Event Information
Join WEA IPTN for a free virtual screening of Normal Isn't Real: Succeeding with Learning Disabilities & ADHD. The film about four young adults with LD and ADHD issues is 72 minutes long. After the screening, we look forward to a lively discussion with our Panel.
This course is open to everyone. 2 Free clock hours are available for attending this course.
We will be offering this screening via Zoom on Tuesday, November 10, 2026 from 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm.
In many ways the four young adults whose stories you will see are very different from one another. They come from different backgrounds, attended different schools, have unique personalities, challenges, and talents, and have chosen different career paths.
They also have one critical thing in common: they have all become EXPERTS on themselves and what they need to be successful. In the film, the definition of "experts" means they understand their strengths and have worked hard to develop them. They understand their challenges and have figured out how to manage them, and they know how to ask for help when they need it. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, they have fully embraced who they are and are proud of themselves.
Hopefully these stories will inspire you to look at your own strengths and challenges and think about what you, and the students in your lives with LD/ADHD issues, need to become self-experts.
Movie Trailer: http://https://www.normalisntreal.com/
Waitlist Limit: 0/500
Courses
Normal Isn’t Real: Rethinking Barriers, Belonging, and Student Success (Equity) (2hr)
Clock Hour
Course Description
This course uses the documentary Normal Isn’t Real to explore how assumptions about learning, ability, and success can create barriers for students with learning disabilities, ADHD, and other forms of neurodiversity. Participants will examine concepts related to neurodiversity, executive functioning, cognitive load, and strength-based learning before viewing the film. Through facilitated discussion and reflection, participants will identify barriers within educational practices and systems and consider strategies that increase student access, belonging, voice, and opportunity. Participants will conclude by identifying an assumption to challenge, a barrier to remove, and an action they can take in their own educational setting.Course Objectives
Participants will be able to:
1. Explain how neurodiversity, cognitive load, executive functioning, and individual strengths can influence students’ learning experiences and access to educational environments. (Standard 1: Understanding Self & Others)
2. Identify assumptions, classroom practices, and school structures that may create barriers to student access, participation, belonging, and success. (Standard 4: Leading for Educational Equity)
3. Reflect on how traditional definitions of “normal” and success can influence educator expectations, instructional decisions, and students’ educational experiences. (Standard 1: Understanding Self & Others)
4. Develop a specific action to challenge an assumption, remove a barrier, and create greater belonging and opportunity for students. (Standard 4: Leading for Educational Equity)