Utopix Magazine- Issue 1

Welcome to interactive presentation, created with Publuu. Enjoy the reading!

One of the events that we recently hosted with

Awesome Place was basically an art exhibition where

we have individuals with neurodiverse needs that

create artwork. They showcase the artwork and then

they’re able to connect with the community by inviting

them in to see the artwork. The event was of small-

medium size, but it actually had a twofold vision and

mission. One was to create a sense of awareness that

there’s some very talented individuals in the

neurodiverse community; and the second is to show

the ability that they actually have. Rather than

focusing on limitations, we choose to highlight the

potential and strengths of these individuals. It's

remarkable how their gifts shine through in areas

where their abilities are recognized. Our goal is to

continually spotlight neurodiverse individuals in

various capacities throughout the community,

fostering awareness and appreciation for their talents

among all.

Q: What are some common misconceptions about

neurodiversity that you have noticed throughout

your missions?

There are quite a few. I kind of touched up on the first

point. There’s a misconception that they don’t have

any abilities and that’s quite unfortunate. A lot of

people will make an immediate judgment based on

misconceptions but actually in the neurodiverse

community a lot of people won’t recognize if there’s

actually differences in what you can see but there’s

also differences and what you can’t see. Take, for

instance, someone who is deaf or someone who isn't

on the autism spectrum; they might not immediately

notice these differences. But once you engage in

meaningful conversations and truly get to know these

individuals, you realize how much they contribute to

shaping our environment and community responses.

Instead of focusing solely on what might seem

“missing” or “wrong,” we should recognize the unique

gifts they bring to the community—like heightened

senses, instinctual knowledge, and innovative thinking.

We need to see not only what’s seen but also what’s

underneath, and I think that’s a common message that

we try to showcase throughout many of our events

and also our conferences.

Q: For those who may not be familiar with SENIA,

could you please introduce yourselves and share a

bit about your roles within the organization?

SENIA International is a non-profit organization that

focuses on not only networking, but also supporting

those who are underserved. We have a mission to

champion inclusion by empowering the global

community to connect, learn, and advocate for one

another. At a local level, SENIA has local chapters

based around the world. Here in Beijing, we have the

largest local chapter, which includes over 500 people.

Q: In what ways does SENIA serve as a beneficial

platform for the neurodiverse community?

SENIA is one of the key pillars of the neurodiverse

community. There are many things we do to serve

them. One of those includes giving scholarships and

awards to individuals with neurodiverse needs. We

also have a resource listing, which provides all the

local providers that service neurodiverse people, and

it give the contact information to that we can share

with the families. We also sponsor special events. For

example, last year we had an Autism Awareness Day

where we held an event for neurodiverse families just

so they can meet one another. Outside of that, we also

have local conferences, where we ask parents,

educators, and professionals to speak. What we're

looking for this year is some youth voices, so that it

can be all inclusive. Additionally, we also provide

different training. We have the SENIA Academy,

where we train teachers and teaching assistants on

how to recognize individuals with neurodiverse needs

and how to serve them.

Q: We understand that SENIA recently collaborated

with *Auesome Place* for an inclusive art exhibition.

Could you elaborate on why events like this are

important to SENIA's mission?

Something that that’s very important for us is to

create an inclusive community and often times in the

community, there’s not a recognition of the unique

gifts that are within the community.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40