MrsKaren Merry

Karen Merry is a PhD candidate at Deakin University, researching neurodivergent students and school attendance. Her work sits at the intersection of education, counselling, and disability inclusion, advocating for a shift from deficit-based thinking toward neurodiversity-affirming practice in schools and workplaces.

Completing a Master of Counselling and a Graduate Certificate in Research Studies in 2024, her earlier career spanned primary teaching, information technology, group facilitation, marketing, and photography, shaping an interdisciplinary perspective that continues to inform her research. She is committed to evidence-based, empowering approaches that centre on the lived experience of neurodivergent individuals.

Karen believes that participatory action research methods can drive meaningful change, advocating for communicating across neurotypes within the qualitative research process through novel methods. At the heart of her research and advocacy is a commitment to neuroinclusion, challenging deficit-based narratives about neurodevelopmental differences and championing the strengths of different neurotypes across schools and workplaces.