Students will launch the project by exploring Georgetown Day School’s mission, origin story, and inclusive design context, then gather firsthand empathy evidence about what helps neurodiverse students feel comfortable, heard, and connected in a school space.

Students will sort empathy evidence from Phase 1, identify patterns in comfort, communication, and access needs, and turn those patterns into a focused problem statement for a neurodiversity affinity space at GDS.

Students will generate multiple evidence-based ideas for a neurodiversity affinity space, compare options against user needs and GDS values, and select promising directions for prototyping.

Students will turn selected ideas into first-draft affinity-space prototypes, using mission-aligned design choices, labeled features, and short advocacy language to show how their concepts support belonging, access, and student leadership at GDS.

Students will test their draft neurodiversity affinity-space ideas with peers and community partners, collect evidence about what feels welcoming and accessible, and use that feedback to strengthen prototypes, labels, and advocacy language.

Students will use structured critique to evaluate how well their affinity-space prototypes, labels, and advocacy language meet user needs, reflect GDS mission connections, and communicate a clear case for belonging. They will gather feedback from peers and invited community partners, revise based on evidence, and prepare stronger next-step proposals for the final phase.

Students will synthesize feedback from testing and critique, finalize public-facing advocacy materials, share their affinity-space proposal with authentic audiences, and document how their design thinking changed across the project while naming concrete next steps for a lasting student-led neurodiversity community at GDS.