It’s a Neurodiverse World: Stories from Neurodivergent People

Symposium Editors Ariel Cascio & Eric Racine

Narrative Inquiry in Bioethics will publish a collection of personal stories from people who are neurodivergent. In general, neurodivergence is a term that describes people whose brains develop or work differently than their socio-medical context expects. Examples of neurodivergence may include autism, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Tourette syndrome, and dyslexia. People with a wide range of mental health conditions, developmental disabilities, and learning disabilities may identify as neurodivergent. People who are neurodivergent have different strengths and struggles from “neurotypicals” (non-neurodivergent people) and from each other. This symposium aims to share the experiences of people with all kinds of neurodivergence. People define and describe neurodivergence in many different ways that may not be captured by this call for stories. We welcome stories from people with experiences of neurodivergence that are not adequately captured here.

We want true, personal stories in a form that is interesting and easy to read. In writing your story, please consider these questions:

• What aspects of your life do you view as being neurodivergent? When did you become aware of your neurodivergence? What was your understanding of your neurodivergence before you became aware?
• Do you think of your neurodivergence as a disease, a disability, a gift, or something else?
• What are the strengths of your neurodivergence? What components of your neurodivergence would you want to preserve?
• What has been your experience with therapies? Have you felt pressured to use certain therapies to address your neurodivergence?
• What struggles do you encounter with your neurodivergence? What do you think is the source of your struggles?
• Do you face stigma or prejudice because of your neurodivergence? How well do your peers support and accept you?
• Do you engage with any neurodiversity communities? What do you like and dislike about them?
• What advice or recommendations do you have for other people or parents of neurodivergent children?

You do not need to address each of these questions—write about the issues that you think are most important to share. If you are not a writer, tell your story in your own words and our editorial staff will help you.

If you are interested in submitting a story, we ask you first to submit a 300-word proposal—a short description of the story you want to tell. Inquiries or proposals should be sent to the editorial office via email: [email protected]. We will give preference to proposals received by December 9, 2024. If your story is invited, we will ask you to submit it within 6 weeks of the invitation. Final stories are 4 – 10 double-spaced pages or 800 – 2000 words.

For more information about the journal Narrative Inquiry in Bioethics, the guidelines for authors, and privacy policies, visit our webpage at: http://nibjournal.org/submit/guidelines/

We plan to publish 12 stories on this topic in our print edition; additional stories may be published as online-only supplemental material. We also publish 3 – 4 commentary articles that discuss the stories that are published in the journal. To see a finished symposium, please visit Narrative Inquiry in Bioethics’ page on Project MUSE and click on the unlocked, open-access issue.