3 minute read
Neurodiversity: Being Seen: Hackathon for Social Good
Neurodiversity: Being Seen: Hackathon for Social Good
By Sydney Choe ’25, Alumni; Nichole Hill ’23, Student; Tanya Catallo, Student Success Coach and Jason Dickinson, Technology Integration Specialist
The word hackathon often conjures up images of computer science majors working in competition to design code that will solve world issues. But this couldn’t be further from the truth, as the HTS community experienced during the first hackathon summit: Hack for Neurodiversity.
Sydney Choe and Nicole Hill, the grade twelve co-leaders of the innovation programming club and part of the HTS community since middle school, embraced the challenge of organizing and hosting HTS’s inaugural hackathon. Their goal was to establish a safe and empowering community where students were able to think critically and join the rising conversation on neurodiverse inclusivity. However, this gathering of unique students did more than just flex critical thinking and problem solving muscles; it created an authentic space for community and belonging.
On Friday March 31st 2023, students from HTS and Sterling Hall assembled in the Lower iLab, ready for an afternoon of exploration. The Hack for Neurodiversity kicked off with an address by Stephanie Stephens,
the Executive Director of Innovation and Technology, Sydney Choe, and Nicole Hill. After this inspiring start, Ms. Christine MacIsaac and Ms. Tanya Catallo, HTS Student Success Coaches, provided the opportunity for participants to ask questions to deepen their understanding of neurodiversity. Conversations about definitions of neurodiversity, access barriers, social-emotional implications of identifications, and stories about supporting neurodiversity through capacity building with students and educators were the order of the day.
These rich conversations were followed by Mr. Jason Dickinson’s discussion about his own experience with neurodiversity. Mr. Dickinson spoke about his life experience growing up with undiagnosed ADHD, as well as the possibility of being on the Autism spectrum. He talked about how he has learned to cope, the strategies he has used, and the impact of learning about these things in his 40s.
The participants then worked through ideas and processes to design technological applications that would support inclusivity for neurodiverse students. Participants found that the complexities of addressing neurodiverse inclusion reflected the complexities of who we are as people.
Since participating in hackathons, such as the online Hack for Global Good, Sydney and Nicole have been able to expand their learning experiences. They’ve built skills such as perseverance, risk-taking and the value of empathy, connected with other students to discover new perspectives, and challenged stereotypes. In planning HTS’s Hack for Neurodiversity, Sydney and Nicole brought to HTS the opportunity for other students to grow in a similar way.
The Hack for Neurodiversity provided a space for students from different grades to build their understanding of difference and their courage to speak up, as well as sharing appreciation for the unique ways that we all think. And the outcome was more than just the thought-provoking conversations and discussions that filled the Lower iLab that day, and the brilliant solutions that students developed to tackle and support neurodiverse students in school. What resulted was the illumination of the darkness that some experience because of their difference, and the creation of a space for belonging and authentic being.
Courage is the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can’t practice any other virtue consistently.
