settings
3:30 PM - 4:30 PMAbstract Overview
This presentation explores how student accommodation communities can move beyond inclusion as a policy goal and instead cultivate genuine belonging for neurodivergent residents and student leaders. While many universities focus on academic accessibility, evidence shows that social barriers remain a primary reason neurodivergent students disengage or withdraw. In residential environments; where social interaction is constant, these pressures are often intensified. When students feel they must mask their natural communication styles, sensory needs, or ways of participating in community life, the result is frequently exhaustion, isolation, and burnout rather than connection and leadership.
Drawing on the social model of disability, this session reframes neurodivergence not as deficit but as difference shaped by environmental design. The presentation introduces the concept of belonging without masking; a cultural approach in which residential systems are structured to reduce unnecessary social strain and allow diverse ways of being, communicating, and leading to be visible and valued.
Participants will explore practical “affordances in action,” including predictable routines, clear and written communication, consent-based participation, quiet or low-stimulus alternatives, and explicit expectations around roles and responsibilities. The session also examines how to support neurodivergent student leaders who may perform effectively in public while experiencing hidden cognitive or sensory overload. Strategies such as shared leadership, sensory breaks, and equitable distribution of social labour are presented as mechanisms that sustain participation over time.
Through real-world scenarios and applied principles, attendees will be invited to consider how safety is experienced—not declared—within residential culture. The presentation concludes with an actionable framework for autism-friendly college environments grounded in cultural safety, participation, capacity-building, and student voice.
Ultimately, this session positions belonging as a structural and cultural outcome—one that strengthens wellbeing, retention, and leadership across residential communities
Drawing on the social model of disability, this session reframes neurodivergence not as deficit but as difference shaped by environmental design. The presentation introduces the concept of belonging without masking; a cultural approach in which residential systems are structured to reduce unnecessary social strain and allow diverse ways of being, communicating, and leading to be visible and valued.
Participants will explore practical “affordances in action,” including predictable routines, clear and written communication, consent-based participation, quiet or low-stimulus alternatives, and explicit expectations around roles and responsibilities. The session also examines how to support neurodivergent student leaders who may perform effectively in public while experiencing hidden cognitive or sensory overload. Strategies such as shared leadership, sensory breaks, and equitable distribution of social labour are presented as mechanisms that sustain participation over time.
Through real-world scenarios and applied principles, attendees will be invited to consider how safety is experienced—not declared—within residential culture. The presentation concludes with an actionable framework for autism-friendly college environments grounded in cultural safety, participation, capacity-building, and student voice.
Ultimately, this session positions belonging as a structural and cultural outcome—one that strengthens wellbeing, retention, and leadership across residential communities
Biography
Luke Fowler is a higher education practitioner and residential community leader at the University of New England, working across student engagement, wellbeing, and belonging in on-campus and virtual college environments. His work focuses on creating residential cultures where neurodivergent students and leaders can participate fully without needing to mask their identity, communication style, or sensory needs.
Grounded in the social model of disability, Luke approaches inclusion as something built through everyday structures, communication practices, and community norms; not simply policy. He is particularly interested in how residential environments can reduce unnecessary social and sensory strain, support diverse leadership styles, and move communities from tolerance toward genuine belonging.
Across roles in student wellbeing, engagement, and dispute resolution, Luke has supported students through transition, crisis, and leadership development. He brings a practical, culture-focused approach shaped by listening to students and designing environments where people can be fully themselves and still belong.
