In the news, on television, and in movies like Rain Man or Forrest Gump, people with neurological conditions such as Autism are portrayed in a particular ways with unifying characteristics. Mental illnesses like schizophrenia, PTSD, and Bi-polar depression receive similar treatment. In general, people whose minds don’t function like that of a typical human fit some stereotype. Many are unpredictable or violent. Letting these people leave a mental hospital or go off medication is the worst case scenario. This stereotype is made worse by news media coverage of mass murderers which is usually quick to mention what mental illnesses the accused had suffered from. Other people are shown to simply lack the mental capacity to function on their own. Social outcasts or “idiot savants” are also commonly portrayed. In reality, most people with mental illness do not turn violent and often do function living on their own and even holding jobs. In fact, many are well adjusted and some become wildly successful.

With my digital exhibit, I will seek to change the typical narrative on mental and neurological conditions. Referring to them as “diseases” or “disabilities” is disrespectful and demeaning to people who live with such conditions. It implies that something is fundamentally wrong with the individual or that a person is less capable of functioning in the real world than others. In truth the stigma of mental illness is often worse than the condition itself. Children with such conditions are disproportionately bullied. Adults will often refuse to seek treatment to avoid being labelled.

The topic of mental illnesses and neurological conditions will be the focus of my digital exhibit, but the focus will be on the accomplishments of those with mental and neurological conditions. I will seek to educate people on how mental and neurological conditions are misrepresented in media, and what the truth really is. I envision one section of the site dedicated to depicting successful people who are or were either known or speculated to have suffered from a mental or neurological condition. Examples would include actors like Dan Aykroyd and Robin Williams as well as historical figures like Albert Einstein and Isaac Newton.