Autism & Neurodivergence

There is growing worldwide attention to the unique lived experiences and valuable contributions of autists to culture and society. EARTH is working to support the movement to frame autism 1) as a natural variation of human diversity and 2) through a strength-based as opposed to deficits-focused lens. Ivan Illich pointed out that “social labeling has been medicalized to the point where all deviance has to have a medical label." This quote underscores that the medical model of disability has arisen out of neuronormative assumptions, in particular that there is a right way of being and that neurotypical tendencies are superior. This setup underpins ableism – discrimination of and social prejudice towards various groups of people. Fortunately, greater recognition of diversity in neurotypes – different ways in which the brain and nervous system are wired and function – is challenging these assumptions. As such, neurodivergent has arisen as an identity term used to mean individuals whose neurophysiology differs from normative expectations, and who make up a neurominority. EARTH is committed to serving this population through the lens of neuroaffirmative action -- working together to respect, celebrate, and assure that all people have equal voice and agency. If you are interested in partnering with EARTH to support autism culture and the larger neurodivergent community, please reach out.