LiveJournal, Yahoo Groups, Second Life, AIM (AOL Instant Messenger), Internet Relay Chat, and many other social and chat platforms have faded away over the years. Many of those spaces, particularly LiveJournal, once had supportive autistic communities. LiveJournal was where I found an autistic community that was okay. That was years…
Tag: community
Podcast Episode 0057; Season 04, Episode 21; February 23, 2021 Quoting from the Autistic Self Advocacy Network: Disability Community Day of Mourning In the past five years, over 700 people with disabilities have been murdered by their parents. Every year on March 1, the disability community gathers across the nation to remember…
As I mentioned in a recent podcast, I’m trying to engage more online and, once the pandemic passes, I hope to return to public speaking. (Virtual appearances are always an option, if your organization would like to hear my perspectives.) Some autistics are actively engaged in activism, with large numbers…
Podcast 0052; Season 04, Episode 16; January 5, 2021 I’ve been reflecting a lot on friendships, the connections I don’t have. Many autistics I know are more social than I am, especially online. Not every autistic is an introvert, especially in virtual communities. My autistic traits and introversion lead to personal…
Readers of The Autistic Me blog and listeners to The Autistic Me Podcast want to learn from #AutisticVoices and #ActuallyAutistic people. Followers of @AutisticMe on Twitter and Facebook send many direct messages with questions best answered by other Autistics — and you might be the expert we need on the…
We lack diversity in the autism community. Think about what you see, online and in the media. I see upper-middle-class parents, able to afford iPads and tutors and official diagnoses. I see parents who have the resources to fight for IEPs and physical accommodations. I see self-advocacy leadership that has…
Increasingly, I am aware of the “communities” to which I don’t belong. An overused word in the humanities, “community” is more than a group of people with some minor similarities. A community has to have some manner of unified sense of purpose. I belong to several organizations without any desire…
Earlier today I was asked: “May I ask the reason you are even ON an ASD list if you’re so self-sufficient and never need any assistance for anything?” Of course, I’ve never claimed life is a solo project. My presentations begin with a reminder that most successful people depend on…
For those not familiar with my research focus, I currently study the communications skills of teens and adults with autism. My particular interest is original compositions by those diagnosed with autism. This research leads me to study language, neurology, psychology, and more. Neurolinguistics are important, for example, but I never…
I am currently analyzing online spaces dedicated to issues of autism spectrum disorders. I am also including spaces created by and/or for individuals with ASDs. This is a funded project, sponsored by my university, to help determine how we might design online courses to better accommodate students with special needs.…