One of the things that make David Lubin special is the diversity of our school and community, including our Deaf and hard of hearing and neurodiverse students and staff. The months of March and April celebrate three of these communities:

  • March is National Developmental Disabilities Month
  • March 13 to April 15 is National Deaf History Month 
  • April is National Autism Acceptance Month.

These three months celebrate a very diverse group of people. Below are some articles and other resources to help you and your student learn and grow your understanding of some of these learning and thinking differences. It is estimated that one in five learners has a learning or thinking difference whether diagnosed or undiagnosed, so it is important that we see ourselves and our children represented in all areas of life and at school. 

For example, Norah Luna is a 10 year old girl from Fair Oaks. She was born deaf and is fluent in American Sign Language (ASL). She was most recently featured as an ASL interpreter for Disney’s World Princess Week. Check out this young, inspiring leader in her interviews on ABC10 and NBC3.

As a group and as individuals we need to learn how to talk about neurodiversity.  This article from understood.org can help start that conversation. 

Another step is gaining an understanding of the challenges faced by others. For example, What does hearing loss sound like? Watch this Flintstones Simulation to hear what different levels of hearing loss may sound like. 

Here are two resources for parents/guardians wondering about how their students think and learn: Are you wondering why your child is struggling? and Child Mind Institute – Symptom Checker

Also as part of this celebration of diversity, we have highlighted artists, leaders and other people from these communities. These are just a few of the many successful people with hearing loss or learning and thinking differences. You can read about musicians with learning differences, celebrities with dyslexia and ADHD, or other successful people with ADHD.

Shoko Kanazawa was born with Down syndrome, Shoko Kanazawa started studying calligraphy at age five and has since refined her craft to achieve worldwide fame. She was selected as one of the official artists of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. “It is difficult for Shoko to clearly express herself with speech. Calligraphy has offered an outlet where she can fully connect with people while showcasing her artistic talent,” Yasuko Kanazawa said of her daughter. “She’s helping to change the way people view Down syndrome through her art.” You can see some of Shoko’s art at spoon-tamago.com or japanesegarden.org.

Sean Forbes and Wawa (Warren Snipes) are two Deaf rappers that were most recently seen at the 2022 Super Bowl as the Deaf interpreters for the Half-Time show.

Wawa coined the term “Dip Hop” (Deaf Hip Hop), watch as he explains the origins of and signs his song “Dope”.

You can watch Sean Forbes in his “I’m Deaf” video.

Watch their interview before the Super Bowl or this video of Wawa’s performance of the National Anthem at a previous game. 

Clay Marzo is an American professional surfer diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome, best known for his unique “double-jointed” style of turns and spins. At age 11, he placed third at the National Scholastic Surfing Association Nationals competition, and signed a pro contract with the Quiksilver team. Marzo volunteers with Surfers Healing, a non-profit organization, which exposes autistic children to surfing at camps in the United States and Canada. He also wrote a book Just Add Water: A Surfing Savant’s Journey with Asperger’s Syndrome about living with Asperger’s Syndrome and you can watch a clip from the movie of the same title.

Octavia Spencer is an actress, producer and writer diagnosed with dyslexia.  Some of her films include Hidden Figures, Insurgent, Zootopia and The Help. She’s received many awards, including a Golden Globe and an Oscar. She has also written two children’s books in the Ninja Detective series. Read more about her successes or watch a video at understood.org

Troy Kotsur is a Deaf actor who is nominated for best supporting actor in the film CODA (which is short for Child of Deaf Adults). Kotsur joins his co-star Marlee Matlin as the only Deaf actors ever to be nominated for an Oscar. You can watch a short video from NPR about his life and the movie.

Greta Thunberg is a young Swedish environmental activist who is known for challenging world leaders to take immediate action for climate change mitigation. She received numerous honors and awards, including being the youngest Time Person of the Year and nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019, 2020, and 2021. She stated in her Ted Talk “I was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome, OCD and selective mutism. That basically means I only speak when I think it’s necessary. Now is one of those moments.” You can also watch her Time Person of the Year video to learn more about her.

Satoshi Tajiri is a Japanese video game designer and director, who is best known as the creator of Nintendo’s Pokémon franchise. Tajiri created a game which embodied his childhood hobby, insect collecting, which became Pokémon Red and Pokémon Green. Although he confirmed that he has Asperger’s Syndrome (appliedbehavioranalysisprograms.com), Tajiri does not talk about it in public, choosing instead to let his many accomplishments speak for themselves. Learn more about neurodiversity and Satoshi Tajiri in this video on diversity in STEM.

Daniel Radcliffe is an actor, most famous for his role as Harry Potter. He has dyspraxia, a  condition that makes it hard to plan and coordinate physical movement. You can read more at understood.org

Temple Grandin is an American scientist and animal behaviorist and is an outspoken proponent of autism rights and neurodiversity movements. Grandin is one of the first autistic people to document the insights she gained from her personal experience of autism. You can watch this animated interview or this CNN interview with Temple where she describes how her brain works. In 2010, Time 100, an annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world, named her in the “Heroes” category. She was the subject of the Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning semi-biographical film Temple Grandin.