Equality and Justice, not Awareness

To foster equality between neurodivergent and neurotypical people, to reconcile past and ongoing violence against neurodivergent people, to combat stigma against our population, and to move forward towards a new world where “different” is not a dirty word, we need a cultural shift from “awareness” of neurodivergence to “equality and justice”. We need love, acceptance, and support; not behavioural interventions and a search for a cure.

The 95 Theses of Neurodiversity has been written to be a guiding document towards a better world for people across the whole spectrum of neurodiversity. It lists the needs of our population in terms of family support, education, health care, criminal justice, research, the election process, community accessibility, and many other important areas where neurodivergent people have been excluded or face extra barriers to accessing. These 95 principles follow the core values of Love, Self-Determination, and Inclusion of neurodivergent people in society, and each Thesis draws from one or more of these core values.

The link to read the 95 Theses of Neurodiversity can be found in the menu above. If, after reading the Theses, you believe that they align with the world that you want to see for neurodivergent people, please consider signing the document through the short contact form found by clicking “Sign the 95 Theses of Neurodiversity”. Please state your name, e-mail, location, and whether you identify as a neurodivergent person, a caregiver, a professional, or an unaffiliated ally. Your e-mail will not be added to the list of signatures, but your name and location will be.

Your signature is very important to the success of this project. The more signatures the 95 Theses of Neurodiversity receives, the more authority the document holds. The more people that agree that it aligns with the needs of neurodivergent people, the stronger each argument becomes and the more strongly it can be considered as a guiding document.

If there are parts of the 95 Theses of Neurodiversity that you do not agree with, please contact me, Christopher Whelan, at the Contact button at the top menu. If enough feedback is received to warrant a change to the document, then the change will be made. The 95 Theses of Neurodiversity must not be stuck in the year 2020 forever; it must be an evolving constitution that reflects the needs and perspectives of the neurodivergent community in the time that the document is referenced. If you have signed the 95 Theses of Neurodiversity and the document changes in a way that makes you uncomfortable to still be attached to the project, please contact me and I will remove your signature.