What does your brain look like?
That was the question neurodiversity advocate Kelly Bron Johnson posed to an audience at Thompson Rivers University, inviting participants to draw their brains and share what they imagined.
The exercise illustrated a central message of her presentation, Beyond the Labels: Understanding Neurodiversity: no two brains work exactly alike, yet people often expect others to think and behave as they do.
“We all have these different and unique brains. However, we often go through life expecting the other person to think like we do, and to act like we do. And this causes a lot of conflict,” Johnson said.
Johnson addressed a full house of TRU and Kamloops community members at the Alumni Theatre and online at the third annual Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Lecture on Thursday, Oct. 29, a free event hosted by the TRU Students’ Union (TRUSU) Equity Committee.
An autistic and hard-of-hearing advocate and founder of Completely Inclusive, Johnson drew on her lived experience and professional work to challenge misconceptions about disability and encourage greater understanding.
Johnson described neurodiversity as a social concept encompassing the differences among all human brains. She distinguished this from neurodivergence, noting how shared characteristics among some individuals can lead to a medical diagnosis.
Sharing examples from her graduate research and work as an advocate, Johnson discussed strengths that neurodivergent people may bring to classrooms and workplaces, including creativity, attention to detail and pattern recognition. She also explored masking — concealing aspects of one’s identity or behaviour to meet social expectations — and its potential toll on mental health and well-being.
From understanding to action
Johnson encouraged audience members to ask questions rather than make assumptions about someone’s behaviour or communication style.
She emphasized that people with the same diagnosis may have very different needs. In classrooms and workplaces, meaningful accommodation begins by asking individuals what works for them, rather than assuming one solution will suit everyone.
Asked how to support neurodiversity in public spaces, Johnson discussed reducing sensory overload, minimizing distractions and offering choices to make shared environments more welcoming.
Her message reinforced the importance of creating inclusive spaces where TRU students, faculty and staff can participate without feeling pressured to conceal aspects of who they are.
“If I can leave you with anything, it’s really to think about, again, that fact that all our brains are different, our perspectives are different. Our childhood experiences are different. How we’ve gone through life is completely different,” Johnson said.
“Try to remember that, and try to ask questions when something is seemingly off or weird, and you’re not quite sure. Sometimes, just asking a very simple question gets you to a place of understanding.”
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