Kara Dymond | IGI Global Scientific Publishing

Kara Dymond , OCT, PhD, is a late-diagnosed autistic and ADHD advocate, teacher, author, researcher, and award-winning university lecturer. Kara teaches autistic elementary students who inspired her books, Creating a Neurodiversity-Affirming Classroom (Jessica Kingsley, 2025) and The Autism Lens (Pembroke, 2020). Kara earned the 2024 Award for Excellence in Initial Teacher Education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto, where she teaches graduate courses on neurodiversity-affirming classrooms. In 2025, she received the King Charles III Coronation Medal, a Governor General Award for service for her dedication to improving the lives of autistic people and their communities across Canada. She is a co-investigator in a study on Universal Design for Learning and accessibility in teacher education. Other interests include neoliberalism, ableism, racism, classism, and neuronormativity in education; teacher reflexivity; the impact of openly neurodivergent educators; and the transformative potential of neurodiversity-affirming pedagogy where all are expected and welcomed.

Publications

“Everyone Else Wants Cotton Candy and All You Want Is a Grape”: Transforming Your Teaching From Awareness to Allyship With Autistic Students

The school environment and teachers in particular can have lasting impact on the academic, social, and emotional wellbeing of autistic students. It is imperative that educators...

Students as Our Best Resources: Collaboratively Reimagining Neurodiversity-Affirming Learning Spaces

This chapter discusses the impacts of ableism and neoliberalism on education and the potential for transformation within higher education. The author explores the creation of an...