Pamela Schuller on the Three Ways Every Community Should Be More Inclusive

 

 

An internationally respected disability and mental health advocate and professional stand-up comedian, Pamela Schuller’s stories of growing up in a body she had no control over are engaging, powerful, a little bit heart-wrenching, and unapologetically funny.

 

As a teen, Pamela was diagnosed with the worst case of Tourette’s Syndrome in the United States. She was asked to leave both her school and her synagogue due to her uncontrollable outbursts and tics, which would sometimes even land her in the hospital with serious injuries. Depressed, suicidal, and wishing her differences away, Pamela struggled to find a place to belong.

 

She eventually turned the challenges that used to hold her back into the foundation for a new way of life. Now Pamela doesn’t just tolerate what makes her different; she embraces it, loves it, and finds the humour in it—all while challenging her audiences to do the same.

 

Watch this clip from her FEDtalk for the three things every community can do to truly be inclusive.

 

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