Speakers: Gordon Gartrell. Ashley-Marie M. Mendez. Alexa A. Uygur Andersen. Tyler Gaedecke
Gordon Gartrell: The impact, um, that neurodiversity representation on a national level has for me is, is just really a form of acceptance and acknowledgement that I am different, sometimes I need help, and that, that's OK. Um, the advocacy work that's done and necessary for individuals, um, who identify or who, who have a diagnosis of neurodivergence is extremely important. It's a very scoping group of folks. There's a, there's a lot of us who just need someone to help us, um, and need a voice. And that's what this is, um, on a stage that is at the forefront, that is impactful, and that carries weight.
Ashley-Marie M. Mendez: I believe it deeply matters that national associations are doing neurodiversity work because it sends a clear message: Our differences are not deficits. When organizations at the highest level recognize neurodiversity, they help challenge stigma, promote inclusion, and push for structural change, not just accommodations.
Tyler Gaedecke: One of the reasons I think that it's so important that national associations are the ones doing neurodiversity work is that so many of the barriers and challenges we face as neurodivergent people are really baked into or embedded in institutions and in, like, really large scale systems, and those things can be really challenging to take on alone, and by their very nature, associations are larger scale than that. You know, associations work at this level that allows folks to, um, really make change on a larger scale, and I think that, like, in this particular case, so many of the issues we face are not going to go away unless we team up at that level. And so, I think that associations also set standards for so many different, um, different things. And from a professional standpoint too, I think that having an association who's able to challenge the standards, um, and the ways that they may be biased against or, um, add additional barriers for neurodivergent people, I think, um, associations have a lot of power to change that.
These associations really kind of are the resource. They're the ones to help provide the information. Um, they're the ones to help advocate. They're the ones to help navigate just the arena that you might find yourself in, and if not these organizations, if not these associations, if not these groups, then, then who, then who will be the one, um, to kind of pick up this mantle and, and ensure that we move forward in, in helping these individuals be successful.
Ashley-Marie M. Mendez: and professional spaces. Seeing neurodiversity acknowledged at the national level gives us hope that we can thrive, not just get by.
Alexa A. Uygur Andersen: Those who are neurodiverse often think about things differently, which can in turn bring about new ideas and just way different ways of thinking about things. But in addition to helping those who are neurodiverse, and neurodiverse individuals, I think that supporting neurodiversity at a level like this can also help organizations become stronger, better versions of themselves.
