ADA Live! is a free monthly online program broadcast nationally by the Southeast ADA Center, a member of the ADA National Network and a project of the Burton Blatt Institute (BBI) at Syracuse University. Learn about your rights and responsibilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Leaders in the field will share their knowledge, experience and successful strategies that increase the participation of persons with disabilities in communities and businesses.
New Episode – March 4, 2026
Episode 151: When Eating Is a Disability Rights Issue
Description
In this episode, we welcome Naureen Hunani, a registered dietitian, educator, and the founder of Registered Dieticians or RDs for Neurodiversity, a group dedicated to changing how healthcare and mental health providers can support neurodivergent people with feeding and eating challenges. Her work focuses on the lived experiences of autistic and neurodivergent people and the intersection of feeding differences, feeding challenges, eating disorders, and Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder or ARFID. By supporting disability and neurodiversity, Naureen challenges harmful, compliance-based feeding models and advocates for healthcare rooted in personal choice, access, and dignity. She is widely known for connecting clinical nutrition, disability rights, and social justice to help families, clinicians, and systems rethink what truly supportive, ethical feeding care looks like.
Reminder: The ADA may protect the rights of individuals with an eating disorder if the disorder substantially limits major life activities.
LISTEN
Audio: Episode 151: When Eating Is a Disability Rights Issue
Web: soundcloud.com/adalive/episode-151
READ
- Interactive Transcript for Episode 151: When Eating Is a Disability Rights Issue
Web: bit.ly/adalive151-caption - Transcript Episode 151: When Eating Is a Disability Rights Issue (PDF file)
EXPLORE
Guest – Episode 151
Naureen Hunani, Founder of Registered Dietitians for Neurodiversity
Naureen Hunani is a neurodivergent registered dietitian with over 18 years of clinical experience. She is the founder of RDs for Neurodiversity, an online continuing education platform dedicated to neurodiversity-informed care for healthcare professionals. In her private practice in Montreal, Canada, Naureen supports children, adults, and families navigating feeding and eating challenges through a trauma-informed, neuro-inclusive, weightinclusive, and anti-oppressive approach. With extensive experience working with neurodivergent individuals, she advocates for early identification of feeding differences, inclusion, and acceptance. Naureen has shared her expertise at national and international conferences and is deeply passionate about helping professionals build neurodiversity-affirming practices. In 2023, she was honored with ASAN’s “Nothing About Us Without Us” Award for her commitment to advocacy and inclusion related to neurodivergent feeding differences and her work in eating disorders
ADA Live! is produced by the Southeast ADA Center, a member of the ADA National Network and a project of the Burton Blatt Institute (BBI) at Syracuse University funded by NIDILRR Grant #90DPAD0005-01-00. This program is also a cross-collaboration with the NIDILRR Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (RRTC) grant – Disability Inclusive Employment Practices (#90RTEM0006-01-00).