People who are neurodiverse should not have to change how they
are to conform to societal norms. These people are often hardwired
differently than other members of society, so how could they
possibly truly change even if they wanted to? We live in a society
that values individuality, yet discrimination runs rampant. Claims that
the neurodiverse are disabled don't make sense to me; when a
person is a functioning member of society, why should it matter that
they are different? I have lived a long time as someone in a
marginalized group, so I know what it is like looking from the outside
in. If being gay wasn't different enough, and was once seen as a
mental illness, then being a redhead makes it obvious I'm different
then everyone else. Different shouldn't mean excluded or wrong.
Society can greatly benefit from different ways of thinking. If
everyone thought the same, we would all be doing the same work,
married at 18 with 2.5 kids and a dog. Being able to think differently
allows for different perspectives; neurodiverse people can see things
the rest of us miss and come up with ideas no one else would have
thought of. Society needs to stop focusing on the negative aspects of
neurodiversity and focus on the positive things that come with it.
Focus on creativity, deep focus, and clever inventiveness, not
negative things like social anxiety or inability to perceive emotions.
Accept that everyone is different, and that is a great thing.
Neurodiversity has a powerful ally in social justice and ethics. Social
justice is about equality for all people, regardless of their birth or
identity. Ethics ensures that the neurodiverse are treated as human
beings; our morals prevent us from treating them as subhuman
because they are different. Being aware of a person's neurodiversity
and knowing how that pertains to emotional intelligence allows us to
alter how we treat those people; maybe we speak more literally in
conversation with them, or we don't pat them on the back if that is
something that causes discomfort.
