Neurodiversity is the range of differences in individual brain function and behavioral traits. Neurodiversity is not a disease to be cured.
For lack of a better word, it’s a spectrum that includes Autism, Down Syndrome, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and Dyslexia, to name a few.
Held from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Thursday at the Founders Memorial Library’s Lower Level in the Staff Lounge, the “Empowering Minds of All Kinds” event was about bringing neurodiverse perspectives to light and understanding what people experience.
The second annual event was co-sponsored by the Presidential Commission on Persons with Disabilities, the Disability Resource Center and University Libraries and organized by Kimberly Shotik, the student success librarian.
The event started with a formal presentation by panelists Katy Beam, Peter Chlebanowski, Charles Pudrith and Beckett Pamplin who shared their perspectives and resources on how they got through NIU with their disabilities, whether it’s OCD or ADHD.
Accommodations were made with two ASL interpreters and free refreshments provided by Einstein Bros. Bagels. Participants were encouraged to interact with a LEGO station to build fidget spinners, a button-making station to make custom buttons, a bookmark coloring station, a resource station to educate themselves and a surprise visit from a therapy dog, Chica.
Questions in the presentation included what resources they’ve found useful in overcoming challenges, some ways people can be better allies to neurodivergent individuals and how intersecting identities shaped their experiences as neurodivergent people.
There was also information given on Penguin Players, a group that provides adults with disabilities the ability to express themselves on stage. Three members as well as the co-founder Joe King and his wife Barbara King attended the event and explained what a joy it is to perform, unadulterated.
Shotik, a neurodivergent person herself, said the “Empowering Minds of All Kinds” event is a celebration of how diverse people are and how the event has adapted from the first outing.
“It’s a celebration because we have programs on campus to teach faculty, and it’s neurodiversity appreciation month,” Shotik said. “Instead of being a topic, it’s more celebratory. I think I learned from the first event, and we will improve. We had a committee which helped to make it more inclusive.”
Laura Dethorne, the interim chair of the School of Applied Health and Communicative Sciences, said she was pleasantly surprised to be invited and made it worth her while.
“I was invited by one of the students to be on the committee of ‘Empowering Minds of All Kinds,’” Dethorne said. “What I got out of it was that I made some new connections and made some allies.”
C.B. Prescott, a graduate student majoring in rehabilitation counseling, expressed how surprised he was when he realized the event was going on and the gravity of why neurodiversity matters.
“It’s wonderful. I didn’t realize it was happening today and I would like even more,” Prescott said. “The rights of all people who don’t match on a certain strike of person are under attack. It’s not ever a bad point to learn about people.”
Empowering Minds of All Kinds has made its message of spreading acceptance loud and clear. As one voice sparks another, so too will the information spread.
