Lilypad Library is a children’s show built on a simple premise: neurodivergent kids deserve to see themselves in stories written by people who actually know what that’s like.
Creator Kiersten Case draws from lived experience. The show’s characters are written by and with neurodivergent people — that’s the standard. Nothing About Us Without Us (NAUWU). Stimpunks is proud to serve as their fiscal sponsor.
Meet @lilypadlibraryofficial’s official fiscal sponsor, the Stimpunks Foundation ♾.
A fiscal sponsor is a 501c3 registered nonprofit that provices financial oversight, and legally allows us to accept tax deductable grants and donations. We need a fiscal sponsor to apply for sources of funding for our show, as we are not paid for by a big distributor or company at the moment.
How does the Stimpunks design method to making the world a more accessible place mirror Lilypad Library’s mission?
ARLES stands for Attention ⟶ Relational ⟶ Lived Experience ⟶ Environment ⟶ Systems. The world is not built for neurodivergent people.
Attention is how a specific neurodivergent mind is working. In each episode of Lilypad Library, this usually means what Dots is doing or struggling with that day.
Lilypad focuses on the relational connections between a neurodivergent person (Dots) and her closest friends and adults. These relationships vary in understanding and regulation practices, and are always evolving in a positive way, showing kids and parents how to best support neurodivergent people in their lives.
Dots is written using the lived experience of creator Kiersten Case. It follows stories based on real life ups, downs, and in betweens. Mayweather, Finley, and other neurodiverse characters are written similarly. There is no story about us, without us.
The Library serves a as an environment in which the writing of the story controls the conditions. We can show parents and caregivers how to best those conditions by naturally writting them into the show, having Lilypad Library continally adapting as a space for all children and adults, regardless of neurotype.
Lilypad is a children’s show, and of course, it is made for the children of the world. However, the education in the show is bigger than the 11 minutes the episodes run. We want parents, caregivers, teachers, lawmakers, and businesses to learn how they can make changes to the existing system to best support neurodivergent people. To quote Stimpunks – “Designing a world where different minds are expected“.
We got a really nice shout out from the Lilypad Library team. Check out this slideshow for an introduction to our collaboration together.
The Stimpunks Design Method
Lilypad Library is integrating our ARLES design method into the format and arc of the show.
We’re excited to collaborate with Ms. Kiersten and the team.
Videos: “Take a Break” and “What is Joy?”
Check out their videos. We love these two:
Slideshow: Lilypad Library — Turning the Industry Upside Down
And learn about their journey so far in this slideshow:
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