Neurodiversity In The Media: How Disabilities Are Represented

About This Blog

"Different is the New Normal: Celebrating Neurodiversity" is one of the two certificates I am pursuing here at Drury. For this certificate I was required to take 4 courses; EDUC 225: Neurodiversity in Society and Why it Matters, PHIL 337: Challenging Normality, PSYCH 312: Positive Psychology, and the EDUC 322: Capstone Project in Neurodiversity.

EDUC 225 was essentially a crash course on what neurodiversity was, how it is viewed in society, and what needs to change. In this class I became familiar with the term "neurodiversity" and realized it covered a much wider range of people than I realized. I also began to consider the different challenges and roles this information plays in education.

PHIL 337 was a brain workout, let me tell ya. Your girl is not a philosophy major and we did some deep digging into morals, societal standards, judgement, ableism, false advocacy, and really the root of the issues that surround neurodiversity. Though it was very deep at times, I really enjoyed this class.

PSYCH 312 is probably one of my all time favorite classes I have ever taken. I've always been a fan of psychology and this class was basically one big therapy session (and what better time to take it than in the middle of the pandemic). In this class we looked more inward, considering what things make us who we are and cause us to have the feelings we do. It honestly gave me a better appreciation for myself, my qualities, and my differences. Which I could then connect to an overall appreciation for all humans and all differences.

That all brings us to now, the capstone project for EDUC 322. In this course we looked back and reflected on all the other courses we've taken, discussed what we learned, and are now at a point that is kind of like a call to action. We have all this knowledge and we have been challenged to share it in some way with the world. Since I love to write, I decided to do a blog. However, unless people have a personal connection or keen interest in the topic, I didn't think just stating all the information I learned would capture your attention. People would probably much rather watch a movie/tv show, scroll on tik tok, or read a book than read facts about neurodiversity, a term they've probably never even heard of. So, I decided to make my blog just about that. Movies, tv shows, and books (maybe even social media if it the conversation leads there) that have neurodiverse characters. I think it would be really interesting to recognize them being represented in media and determine, from the knowledge I've gained, if they are being represented accurately and respectfully.

I hope you enjoy some of this research and are encouraged to do some on your own. Recognize neurodiversity in the world around you and determine if it is what you would want if it represented your brother, sister, mom, dad, friend, teacher, doctor, etc.

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Contact Info

• Email: pgroce@drury.edu