Sneak Peek: NeuroDIVERSED 2022

Last year, Search announced a new initiative, powered by Visibility Arts, called NeurodiVERSED. Created to coincide with National Developmental Disability Awareness Month, which is held each year in March, NeurodiVERSED is an awareness campaign designed to give people who think differently a voice and to educate the community on mental health and intellectual disabilities.

Thanks to a generous grant from the Evanston Arts Council in 2021, NeurodiVERSED was created to address the misconceptions and misinformation surrounding those who identify as neurodiverse, as well as the damaging narrative that mental illness and disabilities are something to be cured.

Through our profile series, NeurodiVOICED, we aimed to give neurodiverse individuals a platform to share their stories, art, experiences, and celebrate the things that make them unique.

Amanda Bulgrin, Program Development Coordinator, shared, “The best part of starting the NeurodiVERSED campaign was watching the individuals grow as self-advocates and getting the see the positive feedback and interactions they had with the community when they shared their stories.”

Our team is thrilled to continue the mission of NeurodiVERSED in 2022. This year, the theme of NeurodiVERSED is self-care and being kind to your mind. There is a lot to keep an eye out for! All throughout the month of March, we will be sharing weekly videos of interviews of individuals sharing their brain breaks and favorite ways to practice self-care. You can also expect new merchandise, art shows and other ways to engage with the campaign.

“We look forward to the continued growth, community connections, and shift in mindset with the NeurodiVERSED initiative,” Tina Zemen, Visibility Arts Manager, shared.

Stay tuned for more! Follow Neurodiversed on Instagram and learn more here.