In NACHOS S3E3 – Tolkien, Disability, and the Time We’re Given, Dr. Dutch explores the timeless wisdom of J.R.R. Tolkien alongside the urgent realities of disability and neurodivergence in higher education. Beginning with Frodo and Gandalf’s reminder that “all we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us,” this episode connects Tolkien’s vision of resilience to Jay Timothy Dolmage’s Academic Ableism and its metaphors of “steep steps” and “retrofits.”

Together, we unpack how exclusion is built into the design of universities and society, and why scraps of access are never enough. Instead, we imagine what it means to create truly inclusive spaces where every brain has a seat at the table. From classrooms to conferences, we explore how access must move beyond accommodation toward justice and universal design.

This episode also highlights the upcoming Michigan Disability Empowerment Conference (MDEC) on October 24, a gathering of advocates, students, and community leaders committed to building a future where disabled voices are centered from the start.

Whether you are a student, educator, advocate, or Tolkien fan seeking hope in challenging times, this conversation offers affirmation, reflection, and a call to action.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

• How Tolkien’s wisdom connects to neurodivergent and disabled experiences today

• Why Dolmage’s metaphors of steep steps and retrofits reveal systemic ableism in higher education

• The difference between token accommodations and genuine inclusion

• How the Michigan Disability Empowerment Conference is creating space for empowerment, advocacy, and innovation

• Why neuro-affirming communities like NACHOS matter for belonging and resilience

Subscribe to NACHOS for weekly neuro-affirming conversations that connect literature, disability justice, and everyday strategies for thriving.

#Tolkien #DisabilityJustice #Neurodivergent #AcademicAbleism #UniversalDesign #NACHOSPodcast #MichiganDisabilityEmpowermentConference

In this week’s episode of NACHOS: The Neuro-Affirming Conversation Hour for Outreach and Support, we celebrate National Ampersand Day and explore what the “&” really means for our lives. From its history as a “broken infinity” symbol to Amanda Palmer’s reminder—“I’m not gonna live my life on one side of an ampersand”—we reflect on why living in the “both/and” is more powerful than being trapped in “either/or.”

We connect this theme to the realities of student life, institutional accessibility, and mental health, drawing on current research to show how resilience and well-being reduce future anxiety. Then we dive into the Humanities 101 midterm project, where students design micro-accommodations—small, practical solutions that make the world more inclusive. Examples include rethinking classroom group work, stocking free menstrual products, and redesigning physical spaces for better access.

Students are invited to submit their projects to the MicroAccommodation Innovation Challenge at the Michigan Disability Empowerment Conference (MDEC), happening October 24, 2025, at the University of Michigan–Dearborn Fairlane Center South. The challenge gives students the chance to share their ideas through simple posters or visuals—and even win prizes—while joining a statewide community of advocates, leaders, and changemakers.

This episode also previews the MDEC schedule, highlighting sessions on ADHD and neurodivergence, accessibility myths, higher education, spina bifida experiences, early childhood inclusion, and more. We reflect on why conferences like MDEC matter in our turbulent times: they build bridges, open conversations, and chart new ways forward for every body and every mind.

Stay tuned through the end for affirmations, reflections, and your weekly participation question: Where in your life have you experienced an “either/or” that could become a “both/and”?

✨ You are enough. You are worthy. You belong. ✨

Season 3 Kickoff: Labor Day, Hidden Labor, and Belonging

We’re back with a special Labor Day episode of NACHOS: the Neuro-Affirming Conversation Hour for Outreach and Support! In this week’s episode, Dr. Dutch dives into the history of Labor Day, the 1894 Pullman Strike, and what these struggles for workers’ rights can teach us about the invisible labor of neurodivergent life today.

Along the way, we explore new science on gut health and hidden sugars, a tiny genetic “volume knob” that shaped the human brain, and a groundbreaking discovery about early human evolution in Ethiopia. From labor rights to microbiomes to the branching tree of humanity, this episode connects the dots between history, science, neurodiversity, and self-care—all through the lens of belonging.

Subscribe to the podcast, comment on YouTube, and join our Discord to keep the conversation going. Share this episode with a friend who needs a reminder that their labor—seen or unseen—matters.

#LaborDay #HistoryPodcast #Neurodiversity #PullmanStrike #GutHealth #HumanEvolution #Belonging #SelfCare #Podcast