Here are my answers to the proposed questions.
1. I do not believe any person should "conform" to fit in to society.
I believe our neurological differences should be understood and
accepted by all within our lives. What I will say though, is that if
you are confused by your condition, or if it is allowing for
miscommunications or troubles in your life, whether personal
or professional, you should do what you can to alleviate those
situations by learning how to manage them in a way that is
beneficial for you and also in a way that educates those you
work and live closely with, so that you can enhance your
relationships and feel better about yourself. I do not believe a
person who is neurologically diverse needs fixed, but I do
believe in being in control of our own actions by any means
necessary, just because we may live with a certain condition
does not give us free reign to hurt or disrespect others without
consequence.
2. We have clearly seen some amazing benefits of neurodiversity
within society. One new age example I would use is the broader
acknowledgment and less professional bias against those of the
LGBTQ community. Although not everybody personally agrees
with such a lifestyle, we have seen that with the media and tons
of businesses pushing for acceptance of all, we have all been
freer to be ourselves more outwardly than ever before, I can
only imagine how much more comfortable in their skins they
must be now! A broader example of the positives of diverse
thinking is a wider selection of ideas to handle a problem, a
condition, an outdated workplace or medical practice, etc. We
can develop more humane or all-inclusive ways to handle
situations with a diverse range of opinions and ideas.
3. I believe a good way to enhance acceptance and discourage
stereotyping of neurodivergence would be to create some kind
of bias/diversity awareness class that can be taught to youth in
all walks of childhood within the school system. Young minds
are more receptive to change then old ones, plus they will bring
in the future! The youth of our nation are undergoing some
major crisis across the nation in this age. Excessive violence,
depression, and hatred has become the new normal within our
youth and it has had devastating consequences. I believe that
our adult lives have become so enamored with stress and the
need to provide due to inflation that we spend less time on the
mental care of our loved ones and ourselves. We have been so
caught up in our need to survive this era that we cannot find
the time or mental capacity to handle EVERYTHING, and our
children are suffering.
4. The concept of neurodiversity relates to the programmatic
course themes as follows: b b
b b
• Self-Care: In this regard accepting our neurological difference
can be a staple in self-acceptance and being comfortable in
your own skin. We can use this knowledge to come to terms
with the fact that we do NOT struggle alone, and we can see
that others like us can live long and happy lives despite their
differences and seek out help for ourselves.
• Social Justice: We can obviously see the connection to this
theme, justice itself means "fair treatment", so, to me this says
that social acceptance of EVERYONE despite how their minds
work, is a RIGHT that should be granted to all.
• Emotional Intelligence: This theme shares some of its
relationship to neurodiversity with self-care. The more we
know about neurodiversity, the more our knowledge of
individual emotion and behavior expands. This knowledge not
only assists us in understanding more about our own mental
workings but teaches us how all human life interprets
information differently, leading to many contrasting feelings
and emotions that we should be aware and respectful of.
• Career Connections: The knowledge and understanding of
neurodivergence will allow you to be more aware of the
feelings of those around you, this is a trait that is critical within
the professional environment. It will allow you to have
professional yet respectful relationships with those that you
work with on a daily basis. Although you may not want a
friendship with those you work with. Consistent
miscommunication or ignorance with colleagues can make the
work environment a very uncomfortable one and could cause
one person or the other to no longer feel at ease in their job;
this could easily lead to outward frustration towards coworkers,
arguments, poor motivation, and even the inability to stay
within that particular environment.
• Ethics: Morality and knowing the difference between right and
wrong is key to living a happy and respectable life. It keeps you
empathetic and unbiased towards loved ones and those around
you, and it keeps you out of trouble! Although we all have
various beliefs, having disregard for human life in its entirety, I
believe, will only lead to failure and a very lonely life, unless you
surround yourself with those that have severe moral failings
equal to your own. To expect or demand respect or
consideration you must first be willing to hand it out to others
especially through your differences.
