Updates on Neurodiversity Survey
Hello everyone, I hope you are doing well. Thank you everyone for taking the time to fill the Neurodiverse survey and share your valuable feedback with us. It is helpful. I am glad everyone’s thought process is aligned to improve and increase support in this area.
Before I share the key suggestions and recommendations I received, let’s first understand, “What is neurodiverse?”
In simpler terms, neurodiverse is the diversity of human brains and minds. The infinite variation in how our individual brain processes and absorbs information, emotions, and experiences. Maybe some of us are able to process the information we receive or experience emotions faster compared to others. Some may be fast learners while others tend to learn slowly. But, it doesn’t mean it is not okay. It is perfectly okay.
I am including some of the thoughts that we received in order to understand the neuro-diverse better:
We are people who are born with different types of brains. I prefer my brain not to be called impaired. Just because it's different from the typical.
Someone who ‘thinks’ differently. Conditions relating to ASD, ADHD, dyslexia, and dyspraxia.
Neurodiverse, to me, means being unique in your own way and having your own special quirks that make you who you are.
Everyone is wired differently and the ability to recognize and accept that and probably neurodiversity individuals are more aware of ... well everything
Based on the survey, the key suggestions to improve and increase support are
A dedicated Neurodiverse Chatroom
-
More Discussions
Sharing Circle Theme
Share Your Story
Guided Discussions
A guide on neurodiversity & training
Here are a few updates on the above suggestions
- Neurodiversity Support Chatroom
I am glad to introduce the “Neurodiversity Support” chat room which will be a dedicated chatroom to listen, share, support, talk, discuss and learn from each other related to neurodiverse groups like ADHD, Autism, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, and so on.
The room will be a pop-up room but can be opened as per request. Any member/listener can get the room opened to host a pop-up or an open chat to talk about their experiences and emotions related to the challenges they have being a neurodiverse user. It is recommended that everyone practice compassion and supportive behavior in order to create a safe, non-judgemental and comforting space to talk and share.
Please know that all chat rooms are operating under a Zero Tolerance Policy towards disrespectful or unsupportive behavior, so please ensure to follow the chatroom and community guidelines. Your support will help us uplift each other together.
- More Discussions:
We will be reaching out to invite users to help us with hosting various types of sessions like a neuro-diverse theme-based sharing circle, guided discussions, etc. All these sessions will be taking place in the Neurodiversity Support. Also, if anyone is interested in hosting these sessions, please send me a PM at 7cups.com/@ASilentObserver I would need all help to make this possible.
- A guide on neuro-diversity
We will start working on creating a guide on this but it may take some time, so your patience and cooperation will be much appreciated. Also, if you are interested in collaborating with us to help us to create the guide, please do let me know.
We will continue to take all steps and make efforts to provide the best support to our neuro-diverse users. Thank you for your support and for being here with us.
Check out the updates on the 2022 Group Support Survey here!
@ASilentObserver
I have a lot to say so please bear with me (if someone ends up reading this, I hope so at least). I'm not sure if this comment will go anywhere but I find it important to share! Considering and taking what @jovialButterfly6752 has said further...
With all respect, I find these posts on neurodiversity worded without quite actually considering what the neurodiversity take is.
I dislike to hover over the labelling and gatekeeping part but it needs to be discussed, too. There's this whole grammar thing as to whether to use neurodiverse/neurodivergent (neurodiverse refers to a group, while neurodivergent to an individual) but that seems far less concerning to me than the usage of the term as a whole and in the contexts it is being used. As mentioned by @/jovi in their words - no one can be diagnosed with neurodiversity, diversity is a trait of population and not individuals. If we want to change views, we need to not reduce people to labels - we need more people. It's not euphemism for autism/ADHD/any of what has been considered in the post. A neurodivergent take rejects the pathology model which has this concept of normal/abnormal. When we talk about the DSM (anything as such) diagnoses and conditions and what to include / not to include under the mentioned idea of neurodiversity, we are reinforcing the idea that there is something "abnormal". It defeats the whole purpose of the neurodiversity movement.
While, neurotypical refers to a way of being that is socially advantaged/privileged over others, which we call neurodivergent. I don't think there is some "neurodivergent brain" because there isn't one single "neurotypical brain" in the first place.
In my opinion, neurodiversity is based in experience. If an individual feels that they identify with it, meaning they are marginalized, they count. To me it also goes beyond identity.
Not to forget, this is a socio-political thing. So I think if 7 Cups wants to tread in here, considering the guidelines and all that, it has to be done cautiously, listening to the marginalized and letting them share their experiences. In my opinion, "inclusivity" as such is not really inclusion. From my personal experience, I have come to realise that inclusivity becomes a superficial concept when the system itself in which we're trying to include people is built on oppression. Such "inclusion" often comes at the cost of excluding others among other issues such as not dealing with the root cause, that is oppressive system.
I'm also going to quote some stuff from Judy Singer, the person who coined the term neurodiversity. (I don't claim to endorse it all, but I do agree mostly.)
Content has mentions of discriminatory practices.
Tying this back to 7 Cups (sorry if I digressed XD), @jovialButterfly6752 has talked about the suggestions made in the OP and I feel it's important to start conversations and address the questions. All of this is my opinion (and from what I have learnt from various people) [credits: 1 2 3, again, I don't endorse everything] and I respect how each person feels about it, I believe that the same can be a good conversation facilitator. Nothing against anyone.
Edit: Oop this is big.
@ASilentObserver Can you also add that people have been wanting a one on one chat topic? These changes are a start but it seems odd that things like autism are lumped in with disabilities if a member needs support with that topic. Especially when autism isn’t even in the disability community but in support plus 🤷🏻♂️
