I mentioned to a Speech Pathologist that I knew a girl who only started speaking in complete sentences after her 4th birthday. I remarked that everyone is different and moves at their own pace. ‘No,’ replied the Speech Pathologist firmly, ‘I would think there was something very wrong with that child.’ I understood what she meant (speech delays are problematic and the girl’s situation was possibly indicative of a bigger issue), but I nonetheless was horrified at her choice of words. It isn’t just the Speech Pathologist either. We live in a society that demands a certain way of being, and to diverge from that is usually considered ‘wrong.’ Diversity disrupts the status quo. It ruffles feathers. Diversity includes culture, gender, race, age, sexual orientation, and beliefs. It can be something as small as writing with your left hand. As recently as the 1990s, my brother was forced to re-learn how to write with his right hand, because his primary school teacher believed that left-handedness was unacceptable. The paintings on the left and right depict this rigid uniformity. Each feather is slightly different, sure, but it follows the same basic rules of being. Perfect but bland grey feathers, structured in lines against a very dark world where everything is black and white. These pictures make up two-thirds of the overall art, which I feel is appropriate, since we are talking, literally, about the majority group. I work with neurodiverse children, and while they may struggle to meet milestones and engage in activities that come naturally to their peers; they all shine in their own ways. I love stepping into the worlds of the children that I work with. I’ve met children who are drawn to particular colours or numbers; children who are talented athletes and climbers; children who teach themselves languages; and the list goes on.