Different is the New Normal
What is normal? We could list cliches like “normal is just a setting on the washing machine” and “what is normal for the spider is chaos for the fly”.
But essentially, normal is a construct that humanity has developed to categorize and label things within our environment. I spend my workdays in public schools. Majority of that time being in elementary schools, watching kids in the cafeteria, eating lunch, or outside playing. If you ask me what a normal kid looked like, I couldn’t tell you. Each kid is so different from the next that even those who look alike have different attitudes, problem-solving skills, and behaviors. Normal is an interesting concept because when you dig into it, it doesn’t exist.
This is something I face all the time. When schools or parents asked me about what program might be best for their child or school, my response is almost always the same, “it depends”. Because the truth is, whether we’re talking about handwriting, behavior plans, or even diets. There is not a single program out there that can meet the needs of everyone. Because we are all different and we are all exceptional. And furthermore, there is no program out there that can meet the entire needs of one single individual, because we change.
Different, not less?
Each time we wake up, we are a different person from the one who went to sleep the night before. Our brain has cataloged new memories and knowledge. Muscle tissue repairs itself from any strain that we put on it. Cells die and are replaced by new ones. We are constantly evolving, adapting, and changing. So even for the individual, there is no normal.
Through my work, I come across a phrase time and time again, “different, not less”. And I get the meaning behind it. People with disabilities are often thrown into a lesser-than category by society. The last people group on any list of priorities. They’re thought of as an afterthought, in both the design and implementation of programs and companies. But I think it’s time we move past that.
One size does not fit all…
I think it’s time we let people know that everyone is different, not just those with disabilities or exceptions. Even in the group that we deem ‘neurotypical’, there is truly no typical. Because even in that broad category of all the people who don’t need special education or therapy, they still need different levels of care and instruction. We have standardized our classrooms to the point where only a few students are actually thriving, while the rest feel left behind. Their brains are just not wired to understand information the way it is being presented to them. We know there are different types of learners; visual, auditory, reading/writing, and kinesthetic. So why do we still believe “one size fits all”?
Different is not just the new normal, it’s always been normal. It’s important for us to identify that. We have a mentality that there is “nothing wrong with being different”. The truth is, we’re all different anyway. There is no normal way to be a human being. We stress the importance of being yourself to our children. But then give them norms that they have to meet in order to be considered average or typical. This idea of uniformity, of being the same, is actually an unnatural concept.
Normal in “unnatural”
I am surrounded by pine forests where I live. And if you were to ask anyone, they could tell you what a pine tree looks like. It’s a tall, skinny tree with evergreen needles. As I write this, I can look out my window and see the pine trees. And there are no two alike. Every one of them is so different from the next. Some are taller, or fatter, or straighter. The variety in something as basic as a pine tree is amazing.
There’s a concept in nature called spatial heterogeneity, which is essentially the need for biodiversity. That too much of one thing and the whole ecosystem can implode on itself. In order for nature to thrive, it needs diversity in its flora and fauna. Ecosystems need as much biological diversity as possible to fully thrive. We see this in lush areas of the world like the rainforest. Everything is so complex and diverse. You could not take a square foot of forest floor and say that it was typical. Every inch of the rainforest is different from the next. For humanity to thrive and reach its fullest potential, we have to know that diversity is everything. That “different” is normal.
The impact of Universal Design
Looking into the world of disability, I want to highlight two different people groups. Look at wheelchair users who took the fight all the way to the Supreme Court in order to pass the Americans with Disabilities Act. The ADA granted them equal access to buildings, structures, and parks. Being in a wheelchair had limited their ability to participate in their world. But an amazing thing happened as companies and people groaned and complained about having to make things “handicap accessible”. Those places became accessible to EVERYONE. The ramps allowed those with severe joint pain to walk into the library without pain in every step. Parks became more acceptable to those with difficulty walking, whether they were elderly or someone with a physical condition.
Universal Design became so abundant because we realized that by making the world accessible to those in a wheelchair, we made it accessible to anybody in any physical capacity. How amazing is it that when we decided to include someone with a disability we’ve actually made the world a better place?
The Importance of Neurodiversity
And now let’s look at autism, Asperger’s, and other autism spectrum disorders. Society is finally understanding that individuals on the spectrum are not broken and need to be fixed, but that their unique brain structure allows them to understand problems and to invent solutions that a “neurotypical” person never would. Temple Grandin herself has expressed the need for the inclusion of individuals with autism because of their unique way of perceiving the world. And that it is individuals on the spectrum who helped revolutionize the world through the companies found in Silicon Valley. So much of the technology that we use each and every day was designed by individuals who society would have considered “different” and unfortunately “less than”. And yet it is their uniqueness and perceived flaws that make them so important to us as a society.
Yes, different is indeed the new normal. And I encourage each and every one of you reading this to identify yourself not as a normal human being, but as a different soul in a world full of different people. I challenge you to no longer use the word “normal” but to use words like exceptional, gifted, unique, and diverse. Let’s get rid of phrases like “average Joe” and “basic white girl”. Because the truth is there’s nothing basic or average about any given human being. Different is the new normal, and it’s time for all of us to OWN IT!
