“We Need Spaces That Get All of Us”: Community as a Mental Health Resource for Black Neurodiverse Women with Postsecondary Education

Black neurodiverse women with postsecondary education occupy an underexamined intersection of race, gender, and neurodiversity, yet little research has examined their access to affirming community support. This survey study (N = 53) examines community access and mental health among Black neurodiverse women with postsecondary education. Findings reveal a 54.7 percentage-point gap between how many participants rated community support as important (96.2%) and how many had found it (41.5%). Participants also reported high rates of anxiety (90.6%), depression (79.2%), and masking (77.4%). Using qualitative reflexive thematic analysis, the following four themes were developed, defined, and named: (1) living at the intersection of race, gender, and neurodiversity; (2) structural barriers to access; (3) finding and building community; and (4) community as emotional validation and intersectional recognition. Framed through Black Feminist Disability Theory and intersectionality, these findings position access to affirming community as a structural health need and a health equity issue. Implications are drawn for campus mental health services, community organizations, and future research.