Happy Neurodiversity Celebration Week!
This is a special post written by Charles Warren, Curriculum Developer at Triangle. Charlie is also a member of Triangle’s Racial Equity Committee (REC) and Disability Justice Task Force (DJTF). As part of our commitment to the work of the REC and DJTF, we will be sharing more information with you on subjects related to racial equity and disability justice. This post continues our series dedicated to calling attention to the contributions of people with disabilities to American history.
Did you know that it’s Neurodiversity Celebration Week? The terms neurodiversity paradigm and neurodivergent are becoming more familiar to many in the disability community, but what do they mean?
Fortunately, it’s pretty straightforward. Neurodivergent refers to anyone whose mind or functioning diverges from dominant societal norms, standards, and expectations. It’s an identity term, and not a medical or clinical term, for which it is frequently confused. The neurodiversity paradigm refers to the idea that these differences are a part of the natural diversity of being human.
For many, the clinical language surrounding disorder feels unhelpful. The neurodiversity paradigm recognizes that these differences can be disabling or distressing for individuals but respects and encourages autonomy, as well as individuals defining what is distressing, functional, or dysfunctional for themselves. It focuses on supporting individuals and reducing distress. It’s all about figuring out what works best for you and your mind.
Triangle, Inc. created a program specifically to meet the needs of young adults in the neurodivergent community. The Prism Program is a flexible day program with over 70 members that focuses on promoting person-centered development and fostering community.
My favorite graphic for quickly visualizing many of the included communities is the Neurodivergent Umbrella (included at the bottom of this post), which was created by Sonny Jane Wise, whose work is the basis for much of this post.
The term neurodivergent was coined by Kassaine Asasumasu, a biracial multiply neurodivergent activist in the year 2000, and has become an important part of discourse in the disability community. Personally, I find the idea of neurodivergence to be incredibly liberatory. Instead of being defined as disordered, the idea of neurodiversity offers the flexibility to approach my differences with creativity, and with the support of a large community of individuals sharing their experiences.
Whether we’re neurodivergent, have a disability, or don’t, the ways in which we support our individual differences help us meet our life goals, both big and small.
