Book Study - Unmasking Neurodivergence

*Note - Participants will need to obtain a copy of Unmasking Autism: Discovering the New Faces of Neurodiversity and have read the book in advance to participate in this session. Please come ready with your questions and discussion points.

This Professional Studies program is offered for 0.40 Professional Studies-Power, Privilege, and Oppression (PS-PPO) CEUs at the little/none Content Knowledge Level. RID HQ is an approved RID CMP Sponsor for continuing education activities.

In honor of Autism and Neurodiversity Awareness Month, please join us for a book study about Devon Price’s Unmasking Autism: Discovering the New Faces of Neurodiversity (2022). Although the book is focused on the autistic experience, it provides valuable insight about the neurodivergent experience and how we can promote an accepting and inclusive neurodiverse community. During this interactive discussion, facilitated by Amanda Kennon, participants will take a closer look at neurodivergence, specifically the autistic experience of masking and its profound impact on their lives. Participants will also examine the intersectionality of identities and how public perception, stereotypes, and bias cause additional harm, particularly within marginalized communities. Finally, participants will consider abandoning the medical model of disability in favor of a social model as we move from awareness to acceptance and inclusion. As Price states, “All of us have internalized mental illness stigma and felt the shame of deviating from what’s considered “normal.” Almost every person with a mental illness or disability has been crushed under the weight of neurotypical expectations, and has repeatedly tried and failed to earn acceptance by playing the rules of a game that was designed to harm us. And so, for nearly every neurodiverse person, the journey toward self-acceptance involves learning to unmask.