Written by Lewis Argal
The square pegs institute is an idea I had which is mostly based in my fictional universe, due to the fact that real world is simply not set up to accommodate such a place, it's a school type institute where people who don't fit in are educated to their full potential in a way that is suited to the individual. That explanation doesn't quite encapsulate how far the fictional version of the idea takes it, and I'm sure there are laws against doing it the ways I came up with for superhuman entities.
All that being said the whole "a school type institute where people who don't fit in can be educated to their fullest potential in a way that is suited to the individual" is a good descriptor for how a real world version of the institute could work, it would perhaps be classified more as a maker space or a creative collective, but it would be a creative environment geared towards education, where a variety of individuals both neurodivergent and neurotypical can help each other to thrive so no one gets left behind. it would take neurodiverse and more neurotypical people on both the student and mentor/teacher/facilitator side for the institute to reach its fullest potential as it would exist not just to provide neurotypicals with a safe wing to be taken under, but also for neurotypicals to learn more about the concept of neurodiversity and how it can be applied to real life systems and situations. i would also like things to be as student driven as possible, as in my experience independent learning is the best way to achieve the highest potential out of neurodivergent individuals.
The barriers I have faced as a neurodivergent individual have mostly fallen under the category of "system says no" or "required assistance unavailable/not allowed" i am a square peg in a round hole, or so everyone keeps telling me, and any time i ask for help i am either provided with assistance so ill fitted to my needs that it counts as a hindrance or a complete systematic refusal to accept my own suggestions or solutions to my struggles as a viable option, or to provide any even marginally acceptable alternatives.
I realised almost immediately that I was different, and the fact that it would cause me to struggle became painfully apparent almost the second my schooling started, in the schooling system you are also so often faced with a choice between complete social isolation or ostracization and a complete lack of assistance or recognition of ones difficulties.
