What’s Good this Week
SEA’s weekly roundup of good news from around the world
Neurodiversity as a Competitive Advantage
Companies are starting to realize the importance of Neurodiversity. Corporate programs are being created to intentionally hire people afflicted with autism, dyslexia, dyspraxia, ADHD, social anxiety disorders and other conditions. Many people with these disorders have higher-than-average abilities; research shows that some conditions, including autism and dyslexia, can bestow special skills in pattern recognition, memory or mathematics. Yet those affected often struggle to fit the profiles sought by prospective employers. “Neurodiversity is the idea that neurological differences like autism and ADHD are the result of normal, natural variation in the human genome,” John Elder Robison, a scholar in residence and a co-chair of the Neurodiversity Working Group at the College of William & Mary, writes in a blog on Psychology Today’s website. Robison, who himself has Asperger’s syndrome, adds, “Indeed, many individuals who embrace the concept of neurodiversity believe that people with differences do not need to be cured; they need help and accommodation instead.”
Taiwan just became the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage
Although many countries across the world have legalized same-sex marriage over the last decade, no country in Asia has done it yet. That is, until now. Last Friday, thousands of marriage-equality advocates celebrated in the pouring rain outside Taiwan’s legislature as it voted to become the first in Asia to fully legalize same-sex unions. The new law kicks in next Friday. The self-ruled island will join the 26 other countries that already allow same-sex unions. The landmark ruling suggests that tolerance of same-sex relationships may be growing in parts of Asia. Last year, for instance, India’s top court struck down a colonial-era law that criminalized adult consensual homosexual relationships. Additionally, a recent poll showed most young Singaporeans support same-sex marriages — currently not allowed in the city-state.
Morgan Freeman Converted His 124-Acre Ranch Into A Giant Honeybee Sanctuary To Save The Bees
Morgan Freeman, the actor, film director and philanthropist has added a new title to his name: Beekeeper. The 81-year-old celebrity decided to convert his 124-acre Mississippi ranch into a bee sanctuary. Freeman talked a bit about the motivation as to why he began beekeeping. “There is a concerted effort for bringing bees back onto the planet…We do not realize that they are the foundation, I think, of the growth of the planet, the vegetation.” Freeman has imported 26 bee hives from Arkansas to his ranch in Mississippi. There, Freeman works to feed the bees sugar and water and has help planting bee-friendly magnolia trees, lavender, clover and more.
Laundromats are playing an unlikely role in the effort to shrink America’s literacy gap
The Clinton Foundation has sponsored a project to install family-friendly literacy spaces for kids under 6 into 600 laundromats across the US by 2020. The average US family spends more than two hours a week at their neighborhood laundromat, and many bring their kids with them. That’s downtime that experts say could be put to better use, by turning laundromats into spaces where kids can learn and grow. This project is part of a much larger vision to reinvent everyday spaces to encourage the kinds of experiences that help children thrive. Kids in developed countries only spend about 20% of their waking hours in school, and yet all of our investments are geared towards formal schooling. Converting laundromats into libraries is one way to try and make sure that kids are learning the rest of the time.
Lego releases Braille bricks to teach blind and visually impaired children
Lego has unveiled a new project aimed at helping blind and visually impaired children learn Braille in a “playful and engaging way.” Lego Braille Bricks, a concept originally proposed to the toy company by two charities, will allow children to learn the touch writing system through play. The bricks, which will launch fully in 2020, feature the studs used for characters in the Braille alphabet, as well as printed characters allowing sighted people to read the bricks. They will be “fully compatible” with existing Lego bricks, the company said in a press release.
Lego Braille Bricks will feature the Braille alphabet as well as numbers, math symbols and teaching devices.
.
.
.
