“The only normal people are the people you don’t know very well.” — Jonathan Mooney

Today we have Jonathan Mooney on the podcast. Jonathan is a dyslexic writer and speaker who did not learn to read until 12 years old. He faced a number of low expectations growing up— was told he would flip burgers, be a high school drop out and end up in jail. Needless to say these prophecies didn’t come to pass. Today, he speaks across the nation about neurological and physical diversity, inspiring those who live with differences and advocating for change. Mooney’s work has been featured in outlets such as The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, HBO, NPR, and ABC News, and his books include The Short Bus, Learning Outside the Lines, and most recently, Normal Sucks: How to Live, Learn, and Thrive Outside the Lines.

In this episode we discuss:

What is normal?
How the creation of special ed was originally an act of inclusion
The unintended complications of creating a special education program
Jonathan’s story growing up in special ed
The twice-exceptional (2e) movement
How giftedness comes with a “complicated brew” of assets and challenges
The importance of recognizing the 2e within ourselves and sharing that with the world
The importance of not hiding the things that make us different, but celebrating those things
How Jonathan once took on many personas to hide his differences
How the average got conflated with the impossible ideal in society
The value judgement that is placed on IQ from a cultural perspective
Going from “How smart are you?” to “How are you smart”?
Jonathan feeling deficient because he was different
How Jonathan went on a journey driving a school bus across the United States and listened to people with atypical brains and bodies
The value of human fallibility
The Eye to Eye mentoring program
How the private sector corporate diversity policies can make difference by including atypical brains and bodies as part of diversity initiatives

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John E. Joseph, “Saussure” (Oxford UP, 2...