Podcast: Designing for the Neurodiverse
In this inaugural episode of The Nexus Podcast, we take a deeper dive into the “neurodiverse furniture project.”
While most students and faculty members spent their summer breaks away from campus, a quartet of industrial-design undergrads toiled in a Hayward Hall basement studio with an eye toward a future of neurodiverse inclusion.
Collaborating with Dr. Wendy Ross’s team at the Center for Autism and Neurodiversity, they conceptualized, researched and fabricated a chair that will offer comfort for neurodiverse and other anxious patients inside Jefferson’s state-of-the-art Honickman Center at 1101 Chestnut St.
On Feb. 1, officials gathered on the site to celebrate the milestone “Topping Off” ceremony, an event held to recognize the completion of vertical construction en route to its expected opening in 2026.
While much work still remains, it is within that framework that the forward-thinking, collaborative “neurodiverse furniture” project became the focus of our inaugural episode of the University’s new Nexus podcast.
The podcast will take a deeper dive into stories that appear on the Nexus website, offering more perspective and insight into the people, programs and projects that make Thomas Jefferson University so unique.
Read more on The Nexus about this project and how architecture can help those with autism engage with the world.