Neurodiversity Celebration Week

What does it mean to celebrate neurodiversity?

For students, it's pretty simple:

• Recognize the naturally-occurring neurodiversity among us as a community. We all have different brains, and there is no such thing as a “normal” brain. 

• Celebrate the fact that we all have different brains and the many ways this diversity contributes to our world – from making scientific breakthroughs and creating beautiful art to building meaningful relationships. Isn't it awesome that we're all different?! Wouldn't it be boring if we were all the same?!

For adults, it's also important to put this in context of how we view ourselves and others: 

• Acknowledge that much of the world we live in (including our school system) has been designed for people with certain types of brains – brains that are not shaped by dyslexia, autism, ADHD, anxiety, Tourett’s, OCD, depression, or other so-called “neurodivergent” characteristics. 

• Understand that while it can be hard for people with some types of brains to navigate some aspects of the world, this is not because there’s anything "wrong" with them; it’s simply because much of our world was designed for people with other types of brains.