We presented on a chapter we are writing in which we look at how race was a part of what neurodiversity meant to the people we interviewed, with a particular focus on racialized participants' experiences. 

Abstract

The movements, written works, and affiliations of “neurodiversity” have a history spanning over two decades, however within the last few years there has been a dramatic increase in the range of people talking and writing about neurodiversity. Academic researchers and educators are comparatively late to these conversations as they take up the language of neurodiversity as a way to challenge dominant beliefs of autism and other forms of neuro-involved differences. Even as more people use this language, it is not always clear how neurodiversity as a concept is influencing people’s everyday beliefs and practices, and what other social categories and relations shape what “neurodiversity” means for them. Furthermore, little research has addressed the ways in which neurodiversity intersects with race and colonialism

The Neurodiversity Matters project (2019-2022) asked 60 people in Southern Ontario, Canada to talk about what neurodiversity means to them, and what they want people to do with and from this framework. Interview participants had different positionalities in relation to neurodiversity: people who identified with neurodiversity (with 30 participants identifying as Autistic), people who used neurodiversity in their professional work as a service provider or educator, and people who used neurodiversity in their relationship(s) with family. Indeed, participants were often part of two or even all three of these groups. Most of the participants (78%) identified their race as white settler/ European heritage.

In this chapter we emphasize the perspectives of Black, Asian, biracial/mixed race, and Latinx participants as we analyze how race and colonialism emerged in these interviews about neurodiversity. Participants of all racial backgrounds described neurodiversity as something that they valued and wanted to see developed further. Many described how both neurodiversity discourse and dominant stereotypes of neurodivergence continue to centre whiteness. BIPOC participants discussed reasons why people who face racism and colonialism were less likely to identify with the language and concept of neurodiversity, and suggested the need to question categories of all kinds. We conclude by building from participants’ suggestions that discussions of neurodiversity should be integrated into critiques of colonialism and white supremacy, particularly in the education of service providers.