social - Emergent Divergence

How “mental illness” disempowers the average person

Over the past decade or so, we have seen a surge in the awareness of so-called “mental illness”. While the concept of telling people you are struggling has served aContinue reading “How “mental illness” disempowers the average person”

Queerness and me

Queerness. It’s a word that I hid from for over 30 years, and yet, as I type it, I find myself feeling a deep comfort. I have long known thatContinue reading “Queerness and me”

Neuroqueer: Dismantling our internalised ableism

This article was co-authored by David Gray-Hammond and Katie Munday Trigger Warning: This article contains references to systemic and structural oppression, multiple marginalisation, and negative wellbeing and identity. Ableism isContinue reading “Neuroqueer: Dismantling our internalised ableism”

Has TikTok become a modern day version of the freak show?

I’m not a curiosity that exists for your entertainment. I’m a human being.

Positive self-identity and Autistic mental health

If there is one recurring theme I come across time and again in my work, it’s that reduced psychological wellbeing in Autistic people is inherently linked to our sense ofContinue reading “Positive self-identity and Autistic mental health”

Social constructivism and the making of ethical decisions in Autistic lives

TRIGGER WARNING: Mention of Do Not Resuscitate directives and the pandemic Autistic people are subject to countless rules that are seemingly arbitrary in nature while having a huge impact onContinue reading “Social constructivism and the making of ethical decisions in Autistic lives”

I’m not Asocial, I’m AuSocial: Conceptualising Autistic sociality and culture

Being Autistic is a nightmare (sometimes, actually, a lot of the time). This isn’t because being Autistic is inherently good or bad, but rather because we are a minority group,Continue reading “I’m not Asocial, I’m AuSocial: Conceptualising Autistic sociality and culture”

Autistic people and the social model of addiction

For the better part of a century now, addiction has been treated largely as a matter of criminal justice, with some focus on medical treatment. Unfortunately this approach leaves aContinue reading “Autistic people and the social model of addiction”