NCW LEND: North Central Washington Library for Education on NeuroDiversity

ABA is not “neuro-affirming.”

Some ABA therapists and agencies are starting to claim that they are "neuroaffirming." This is intentionally misleading. ABA therapy cannot affirm neurodiversity without becoming something that is *not* ABA therapy. From Unstrange Mind, at TPGA:

https://thinkingautismguide.com/2024/02/can-aba-therapy-affirm-neurodiversity.html -SR

[image: Square graphic with a white background.

Black text on the left reads,

"ABA therapy cannot affirm neurodiversity without becoming something that is not ABA therapy. -Maxfield Sparrow"

"tinyurl.com/ABAisNotNeuroaffirming
""

In the right lower corner is a image of a zebra wearing a green Mardi Gras mask cropped in a circle.]

Volunteer tickets available for Friday’s event!

Co-founder Christina-Marie CM Wright will be a panelist at this event!

Send a message to learn more

NCW LEND will be represented at OUT North Central Washington's 2024 Equity in Leadership Summit by co-founder Christina-Marie CM Wright, who is serving as a panelist.

All the information--including where to order tickets and who to contact for scholarship availability--can be found in the post below.

Questions? Just ask!

We want to send a huge shout out to our sponsors!

Thank you to Numerica Credit Union - Wenatchee for being out Presenting Partner! Because of their sponsorship we were able to set aside more than 40 tickets to the Out NCW Annual Equity In Leadership Summit for scholarship!

Thank you to NCW Economic Development District, our scholarship sponsor! Because of their sponsorship we were able to set aside another 20 tickets for scholarship attendance.

Thanks right! We have more than 60 tickets available for scholarship for those that cannot afford a ticket to the event and to our community leaders as a thank you for all you do!

These are no cost tickets to attendees. If you're interested in attending the event at no cost to you, then please apply for the scholarship!

https://forms.gle/cbewsfmYioWUmkgt5

The event will have speakers and panelists as we discuss how to make our community more affirming and how to build equity into the foundations of our local leadership. After that, dinner will be served and entertainment will begin for a celebration of the work we are doing! This will include live performances, a DJ, dancing, and ending the night with karaoke for attendees!

The Summit is a 14+ event, with a fenced beer garden for the 21+ attendees.

You can purchase tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/788361780307?aff=oddtdtcreator

If you are interested in becoming a sponsor please reach out to [email protected]. We'd love to hear from you!

All proceeds raised go to paying the speakers, venue and event rentals. OUT North Central Washington believes in paying experts for their contributions, emotional labor, and experiences they will be sharing while on the stage. Equity starts with you. Anything left over if we exceed our goal, goes to next year's event!

Doors open at 2pm on May 31, 2024 at Wenatchee Valley College, speakers begin at 3pm with breaks worked in, dinner is served at 7pm, and music starts at 7:30pm.

For more information about Out NCW, please head to our website: outncw.org.

IEP's are filled with the word, 'behavior.'

Next time you look, highlight each instance and replace with more specific language.

Focus on developing skills and providing support.

Really think about what's happening. 🤔

And if it isn't clear... Ask questions!

Parents are an equal member of the IEP team. Remember that.

💜 ~Meghan

[image description: Language to replace 'behavior' in a student's IEP:
social / emotional development
coping skills / sensory needs
communication needs / skills
trauma / stress response
alexithymia / interoception
ability to regulate/dysregulation

Remember: Focus on support, not compliance.]

The contributions of Mel Baggs to the Autistic community are not forgotten.

Today, April 11, we honor the one-year anniversary of the death of Disability Justice & Neurodiversity Movement pioneer, Mel Baggs.

"Sie was a powerful advocate and writer who consistently named injustice and constantly demanded better, while also creating and curating some of the earliest and most essential writings on autistic culture, neurodiversity, and autistic experiences that many of us still turn to today." -Lydia X. Z. Brown - Autistic Hoya.

Read more:

https://awnnetwork.org/on-mel-baggs-untimely-death/?fbclid=IwAR3KljDaQtEidVW4irsf343rZJ_URFTsZhrzzv3u9v2BzjJjERbOHxPft5o

[image description: Photo of wooden planks with a yarn heart and a crochet needle and the AWN logo. On the photo white text reads:
“We have to know That we will be okay no matter what skills we learn, what skills we lose, and what skills we end up with by the time we grow up. That the world will have a place for us -Mel Baggs”]

Here’s information about an online peer support group for trans/Autistic folks, offered by Maxfield Sparrow.

This is a lovely opportunity to meet others and find support.

Join the Trans/Autistic online peer support groups I facilitate through AANE I have been facilitating two support groups on Zoom through AANE for gender-divergent neurodivergent people for a few years now. If you are trans, non-binary...

Such a fantastic list of books for readers of all ages!

Happy Trans Day of Visibility!

Trans Day of Visibility is next Friday, March 31, 2023 and the library has plenty of books for that for both adults and kids!

Image is two cartoon narwhals on a blue/pink/white striped Trans Pride background. A list of books in the middle of the image reads:

Spectrums by Maxfield Sparrow
Trans & Autistic by Bridget Liang & Noah Adams
Our Work Is Everywhere: An Illustrated Oral History of Q***r and Trans Resistance by Syan Rose
The Trans Agenda: Assigned Male Comics by Sophie Labelle
The Best of Assigned Male by Sophie Labelle
47,000 Beads by Kojo Adeyoha, Angel Adeyoha & Holly McGillis
The Gender Wheel by Maya Christina Gonzalez
Julian is a Mermaid by Jessica Love
They, She, He Me Free To Be! by Maya and Matthew
It Feels Good To Be Yourself by Theresa Thorn & Noah Grigni
What Are Your Words: A Book About Pronouns by Katherine Locke and Anne Passchier

Trans Day of Visibility
March 31, 2023
neurodiversitylibrary.org

Please share this immediate crowdfunding need for a Deaf+Disabled parent, and contribute, if you can!

New van, organized by Keyna Day Disabled mom, who is deaf and has cerebral palsy is in need of a new handicap van with hand controls. Please help … Keyna Day needs your support for New van

This study is seeking parents and caregivers of Autistic + Gender Expansive children and youth.

There is no compensation but the study does have IRB approval and the anonymous survey took me about 25 minutes to complete.

This study is part of a neurodivergent student’s dissertation but needs more participation. Unfortunately, the recruitment post has become a target for ableist, anti-trans, and other hateful comments, which is discouraging and disturbing for the researcher.

If you are a member of the target population, please fill out the survey.

If you have safe online places to share the original recruitment post, please do so.

Dissertation - Seeking parents of autistic gender-expansive youth Shortened Link to study: https://zurl.co/4i5F (copy and paste url to keep anonymity)
Accessibility: Ad shows Progress Pride Flag in background with Autistic Infinity Symbol.
Words read:
Dissertation Request. Seeking parents of autistic gender-expansive youth under 18. Anonymous survey on your experience of parenting an autistic gender-expansive child
Results will be used to give helping professionals that work with autistic gender-expansive youth and their families a greater understanding of your experience. Must be fluent in reading English and a parent or caregiver of an autistic gender-expansive youth 18 y/o or younger.
*gender-expansive= all gender identities and expressions that do not match the s*x assumed at birth

OBJECTIFICATION + DISABILITY = INSPIRATION P**N — PULSE Magazine Story by Angela Kyle | Design by Dayana Huayana Montoya | Photos by Angela Kyle

Who knows better how to dismantle the web of ableism, transphobia, and racism than BIPOC, trans, disabled, and Deaf people? If you are part of this glorious righteous spectrum of folks, the Disability Project wants to learn from you.

The Disabled & Deaf Trans People's Survey aims to learn about the experiences of disabled and/or Deaf trans and genderqueer folks related to discrimination and oppression, access to services and support in pandemic and emergency conditions, and more.

Take the survey today! https://dtpsurvey.org/

Welcome! - Disabled & Deaf Trans People's Survey Welcome, community, to the first everDisabled and Deaf Trans People’s Survey! We are so glad you made it. We appreciate you. Take the Survey There are different options available to you while you take this survey: You can take the survey in one of three formats: Endorsers

NCW LEND founder Christina-Marie CM Wright has written an article on the importance of neurodiversity libraries for Alki, the peer-reviewed journal of the Washington Library Association!

Check it out, here:

https://alki.pubpub.org/pub/tmjhvvoh/release/1

Your feedback is welcomed and appreciated. Thanks for reading!

“Honey, What if the Baby is Autistic?” The Importance of Neurodiversity Libraries Author’s note about language: This article uses identity-first language (“A/autistic”), rather than person-first language (“person with autism”), as a matter of positive social identity.1 Further, the author denotes capitalized “Autistic” as an indicator of cultural affiliation, while ...

“Splitting the autistic community in two based on level of disability or support needs is a false dichotomy.

If you are not autistic, it may seem inimical to suggest that autistic people should not be considered as two separate groups, but those of us who live this reality know that we have far more in common across the spectrum than our differences might suggest.

This is not to deny the wide range of challenges and support needs, but clinicians, researchers and caregivers who listen to autistic people describe similar issues stand to gain a far deeper understanding of them.”

Weaponized heterogeneity only harms the most vulnerable autistic people Focusing on aspects of autistic experience that we all share may lead more quickly to our shared goal of improved outcomes for all autistic people.

This. This. This.

Before you tech-shame or stress over screen time… please consider these factors.

An important discussion about autistic employment.

Routine reminder that mental illness is a form of neurodivergence.

Just for the peeps who keep forgetting that mental health differences are neurodivergent and therefore the people who experience them are also neurodivergent.

Tweet from Kassiane Asasumasu:

I coined neurodivergent.

Mental illnesses are neurodivergences.

And I will FIGHT ABOUT IT and I'm WAY better trained than anyone who wants to throw down with me.

Neurodivergent explicitly and LOUDLY includes mental illness or psychiatric disability (for those who prefer that term).


The idea behind neurodivergence is that is DOES NOT gatekeep people from their community or deny their support needs.

I see some serious red flags when people try to make a clear divide between themselves and those who have mental health differences.

You are not better than those of us with MH differences.

Autistic Shielding