Writer and Neurodiversity Advocate Jonathan Mooney talks about being treated like the “stupid, crazy, lazy” kid because of his dyslexia and ADHD and how a more equitable and inclusive education system — and world — would be a game changer in the short and long term for kids with learning differences.
This video appears in:
Transcript
I was the proverbial, you know, square peg that did not fit the round hole of our definition of the normal learner. And as a result of that I got the short end of the stick, you know? I was the kid who couldn’t sit still, so I spent a lot of the day chilling out with the janitor in the hallway. I was the kid who, surprise, surprise, couldn’t keep his mouth shut. So, I grew up on a first name basis with Shirley the receptionist in the principal’s office. And I was the kid who struggled with reading, specifically I had a terrible time reading out loud, so I spent a lot of the school day hiding in the bathroom to escape reading out loud with tears streaming down my face.
I didn’t learn to read until I was 12. I was made to feel like I was the stupid, crazy, lazy kid. And I was generally made to feel that my differences were deficiencies inside of me. And that had consequences, you know? I struggled with a number of mental health challenges: depression, anxiety. I had a plan for suicide when I was in 6th grade. And I ended up leaving school that year when I was 12.
My work, you know, has all been about trying to make sure that folks with differences aren’t treated as if they are deficient and to try to build a more
equitable and inclusive education system, but ultimately, a more equitable and inclusive
world where young folks with differences are not demeaned but ultimately celebrated.
For more information about learning disabilities, please visit LDOnLine.org. This video was made possible by a partnership between the National Education Association and WETA.