Services for Students

Academic Resource Center (the ARC)

The ARC offers services to support undergraduate students, in any year, studying in any discipline. A student might visit the ARC to learn how to manage their time, develop stronger academic skills and strategies, understand their unique learning style, get a peer tutor, meet with a learning consultant and join a study group. At the ARC, we work with students to create a comprehensive approach to your learning, so you can reach your highest academic and personal potential and reach your goals.

Academic Advising Center (for undergraduate students)

The AAC offers specialized advising for Trinity and Pratt students of all class years and majors in four specialized areas. You can meet with any of the Directors of Academic Engagement, and the Global, Civic and Cross-Disciplinary Advisor as often as you want.

Career Center

The Duke University Career Center engages graduate and undergraduate students and alumni in discovering and determining what is meaningful and valuable in their lives and applying this to careers. They provide guidance throughout this ongoing process and encourage opportunities for exploring the intersection of our students’ education, values, goals, skills, and experiences in order to identify and realize their aspirations.

Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS)

CAPS helps Duke Students enhance strengths and develop abilities to successfully live, grow and learn in their personal and academic lives. We offer many services to Duke undergraduate, graduate, and professional students, including brief individual and group counseling, couples counseling and more. CAPS staff also provides outreach to student groups, particularly programs supportive of at-risk populations, on a wide range of issues impacting them in various aspects of campus life.

Duke Reach 

DukeReach provides comprehensive outreach services to identify and support students in managing all aspects of their wellbeing. They provide case management services including coordination, advocacy, referrals, and follow-up services for students who are experiencing significant difficulties related to mental health, physical health, and/or psycho-social adjustment.

Student Disability Access Office (SDAO) 

The goal of SDAO is to provide and coordinate accommodations, support services and programs that enable students with disabilities to have equal access to all Duke University programs and activities.  The staff of the SDAO encourages and assists students in understanding the nature of their disability and it’s impact on their living and learning at Duke University. Students are provided with opportunities to learn about their rights and responsibilities, procedures for requesting accommodations and about the wide range of programs and opportunities available at Duke University.

Student Health 

Student Health is the primary source for a wide range of healthcare services for all Duke Students, many of which are covered by the student health fee. Student Health provides evidence-based, patient-centered health care to the campus community in a professional and compassionate manner that directly contributes to student well-being and overall success.

Advocacy and Community Supports

Duke Disability Alliance (DDA)

DDA is is a student organization whose mission is to make Duke more inclusive and accessible by fostering conversations about disability issues, expanding accessibility on campus and in the community, encouraging positive perceptions and full appreciations of people with disabilities, and promoting their legal rights.

Disability at Duke 

A group of faculty, staff and students created resources focused on organizing student and faculty efforts for disability justice and pedagogy.

Learn more about the 2024 Neurodiversity Career Summit here.

Many students have questions about the search process for their next internship or job after graduation.  Neurodivegent students have shared that many aspects of the job search are challenging, from navigating a career fair to the interview.  Many students also have concerns about requesting reasonable accommodations and whether or not to self-disclose a disability.

We appreciate that this is a complex and individualized decision informed by multiple factors. We invite you to view the following resources created by Duke Career Center.

2. Self-disclosure: Student-Guide-to-Disclosure-in-the-Job-Search.pdf

3. Legal information: Disabilities_Definitions_Laws.pdf

The Career Center’s website also includes further discussion about the pros and cons of disclosure.

Job Resources

A growing number of companies have made a commitment hiring neurodivergent individuals, recognizing the many important contributions that can be made through innovation and “thinking differently.”  Additionally, these resources recognize that the traditional hiring and on-boarding process may put a neurodivergent individual at a disadvantage.  In order to level the playing field some companies have chosen to offer alternative interview and on-boarding processes that allow an individual to demonstrate their talents in a lower stress way.

While we do not plan to maintain a comprehensive list of companies engaged in this model, below are a few examples that may be of interest.

• The DXC Dandelion Project
• LiNC-IT: Linking North Carolina with Innovative Talent
• Microsoft Autism Hiring Program
• Neurodiversity Career Connector
• SAP Autism at Work
• Specialisterne USA
• UConn Center for Neurodiversity and Innovation

The Student Disability Access Office (SDAO) works with students to increase accessibility on campus in both academics and residential life. While having a neurodevelopmental condition does not necessarily mean you will need assistance, they can provide accommodations like extended time on assessments or assignments, accommodated dorm assignments and other help. Even if you are able to succeed academically without SDAO accommodations, they can help make life at Duke a little bit easier to handle.

What if I haven’t been approved for accommodations yet?

The approval process for accommodations can take a while, especially if you are getting tested during the semester. The best thing to do if you need accommodations in the moment is to communicate this to your Academic Dean or your professors to discuss your options.

Check out this video of Dr. Tara Chandrasekhar, M.D. and Dr. Cort Schneider, the former Director of the Student Disability Access Office’s conversation about the basics of the accommodations process at Duke.

The Clubhouse is a low-energy, low commitment space for Duke students who want to hang out and meet people, but are happier in smaller groups. Events are sensory-friendly and low-pressure, and entirely optional – stay as long as you’re comfortable. This is not a therapeutic group and no diagnosis is needed – it is a space to meet and hang out with other cool people with similar interests.

Events are held monthly.

More information found here.  Please contact kimberly.blackshear@duke.edu for details.

Duke Neurodiversity Connections holds campus presentations for departments and groups. Contact members of the group to schedule a presentation by emailing neurodiversity@duke.edu.

• Academic Advising Tip Sheet
• Disability at Duke includes resources focused on organizing student and faculty efforts for disability justice and pedagogy.  
• The Duke Accessible Syllabus Project includes tips and materials for teachers to make their classrooms more inclusive.
• Faculty Classroom Inclusion Guide
• Faculty Brochure
• Faculty Tip Sheet
• Overview of How to Support Neurodiverse-Students
• Neurodiversity “101” video
• Neurodiversity Student Perspectives Panel, 9/26/23
• Domains of Inclusion in the Classroom, presented by Dr. Sam Brandsen