Ep 18: Colonial Disparities and Neurodiversity with Sandra Yellowhorse

Diné scholar Sandra Yellowhorse joins this episode and we begin by discussing our experiences between the U.S. and Aotearoa/New Zealand. We consider how the Covid-19 pandemic reveals ongoing social and political issues, as well as how settler colonialism impacts and amplifies disparities on the Navajo Nation. Sandra also shares insights on some of her work to challenge the harmful colonial, capitalist, and individualistic constructions of ‘disability.’ Critical and Indigenous perspectives instead offer a more inclusive view of autism as neurodiversity, which moves towards more holistic understandings of belonging and contribution in community.

Topics: Colonialism, Political Economy, Ableism, Special Education.

Terms: Diné (Diné bizaad/Navajo language word meaning “the people”), settler-colonialism (imperially supported system of domination that attempts to replace original inhabitants with an occupying society of settlers), Navajo Nation (Indigenous territory/sovereign nation that covers parts of Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico in the U.S.), Capitalism (a profit-based economic system premised on privatisation, where the means of production are controlled by an elite minority), Neurodiversity (a perspective that challenges deficit views of social, cognitive, and behavioural differences).