Critical Analysis #13 - Isabelle Wong

 I learned much about neurodiversity and disabilities in Lecture 21 of our HDFS 280 lectures this past week. We have learned a little bit about neurodiversity and disabilities in my SLHS (Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences) lectures before, but I feel like we never really went in-depth about the subjects, so it was very helpful to learn. As a future medical professional, I will likely be presented with having to treat or assist individuals who are neurodiverse or disabled. 

Neurodiversity is referred to as the “idea that the brain works differently and that it is a part of natural human diversity” and is defined as “someone whose brain works differently than what society considers the norm” (HDFS 280 L21). A disability is defined as “any physical or mental condition that makes it more difficult for the person to do certain activities and interact with the environment and society around them” (HDFS 280 L21). 

I believe that discrimination against neurodiverse individuals is built-in in terms of verbiage/language that is (sometimes) used and how the current American public school education system is set up. For example, the word “retard” is often used by people as a slur. Merriam-Webster dictionary defines “retard” as to “delay or impede the development or progress of” and the word almost always refers to a individual who is affected by an intellectual disability. I remember growing up, this was the “forbidden word” in school. However, it seems like in the last couple of years, the word is making its way back into common slang again. I am not a fan of this word being used, because the meaning is filled with pejoratives and is often used negatively. I don’t think we should use these kids of words in society because it sends the message to neurodiverse individuals that people (can) think of them as less than and that it is okay to use this word as a slur, and that simply is not okay. 

Another way that neurodiverse individuals can be discriminated against is how the American current public school system evaluates student success. For example, the ability to sit in a classroom for 7+ hours a day, completely still, and focused on listening to the teacher and doing work during that time is considered a metric of success, yet for individuals who have ADHD, dyslexia, or some other reading disability, this skill is extremely difficult. Society sets students up to fail when this is the only way they measure success, and individuals who don’t fit this mold can be seen as “failures” when in reality, their ability to learn and succeed just simply is not the same as their neurotypical peers. 

Both of these can be considered similar to systematic racism because the problem continues to exist even though advocates are doing their best to close the gap and fix the problems that are apparent. 

I believe that discrimination against people with diabilities is built into society via the lack of universal design in architecture and the negative beliefs and actions from members of society who view disabled individuals as less than. For example, it seems like a lot of places are not ADA compliant for wheelchair users, especially in terms of parking, access to ramps/elevators, and just general space. I notice that there are a lot of bathrooms and showers that are simply too small for wheelchair users to operate in, and that’s extremely sad to see.

I certainly believe that there many different challenges that come with supportive a neurodiverse individual or a family member with a disability. I think there will need to be a lot of changes in terms of verbiage, space, and beliefs that will need to be helped. I personally believe in a consistent life ethic, which is the belief that all human beings, by virtue of their humanity, deserve to live free from all aggressive violence, from the moment of conception to natural death. While doing more personal research into this belief system, I came across much information about families who were raising and taking care of a child with a severe disability, and I was very much encouraged to read more about what the family was doing in order to best support their child.

For example, they restructured their home to be a space where their child could best live/perform in. They were fortunate enough to renovate their home to be wheelchair-accomodating, and bought technology and assistive devices to give the child access to communication and physical movement whenever possible. They also tried to give their child a good education, with tutors and summer camp opportunities to learn and grow. They also had regular breaks from being the 24/7 caretaker because of a great support system and ability to fund overnight nannies and other caretakers. While all of these are really great, they may be unattainable for a lot of families. So, I believe that as a society, we should be doing more to advocate for more charities and groups to be help support these families and individuals.

It is sad to think that just a couple of decades ago, individuals who were disabled and/or neurodiverse were hidden away from society and sent to schools and societies where they were often treated as less than. As our society becomes more open and tolerant, I believe that we should be doing the same for disabled and neurdiverse individuals as well. 

As an individual of society, I plan on being more inclusive by not using offensive slurs, language, or verbiage, and by advocating for more inclusive spaces in society, such as in classrooms, bathrooms, sports arenas, restaurants and more.