Understanding Intersectional Experiences of Computer Science Students Living with Mental Health Conditions

As our community seeks to make Computer Science education more accessible amidst a global mental health crisis, we must not overlook the unique needs of students living with ongoing mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression, who are often stigmatized, misunderstood, and marginalized in our field. However, these students' experiences are not uniform: not only is there variation in experience among different mental health conditions, but aspects of students' identity such as their gender, race and ethnicity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, etc. also affect their sense of belonging and feelings of accomplishment. Thus, further exploration is needed to better understand these intersectional experiences so that structures and pedagogical approaches can be put in place to help these students thrive.