SENGinar - Eye of the Beholder: Our “Obsessions” = Opportunities

The DSM calls them “highly restricted, fixated interests that are abnormal in intensity or focus,” but that is highly

subjective. According to Kassiane Asasumasu, a twice-exceptional advocate and writer, it is likely more fitting to describe what some people dismissively label “special interests” as a form of “deep love” because of the

intensity. Essentially, one is “...going big or going home.” Our passions don’t have to just be hobbies! The purpose

of this engaging presentation is to explore mechanisms that have been used for channeling areas of intense

interest into a potential means of connection, socialization, learning/teaching, and self-actualization (that might even generate occasional income!).

About the Presenter: 

Morénike Giwa Onaiwu, PhD, MA (she/they) is a global advocate, educator, disabled person of color, non-binary woman, and parent in a neurodiverse, multicultural, twice-exceptional serodifferent biological and adoptive family. A prolific writer and social scientist/activist whose work focuses on intersectional justice, meaningful community involvement, human rights, and inclusion, Morénike is recognized as a leader in various disability justice endeavors, including serving as founder/principal consultant of Advocacy Without Borders, a grassroots intersectional

non-profit initiative offering DEIA, education, advocacy, keynotes/lectures, training, research, expert review, and related projects.

Morénike co-chairs the Equity, Justice, and Representation Advisory Committee of the Autistic Women & Nonbinary Network (AWN) and is also a member of several executive boards, a collaborator with various like-minded organizations, and a highly sought after public speaker, trainer, and consultant who has presented at the White House, the United Nations, and numerous peer-reviewed international conferences.

Notable publications of Morénike's include various chapter contributions and peer-reviewed articles as well as co-editing AWN’s groundbreaking anthologies Sincerely, Your Autistic Child: What People on the Autism Spectrum Wish Their Parents Knew About Growing Up, Acceptance, and Identity and the initial edition of All the Weight of Our Dreams: On Living Racialized Autism. Morénike, who has also been featured in the NY Times, NBC's Today Show,

the BBC, NPR, and other media outlets, is the author of the forthcoming Open Accessmonograph A Neurodiversity and Gentle Parenting Journey...in Color.