Emotional Return for John Abbott College Alumnus
From left to right: Ted Wall (Physical Education teacher and football coach), Dennis Waide (Director of Student Services and retired football coach), Shawn Smith (John Abbott College alumnus, counsellor, psychotherapist, entrepreneur, and founder of Don’t dis-my-ability® Consultation Services Inc), and Bob Bindon (retired football head coach at John Abbott College).
Stepping back in your school, one can be overwhelmed by a flood of memories: your first day in a large school, the classroom where you met your lifelong friend, the arena where you scored a goal in the final seconds of the game and so much more.
For Shawn Smith (Abbott ‘97), it brings back a great deal of emotions. To him, John Abbott College is more than a building, more than a school, it is the stepping stone that gave him the start he needed to become who he is today.
Shawn Smith, M. Ed., CCC, LCT, is a counsellor, psychotherapist, entrepreneur, and founder of Don’t dis-my-ability® Consultation Services Inc. Smith was diagnosed with ADHD Inattentive Type at the age of 30, and with autism spectrum disorder at 44. He turned his diagnoses into a career, helping others through individual and family counselling for neurodivergent individuals. Smith also takes the time to share his expertise at speaking engagements, such as panels, podcasts, presentations, and more.
Out of high school in New Brunswick, Shawn received offers from major Canadian universities for football. Unfortunately, he did not have the grades to attend any of them. At this time,
John Abbott College’s football team began recruiting out of province players for the first time and took a chance on Shawn. After three years, and with the support of academic coaches and his teammates, he graduated from the Social Science program, where he gained critical thinking and became passionate about psychology and sociology. John Abbott gave him the support system he was missing at home that he needed to succeed.
Upon completing his DEC, Shawn went on to get a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and Sociology from St. Thomas University in Fredericton, New Brunswick. At the time that he was diagnosed with ADHD, he applied, and was accepted at the University of New Brunswick in the Master of Education Counselling Psychology program. He graduated at the top of his class in 2010.
Today, Shawn takes his experiences and knowledge and helps others living with neurodiversity. “I wouldn’t wish my experience on anyone,” says Shawn, “but I am at a point now where I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”
According to Harvard Medical School, “neurodiversity describes the idea that people experience and interact with the world around them in many different ways; there is no one “right” way of thinking, learning, and behaving, and differences are not viewed as deficits.”
Earlier this month, Shawn visited John Abbott College, where he took the time to present the topic of “Nurturing Neurodiversity” to members of Counselling Services and Student Access Centre. Every semester, more and more students are coming forward requiring individualized education plans and help getting through everyday anxieties. Through his presentation, he broke down the importance of accessibility and “meeting people where they are at.”
Every student is different. Shawn believes that it is important to break down the systemic ways of counselling individuals and find alternative ways that makes sense to the individual. He was able to get through many of his courses in school by making it interesting for himself through drawings. He was able to take a course that he had no interest in, and pass at the top of his class.
Shawn Smith, John Abbott College alumnus and founder of Don’t dis-my-ability® Consultation Services Inc, presenting the topic of Nurturing Neurodiversity to Counselling Services and the Student Access Centre.
“When I hear the word disability, I hear gift,” says Shawn. “When I meet someone with a gift or talent, I can’t help but help them.” Helping others with neurodiversity is about having one conversation at a time, and asking the simple question: “how can I help?” It is about meeting people where they are at.
When asked what his advice is for the public when it comes to supporting the neurodiverse community, Shawn says to be self-aware, and to nurture, not fix. “We are not broken machines that need fixing,” says Shawn.
Shawn has guest lectured at major American universities such as the University of Miami and Florida State University. He currently sits on the advisory board for the University of Connecticut’s Include Program, focusing on recruiting and retaining neurodivergent students in engineering.
John Abbott will forever be part of Shawn’s life, not only emotionally, but also physically. With the John Abbott symbol tattooed on his arm, and a dog named Abbott who has since passed the rainbow bridge, Shawn will continue to remember the impact that John Abbott College has had on his life.
To find out more about Shawn and Don’t dis-my-ability® Consultation Services, visit https://www.ddmacs.ca/
