When planning my initial research, I identified two broad strands that reflected recurring themes from my previous work: neurodiversity and travel experiences. I intended to spend a similar amount of time exploring each area before beginning to narrow my focus. However, after completing my first stage of research into neurodiversity, I found myself far more engaged with the subject than I had anticipated.
Initially, I viewed neurodiversity as one possible area of interest alongside travel. However, through reading academic literature and lived-experience accounts, I began to recognise a pattern that has been present throughout much of my previous work. While several of my projects have centred on travel, the underlying motivations behind them have focused on broader themes such as accessibility, inclusion, independence, communication, and supporting overlooked groups. These themes are also strongly connected to contemporary discussions surrounding neurodiversity.
Reflecting on my previous projects, I realised that the travel element may not have been the central focus after all. My backpacking project aimed to make travelling easier and more accessible. My project exploring neurodiverse navigation of transport systems focused directly on accessibility and information processing. Even No Days Off explored alternative perspectives and encouraged greater awareness of others' experiences. Looking back, there has been a consistent interest in creating more inclusive experiences and in understanding how people interact with the world around them.
As a result, rather than moving immediately onto my planned travel strand, I have decided to spend additional time exploring neurodiversity. This is not a commitment to a final project direction, but instead an acknowledgement that this area is generating the most curiosity and the strongest research questions at this stage.
Several topics have emerged repeatedly throughout my reading and are areas I would like to investigate further:
Alongside these questions, I have also begun compiling a glossary of key terminology that may prove useful as my research develops. Some of the concepts that have stood out so far include:
Spiky Profile
A highly uneven distribution of skills, strengths, and cognitive abilities. Individuals may demonstrate significant strengths in some areas while experiencing challenges in others.
Neurominorities
Demographic groups of neurodivergent individuals who share a similar, innate form of neurological variation.
Biodiversity
The variety of life within natural ecosystems. In the neurodiversity literature, biodiversity is often used as a comparison to illustrate the value of variation in human cognition and neurological functioning.