Megan Kalomiris, a science writer and 2022 UC Santa Cruz Science Communication Program graduate, has autism and struggles with social interaction. For her, in-person meetings, small talk and socializing feel like “exams I could never study for or pass.” COVID-19 gave her a break, a chance to feel more “normal.” “For the first time, neurotypical people were feeling a bit of what I regularly experience: a world not built for your needs,” she writes. Now, with restrictions mostly lifted, she makes a plea to keep the inclusivity she so cherished.
