Alex Newson

Alex is a neurodivergent and disabled researcher, advocate, and educator who received her doctorate in special education from the University of Oregon. She is a recipient of Project COLEAD – an OSEP-funded leadership grant focusing on autism, evidence-based practices, diversity, and collaboration across universities. Her current research interests include equitable neuroinclusive research methodologies, collaborative school-based mental health, and the promotion and empowerment of disabled and neurodivergent educator and student lived experiences and perspectives. Her passion for this research stems from her experiences as a special educator to youth with co-occurring disabilities, mental health needs, and trauma histories. She has seen how the use of trauma-informed neurodiversity-affirming practices with neurodivergent and disabled individuals is more than just best practice, but a social justice issue. Her current projects focus on Autistic educator experiences of burnout, disabled and neurodivergent student perspectives of inclusion, belonging, and accessibility in higher education, and training educators on ways to implement neurodiversity-affirming practices in K-12 settings. 

Before beginning her doctoral studies, Alex received a Master of Science at the University of Oregon in Special Education with K-12 licensure under Project STEP – an OSEP-funded personnel preparation grant focusing on low-incidence disabilities. Alex taught in private and public school settings in the Pacific Northwest as a certified Special Educator and educational assistant. As an educator and researcher, Alex hopes to bridge the gap in current educational systems to better empower practitioners to disrupt their communities while holding systems accountable.