We are documenting Autistic culture in our articles, and we are centring Autistic lived experiences via participatory Autistic research, by actively supporting Autistic research projects, by coordinating Autistic peer support, by catalysing the co-creation of NeurodiVentures, and by curating useful tools developed by neurodivergent people for neurodivergent people. As part of the neurodiversity movement, we are curating timeless concepts for nurturing and describing ecologies of care.
The Autistic Collaboration Trust is formally committed to never charge Autistic individuals and their families for any services delivered.
Reader feedback:
Powerful writing that cuts deep and right through.
The whole world should have to read this article. Our systems are so flawed.
This made me feel less alone.
I’ve spent my life trying to force myself into the mold of “normal.” I’ve failed at that over and over again. It’s a huge unwinding to no longer blame myself for that, to celebrate myself as one part within the vast and infinite reality of neurodiversity and biodiversity. It’s such a giant reframe. Such a relief. I’ve been struggling to put cognitive words to the emotional experience and this article does that for me. I am grateful for you as the author and for this brilliant, kind community of neurodivergent minds.
Amen. A million times over.
Autists depend on assistance from others in ways that differ from the cultural norm. We support each other, love each other, and care for each other in ways that go far beyond the culturally impaired neuronormative imagination. Your lived experience shapes our interactive professional education courses.
We are currently co-creating a comprehensive support model for Autists and otherwise neurodivergent and intersectionally marginalised people that is grounded in our collective lived experience, informed by what we are learning from the results of our ongoing participatory research. In the coming months we aim to incrementally roll out mutual aid and support modalities that cover the full range of human scale time horizons.
If you appreciate our articles and the tireless community building efforts of our volunteers, your donations go a long way to keep us going and grow our peer support capacity.
By becoming a sponsor of the Autistic Collaboration Trust (reg.no. CC59262) you help us catalyse Autistic Collaboration projects, coordinate Autistic peer support, document Autistic culture, conduct Autistic research, develop and deliver education based on lived experiences, and host events that celebrate Autistic culture.
Most importantly, you can help us catalyse systemic change, and contribute to a few Autistic livelihoods, by spreading the word about AutCollab Education courses for healthcare professionals, educators, and employers.
Services
Below is a growing index of Autistic peer support initiatives and Autistic community projects that are designed to progress the neurodiversity movement and to encourage the formation of new Autistic collaborations and NeurodiVentures. The Autistic Collaboration Trust actively coordinates several of these services and projects and refers to further aligned regional or local services and campaigns.
- Ecologies of Care peer support model (incremental roll out)
- Communal definition of Autistic ways of being
- Articles on Autistic culture, Autistic community, and Autistic wellbeing
- Autistic Collaboration TV
- Tools for navigating the social world
- Lived experience survey: Feeling Safe
- Lived experience survey: Feeling Safe Growing Up
- Education in the ND paradigm, the ND movement, and Autistic culture
- Bullying alert system for employees
- Employer rating service for inclusiveness and psychological safety
- Psychological safety baseline data collection
- Translation of AutCollab.org content
Coordination of related activities occurs in dedicated project specific online workspaces. Please use the form at the bottom of this page if you would like to participate in / contribute to one or more of these services and projects.
Regional / local centres of Autistic culture
- Autistic Collaboration Trust, Aotearoa New Zealand and global
- Te Hapori Whai Takiwātanga o Aotearoa, Aotearoa
- Autistic Doctors International (Facebook), global
- Autistic Strategies Network, South Africa and Africa
- Autistic innovation at the Dandenong Mechanics’ Institute, Victoria, Australia
- Autism Dialogue, United Kingdom
- Autistic Mutual Aid Society Edinburgh, United Kingdom
- Autism Rights Group Highland, United Kingdom
- Edinburgh & Lothian Asperger Society, United Kingdom
- Existential Autist, United Kingdom
- National Autistic Taskforce, United Kingdom
- Neuro Diverse Self Advocacy, United Kingdom
- Participatory Autism Research Collective, United Kingdom
- The Future is ND, United Kingdom
- Autism-Informed Therapy Institute, Ireland
- Autistic Peer Leadership Group (ApLEG), United States
- Autonomous Press, United States
- Divergent Labs, United States
- Neuroclastic, United States and global
- Neurodivergent Consulting, United States
- Neurodivergent Infinity Network of Educators, Canada and global
- NeuroDiverThai, Thailand
- Nicnac Podcast Network, United States
- Stimpunks, United States
Campaigns / projects
- Ban of conversion therapies
- Appreciation of neurodiversity in the healthcare sector
- Appreciation of neurodiversity in the education sector
- The Autistic English Dictionary
- Autistic communities in public libraries
- A mosaic of Autistic lenses
- Neurodiversity documentary
- #TakeTheMaskOff, an international campaign dedicated to masking
- Me.Decoded
Regional / local
- Strengthening the local neurodiversity movement, Auckland, Aotearoa
- Seeding Autistic collaborations, Aotearoa New Zealand and Australia
- Activism and protests by Autistic Inclusive Meets, UK
Useful books
- On human collective behaviour
- On the ND paradigm, the ND movement, and Autistic culture
- On Autistic wellbeing
Connect
If you are aware of further initiatives in any part of the world that should be included in this index, please use the form below to provide relevant details for inclusion. You can also use the form to inquire about joining any of the projects listed above.
