It’s a big challenge to build support for a big project. Everyone likes the idea, but it seems so far out of reach. We want to create a nurturing space for the activities of a neurodiverse community, while living in one of the most expensive places on earth. We all already have so many obligations, structures we’re fitting ourselves into, that make it difficult to respond to a call that seems complicated. I don’t know the answers, but I’ll try to advocate for our needs without creating a sense of obligation.
One thing we recognize in our neurodiverse community, is that each one has special skills, and their own way of looking at a problem. Even though many people might scratch their head looking at a problem, someone will walk by and go “I can do that!” That’s the moment we are looking for (but not so hard that we forget the ones around us).
I have a very small sphere of competence. I’m good at what I’m good at, but I can take a small step in any direction and I’m lost. I know that there are people whose sphere of competence centers on skills that I can’t master. I’m going to share the needs of our team here. Don’t feel obligated to look, but if you do, and you feel a spark of recognition, let’s have a conversation.
nurturing space
Building community with neurodiversity as a core value, and not an accommodation, means recognizing that we all have unique sensory experiences. Many of the spaces I move through in my various roles satisfactory in one way, but jarring in another way. Creating a nurturing space means being able to respond and make changes as we recognize people’s sensory needs. This means that we really need a dedicated space. A literal care facility.
- Open layout with flexibility to create comfortable environments for groups of 12, 24, 36, 48 people
- Accessible to a transportation for a large cross-section of the community
- No mold, mildew, chemical smells
- Ability to control lighting and floor surfaces
- Ability to install sound environment controls as necessary
- Ability to control air flow/humidity
- Working bathrooms with ability to control variables (sound/lighting/temperature)
organizational support
- 5-8 Board members to keep us accountable (very casual, meet 2x per year, talk shop, then picnic)
- Someone with good project management skills
- Someone who doesn’t get stressed out by numbers
- Someone who loves connecting with people in different cultural spaces
- A technology partner (maybe even a team of nd teens!)