Member of the Neurodiversity Club Tyler Ketchum (’24) said this week the community will be informed of numerous learning disabilities through posters, a testimonial video, curriculum in advisory classes, several newsletters and a week of themed Zoom sessions spanning March 15 to 19.
Ketchum also said the purpose of introducing a new advisory lesson plan and various Zooms is to teach students and faculty more about what it means to be neurodiverse. The club plans to accomplish this purpose by assigning each day of the week a particular set of learning differences to cover including ADHD, autism, dyspraxia, Tourette’s syndrome, dyslexia and dysgraphia.
SJC has also helped to organize the weeks’ activities. Ketchum said the leaders have been very supportive of the project as it aligns with the council’s values to raise awareness for minorities.
“Friday is pulling it all together, where we basically look at action items, why this is important and why it continues to be important,” he said.
Ketchum said this is an important issue that society at large should familiarize itself with to foster a more inclusive environment for those who are neurodiverse. Furthermore, Ketchum said students and faculty can work to become more open-minded by recognizing learning differences even if they aren’t as visible.
“The world needs to know of minorities and know of people for which they need to take special considerations,” he said. “Not only that, but how to include those people and allow the strengths and the weaknesses to be best mitigated and shown through.”
For more information on how to get involved, check out the ASL and Neurodiversity Week websites. (Note: The ASL web page requires an ASL login.)
