Glossary (Plain Language)
What is ableism?
Ableism means negative ideas and actions that devalue disabled people.
What is settler colonialism?
Settler colonialism means uninvited people invade a land and take over control of all the resources and rules.
What is Neurodivergent?
Neurodivergent means people who feel and sense the world in ways that are different from what is expected. This includes autism, ADHD, mental health labels, learning disabilities and more.
What is neurodiversity?
Neurodiversity is a word that describes how all people think and feel in unique ways.
What is decolonizing?
Decolonizing means valuing the worldviews of Original Peoples and returning land and water that was stolen.
What is intersectional?
Intersectional means we have more than 1 identity. For example, we might identify as Black and disabled. This term comes out of Black feminist thinking and activism.
What is solidarity?
Solidarity means working together for change and justice for all people in ways that also respect our differences.
what is the school to prison pipeline?
The school to prison pipeline means that Black, disabled and other disadvantaged students are streamed into lower quality education and disciplined instead of understood at school. This can often lead to leaving school, unemployment and discipline and imprisonment.
What is neuroqueer?
Neuroqueer is a word invented by Autistic people (Nick Walker, Remi Yergeau, Athena Lynn Michaels-Dillon) to positively describe how Autistic people like to move and think in the world.