The term neurodiversity was first coined by Judy Singer in the late 1990s to advocate for a full-inclusion movement for those with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and other neurodiverse people. Rather than pathologizing some as “abnormal” and “normal,” neurodiversity recognizes that the variations taken on by the human brain are natural byproducts of life (1). For example, under the neurodiversity model, autistic individuals may have strengths in detailed thinking or analyzing complex patterns but have difficulties in filtering multiple sensory stimuli or understanding social nuances (2).
Neurodivergent is an umbrella term that can be used to describe individuals with mental illness, developmental disorders, genetic disorders, trauma; it does not have strict boundaries or definitions. Though, individuals with these conditions typically prefer the term neurodiverse.
The term Disability Justice was coined in 2005 by disabled queer women of color: Patty Berne, Mia Mingus, Stacy Milbern, Leroy Moore, Eli Clare, and Sebastian Margaret. The Disability Justice movement centralizes the intersectionally oppressed disabled voices to comprehensively address ableism. Current Disability Rights Movements and Disability Studies centers people with mobility impairments and perpetuates white privilege. It does not fully challenge structural oppressions that result in multiple forms of marginalization. Disability justice framework emphasizes that “We are powerful, not despite the complexities of our bodies, but because of them” (3).
Current conversations, dominated by ableist, dehumanizing perspectives that negatively depict neurodivergence or disability as "less than" or undesirable, reinforce stigma and misrepresentation. In fact, it is likely that you know someone who is neurodiverse or disabled but they, like many others, hide their neurodiversity and/or disability as a coping or survival tactic out of fear of being mislabeled.
Singer argues that neurodiversity can be used hand in hand along with other socio-political categories such as ethnicity, socioeconomic class, sexual orientation, etc (4). The same should be attributed to disability.
Neurodivergent is an umbrella term that can be used to describe individuals with mental illness, developmental disorders, genetic disorders, trauma; it does not have strict boundaries or definitions. Though, individuals with these conditions typically prefer the term neurodiverse.
The term Disability Justice was coined in 2005 by disabled queer women of color: Patty Berne, Mia Mingus, Stacy Milbern, Leroy Moore, Eli Clare, and Sebastian Margaret. The Disability Justice movement centralizes the intersectionally oppressed disabled voices to comprehensively address ableism. Current Disability Rights Movements and Disability Studies centers people with mobility impairments and perpetuates white privilege. It does not fully challenge structural oppressions that result in multiple forms of marginalization. Disability justice framework emphasizes that “We are powerful, not despite the complexities of our bodies, but because of them” (3).
Current conversations, dominated by ableist, dehumanizing perspectives that negatively depict neurodivergence or disability as "less than" or undesirable, reinforce stigma and misrepresentation. In fact, it is likely that you know someone who is neurodiverse or disabled but they, like many others, hide their neurodiversity and/or disability as a coping or survival tactic out of fear of being mislabeled.
Singer argues that neurodiversity can be used hand in hand along with other socio-political categories such as ethnicity, socioeconomic class, sexual orientation, etc (4). The same should be attributed to disability.
Understanding disability justice and the neurodiversity movement is important as it forces us to question what it means to achieve the societal standard of being “normal." By embracing neurodiversity, we can begin to dismantle the stigma surrounding disabilities and view every individual as valued and necessary contributors to our world.
Transforming Health Experiences
Unfortunately, similar to those marginalized in other categories of intersectionality, various neurological and disabled individuals experience vast health disparities that result in negative health outcomes such as lower life expectancy (5). With the push for increased cultural competency in medical education and medical practice, competency ideology should expand to encompass disability competency as well.
Sources
(1) https://neurodiversity2.blogspot.com/p/what.html
(2) Robertson, S. M. (2009). Neurodiversity, Quality of Life, and Autistic Adults: Shifting Research and Professional Focuses onto Real-Life Challenges. Disability Studies Quarterly, 30(1), Article 1. https://doi.org/10.18061/dsq.v30i1.1069
(3)What is Disability Justice? (2020, June 16). Sins Invalid. https://www.sinsinvalid.org/news-1/2020/6/16/what-is-disability-justice
(4) http://www.myspectrumsuite.com/meet-judy-singer/
(5)Hirvikoski, T., Mittendorfer-Rutz, E., Boman, M., Larsson, H., Lichtenstein, P., & Bölte, S. (2016). Premature mortality in autism spectrum disorder. The British Journal of Psychiatry: The Journal of Mental Science, 208(3), 232–238. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.bp.114.160192
(2) Robertson, S. M. (2009). Neurodiversity, Quality of Life, and Autistic Adults: Shifting Research and Professional Focuses onto Real-Life Challenges. Disability Studies Quarterly, 30(1), Article 1. https://doi.org/10.18061/dsq.v30i1.1069
(3)What is Disability Justice? (2020, June 16). Sins Invalid. https://www.sinsinvalid.org/news-1/2020/6/16/what-is-disability-justice
(4) http://www.myspectrumsuite.com/meet-judy-singer/
(5)Hirvikoski, T., Mittendorfer-Rutz, E., Boman, M., Larsson, H., Lichtenstein, P., & Bölte, S. (2016). Premature mortality in autism spectrum disorder. The British Journal of Psychiatry: The Journal of Mental Science, 208(3), 232–238. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.bp.114.160192