Dr. Hruska, who serves as a Senior English Instructor at Stanford Online High School (SOHS), guest hosted with four SOHS students, including Hannah Poplack, Sadie Giessner, Maxwell Palance, and Wanzie Li, to talk about how real inclusion happens and why student leadership is essential.
They discussed:
💡 Creating advocacy groups like the Neurodivergent Student Alliance and Disability Culture Club
💡 Why accessibility needs to be designed intentionally, not added as an afterthought
💡 The power of sharing lived experiences
💡 How online environments can support neurodivergent students in unexpected ways
💡 What schools can learn by listening to students first
One of the most powerful takeaways:
Accessibility is not a niche issue. It benefits entire communities.
The students also share stories about building community, from advocacy petitions to Minecraft servers to flashlight walks at school events.
Their message is clear: meaningful inclusion requires thought, intentionality, effort, and collaboration.
And when students are part of the process, real change can happen.