I attended a panel discussion on the role of technology in neurodiversity. I seem to respond to anything neuro because of my fascination with neuroscience or neural networks. My expectation based on the topic alone was technological methods of measuring diversity in the brain. It was however about people falling outside “normal” brain function, requiring different experiences and environments to achieve their potential.
There are many tangents one may pursue but I’d rather focus on the language aspect, as it is a symptom of divergence in each of our neural pathways. Our focus on inoffensive language has led us down the so-called political correctness path, where people are free to choose their understanding of political correctness.
Let’s start with common definitions. One from Harvard Health…
Neurodiversity describes the idea that people experience and interact with the world around them in many different ways; there is no one “right” way of thinking, learning, and behaving, and differences are not viewed as deficits.
The “not viewed as deficits” is the key word I focused on. They ARE deficits to perform to some standard, dictated by the environment we live in. We live in a competitive world whether we accept it or not. Competition is both celebrated and reviled. In the world of sport, a person with a physical handicap, say a missing leg, cannot compete with elite athletes. My severe handicap doesn’t allow me to compete with 90% of golfers (My handicap is golf). Does that make me golf diverse? I don’t buy into the “all are equal” notion and there are locker room sights that make it apparent!
My argument is not that we should be insensitive to people with various handicaps, but that we should have accommodations for them, be they physical or neural. The fear is that language is being used as an out for our misbehaviour. The language we use inoculates us from uncomfortable interactions with “diversity”. If I use the prescribed terms and language, I have a get out of jail free card. I am therefore free to avoid uncomfortable interactions with the diverse, whereas the “cure” for the “empathetically diverse” IS immersion rather than avoidance.
In my younger days I was “sensitive” but avoided uncomfortable interactions with handicapped people. In a strange twist of fate in the early eighties, I found myself thrust into a situation of immersion in a group with a variety of deficits. I can honestly say that my attitudes and comfort level was dramatically changed through that experience. I have no fear whatsoever of approaching people and asking them about their condition. What’s more interesting is that they are quite happy to discuss the issues.
It is language that holds us back from bringing about positive social changes. Our biases towards the term politically correct is another impediment. We are permitted to ignore issues that we ascribed to politically correct behaviour and thus avoid socially correct behaviour.
Neurodiversity was particularly triggering, as my understanding of neurodiversity is that which gives us our unique identities. Each one of us is wired differently, and yes, we’re are all on a spectrum. I wish I shared a portion of the spectrum with Albert Einstein or maybe Nelson Mandela.
