“Come as you are; you are not broken” is more than a motto, it’s a philosophy, said Dr. Chad Sweeney, current director and Faculty Fellow for Disability, Difference, and Accommodation. Since its opening in February 2024, The Cog: Neurodiversity Center has become an essential resource in extending the sense of safety and belonging for neurodivergent students on the CSUSB campus.
Jess Block Nerren (communication studies) was interviewed about The Cognitive Collective on campus, Mahmood Nikbakhtzadeh (health science and human ecology) will be a guest speaker at a meeting of the ACS San Gorgonio chapter, and Mark Agars (psychology) coauthored a study about supporting workers with chronic illnesses.
Jess Block Nerren (communication studies) was quoted in an article about the opening of the new neurodiversity space at CSUSB called “The Cog,” a place available to anyone with or without autism, ADHD, anxiety, dyslexia and other ways of experiencing the world differently.
The grand opening of The Cog will be celebrated on Feb. 5 from 10:30 a.m. to noon in CSUSB’s John M. Pfau Library.
Jess Block Nerren ’21, full-time lecturer in communication studies and former interim faculty director of CSUSB’s Services to Students with Disabilities, was named the first Faculty Inclusion Fellow for Disability, Difference and Accommodation.
“The SSD team is amazing to work with and I look forward to all of the great work we will do as we frame our work through a social justice lens,” said Lori Palmerton, the new CSUSB director of Services to Students with Disabilities.
John Chad Sweeney, a full professor in the CSUSB English department, is a valued member of the Services to Students with Disabilities Community Advisory Board.
Thomas McWeeney (public administration) discussed an upcoming program on school shooter prevention, Brian Levin (criminal justice) commented on an NFL team owner’s campaign against antisemitism, Jess Nerren (communication studies) was interviewed about her research into disability inclusion, and Mark Agars (psychology) was part of a team that published a study on flexible work schedules for shift workers.
Through her research, Jess Nerren, full-time lecturer of communication studies, hopes to develop inclusive research practices and work with individuals with autism in developing new critical theories and research methodologies.