neurodiverse
What is Neurodivergence?
It's ADHD, Autism, OCD, schizophrenia, anxiety, depression, bi-polar, aspd, etc etc etc etc
“neurologically atypical patterns of thought or behavior”
So, it’s very broad, if you feel like it describes you then it does as far as we're concerned
Rules
1.) ableist language=post or comment will probably get removed (enforced case by case, some comments will be removed and restored due to complex situations). repeated use of ableist language=banned from comm and possibly site depending on severity. properly tagged posts with CW can use them for the purposes of discussing them
2.) always assume good faith when dealing with a fellow nd comrade especially due to lack of social awareness being a common symptom of neurodivergence
2.5) right to disengage is rigidly enforced. violations will get you purged from the comm. see rule 3 for explanation on appeals
3.) no talking over nd comrades about things you haven't personally experienced as a neurotypical chapo, you will be purged. If you're ND it is absolutely fine to give your own perspective if it conflicts with another's, but do so with empathy and the intention to learn about each other, not prove who's experience is valid. Appeal process is like appealing in user union but you dm the nd comrade you talked over with your appeal (so make it a good one) and then dm the mods with screenshot proof that you resolved it. fake screenies will get you banned from the site, we will confirm with the comrade you dm'd.
3.5) everyone has their own lived experiences, and to invalidate them is to post cringe. comments will be removed on a case by case basis depending on determined level of awareness and faith
4.) Interest Policing will not be tolerated in any form. Support your comrades in their joy!
Further rules to be added/ rules to be changed based on community input
RULES NOTE: For this community more than most we understand that the clarity and understandability of these rules is very important for allowing folks to feel comfortable, to that end please don't be afraid to be outspoken about amendments and addendums to these rules, as well as any we may have missed
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I can see the truth in what you're saying to a good degree.
A bit ago, I had this coworker. She was similar to me in some ways. She was queer and neurodivergent. She was autistic just like me, and as I worked with her, I connected with her unlike I did with anyone else at our workplace. On top of that, it was really mutual.
She got bullied, for lack of a better term, by a lot of other people we worked with. A lot of people were needlessly harsh and hard on her, to the point of making her cry some days. I felt a lot of empathy because I went through the same with some of the people who we worked with, and I just didn't like seeing her struggle and seeing her go through immense pain.
Eventually, we started texting each other outside of work, and even though neither of us work at that place anymore (thankfully), we still talk to each other to this very day. The reason why she came to mind for my response to your comment is that I started texting her about some of my depression and internalized ableism that I'm feeling today, and it really put this matter into perspective.
Back when we worked together, she would tell me about horrendous things that happened to her at work, even explaining to me that a lot of our coworkers would only treat her like that when I wasn't around because they knew I would stick up for her.
Whenever I talked to her about anything that I was struggling with or even just our interests, humor, and enjoyment, there was never any judgment that took place. I never felt like she was going to take anything I said the wrong way. There was always empathy, kindness, and understanding in everything we talked about.
That is the kind of exchange I got with a neurodivergent person. I never felt like I was "inappropriate", "awkward", "weird", or "distasteful" in anything I said, and whenever she would say anything that a lot of neurotypicals found odd, I never took issue with any of those things myself. In fact, they were more relatable and easier for me to understand.
I don't get out there and interact with a whole lot of neurodivergent people. In the lens of a neurotypical world, I'm broken, but it seemed like being with other neurodivergent people was the only thing that could teach me that it's not ME that's wrong. There is an overwhelming lack of understanding within a society that takes "different" or "unusual" as a synonym for "terrible" or "less than".
We are called neurodivergent for a reason. We deviate from a norm that's highly expected within our society, but when that norm isn't met, people will immediately feel inclined to accuse the neurodivergent person of failing, not the norm itself.