The Social Ecology of Power and Justice: The Neurodiversity Movement
TAP/IDHD/LEND Zoom Webinars
May 21, 2025
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM CST
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Download iCal FilePresentation: The Social Ecology of Power and Justice: The Neurodiversity Movement, explores the historical and sociopolitical context of the neurodiversity movement through a critical case study of the 2007 NYU Child Study Center’s “Ransom Notes” campaign. Framed by the social ecology model and disability justice principles, the lecture examines how stigmatizing media portrayals of conditions such as ADHD and autism reinforce deficit-based narratives aligned with the medical model of disability. In contrast, it highlights the mobilization of the Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN) and allied disability rights organizations as a turning point in reclaiming neurodivergent identity and demanding systemic change. Through themes of self-advocacy, coalition-building, and participatory justice, the presentation underscores the movement’s shift toward empowerment, inclusion, and the subversion of dominant paradigms that pathologize neurodiversity. This work is particularly relevant to academic, clinical, and advocacy communities committed to equity and the dismantling of ableist structures.
Speaker: Christianna (Chris) Danguilan, PhD is a Postdoctoral Fellow for the IL LEND.
Date posted
May 1, 2025
Date updated
May 1, 2025