AutisticAutistic ways of being are human neurological variants that can not be understood without the social model of disability.If you are wondering whether you are Autistic, spend time amongst Autistic people, online and offline.  If… More culture is important for a number of reasons. It allows people to be a part of something in a world that has consistently alienated them. It creates spaces where we can embrace the machinations of our mind unencumbered by the normativeNormal was created, not discovered, by flawed, eccentric, self-interested, racist, ableist, homophobic, sexist humans. Normal is a statistical fiction, nothing less. Knowing this is the first step toward reclaiming your… More standards of “typical” society.

Autistic Culture has given rise to a community that, despite it’s imperfections, feels like a place of safety in a storm born of hatred. A beacon for those that feel far from home.

However, there is more to Autistic culture and community than this. In quiet corners of the internet there is a growing trend toward something rhizomatic in nature. A network of knowledge exchange and peer support with no single point of origin. Each facet operates individually and yet is connected to others.

This community boasts a resilience that can only come from moving away from arborescent growth.

These communitiesWhat I have always been hoping to accomplish is the creation of community.Community is magic. Community is power. Community is resistance.Disability Visibility: First-Person Stories from the Twenty-First Century https://www.amazon.com/Disability-Visibility-First-Person-Stories-Twenty-First-ebook/dp/B082ZQBL98/ https://www.amazon.com/Disability-Visibility-Adapted-Young-Adults-ebook/dp/B08VFT4R9T/… More seem to be a natural reflection of neuro-anarchistic (as defined by Katie Munday) approaches to group formation. Ditching the hierarchyThe belief in the existence and relevance of social hierarchies must be suspended.The Beauty of Collaboration at Human Scale: Timeless patterns of human limitations The extent to which a community… More and instead Embracing the chaotic nature of individual growth through shared subjective experience.

These parts of Autistic culture represent the future of our community. A place where we can truly embrace our future, and build upon the knowledge of Autistic thought leaders to create something beautiful.

Through these independent but connected communities, we are creating a blueprint for a world free from the oppressive structures of our contemporary society.

We must protect them, and we must continue to build upon the work that has brought us thus far. Not lose it in the security of the status quo. Predictability is the death of innovation. As Autistic people, we must innovate and develop. Sameness is comforting, but with it comes the risk of losing the edgeFor me this space of radical openness is a margin a profound edge. Locating oneself there is difficult yet necessary. It is not a “safe” place. One is always at… More in a world that thirsts for knowledge.

In order to explore the nature of our ever growing and developing Autistic culture, we need to be looking to the Autistic rhizomeAutistic RhizomeA growing and evolving network of Autistic communities with no hierarchy or dependence on anothers existence.Each person forms an integral part and is connected by a flow of energy… More, detached from a non-existent central point, exploring new theory, and building on what exists. We need to surprise the world with each new thought, not repackage the same thought over and over.

Only by embracing the Chaotic nature of ourselves and the process of growth can we truly be liberated from the industrialised structures and communities that have held us back. We deserve freedom from the cult of normality. We live a politicised existence, and it’s time that we broke free of that.

It’s time to ditch dependence on a model of society that was never designed for us.