Finn Gardiner is a Master of Public Policy student at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University. He holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Tufts University.
He currently works with the Lurie Institute for Disability Policy at Brandeis University and the Autistic Self Advocacy Network. Throughout his work, Finn combines disability advocacy, policy analysis and research, and written and visual communications through policy briefs, original reports and white papers, and contributions to research projects. His research and advocacy interests include education and employment for autistic adults, comparative disability policy, inclusive technology, LGBTQ cultural competency, and policy that takes into account the intersections between disability, race, LGBTQ identities, class, and other experiences. Finn recently worked with a team of researchers at the University of Massachusetts Medical School and HSRI on a project that gauged attitudes about the creation of an autism database in Massachusetts in order to create policy recommendations for the state.
Finn is a seasoned public speaker who has appeared at a variety of venues, including the Obama White House’s 2016 LGBTQ Disability Day panel, the National Council on Disability’s panel on inclusive technology for people with disabilities, the United Nations’ 2016 Disability and Ageing Symposium, and the 2015 and 2017 American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities national conferences.
Finn’s writing has been published in NOS Magazine, The Thinking Person’s Guide to Autism, and the anthology All the Weight of our Dreams.