
Themes: Our heart, exposed. Compasses, guiding stars, and alignment with our loved people.
No one knows best the motion of the ocean than the fish that must fight the current to swim upstream.
Black Cyberfeminism: Intersectionality, Institutions and Digital Sociology by Tressie McMillan Cottom :: SSRN
Purpose
Choose the margin as a site of radical possibility.
Introduction
DisabledThe label "disabled" means so much to me. It means I have community. It means I have rights. It means I can be proud. It means I can affirm myself... More and neurodivergentNeurodivergent, sometimes abbreviated as ND, means having a mind that functions in ways which diverge significantly from the dominant societal standards of “normal.”NEURODIVERSITY: SOME BASIC TERMS & DEFINITIONS Neurodivergent is quite... More people are always edge cases, and edge cases are stress cases.
Our designs, our societies, and the boundaries of our compassionCompassion Isn't CoddlingPeople often mistake compassion for “being nice,” but it’s not.The point of compassion isn’t to soften bad news or stressful situations with niceties. It’s to come from a... More are tested at the edgesFor 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, where the truths told are of bias, inequalityEquityA commitment to action: the process of redistributing access and opportunity to be fair and just.A way of being: the state of being free of bias, discrimination, and identity-predictable outcomes... More, injustice, and thoughtlessness.
The insights of intersectionality, the social model of disability, and design for real life help us design and build for these truths and do the “truly essential work”.
These insights are there in the valuesRemind yourself that shared values, rather than shared beliefs, are what matter when it comes to interacting with others, and that there is no replacement for doing the hard work... More statements of the Human Restoration Project.
4 Values Statements for an Equitable System

LEARNING IS ROOTED IN PURPOSESelf-determination Theory (SDT) is... — a model, a macro theory, of human motivation. It’s one of several models of human motivation, but it’s one that has been confirmed over and... More FINDING AND COMMUNITY
What 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 RELEVANCE.
- Map a Path to Purpose
- Learn Experientially
- Connect to the Community
- Promote Literacy
- Create Cross-Disciplinary, Multi-Age Classrooms
SOCIAL JUSTICE IS THE CORNERSTONE TO EDUCATIONAL SUCCESS.
- Reimagine Space & Promote Free Play
There is nothing more human than play. Humans were designed to learn in play. In fact, nearly all mammals evolved this way.Play's Power At our learning space, we provide learners fresh... More
- Demand Anti-Racist, Inclusive Spaces
- Authenticate Student Voice
- Adopt Critical Pedagogy & Build Democratic Schools
- Utilize Restorative Justice
DEHUMANIZING PRACTICES DO NOT BELONG IN SCHOOLS.
- Radically Reduce Homework
As a rule, the point of homework generally isn’t to learn, much less to derive real pleasure from learning. It’s something to be finished.The Homework Myth: Why Our Kids Get... More
- Build Strong Relationships
- Eliminate Grading
Grades tend to diminish students’ interest in whatever they’re learning. A “grading orientation” and a “learning orientation” have been shown to be inversely related and, as far as I can... More
- Redefine Assessment and End Testing
- Reform Food Systems
LEARNERS ARE RESPECTFUL TOWARD EACH OTHER’S INNATE HUMAN WORTH.
- Self-Direct Learning
- Support and Elevate Teachers
- Stay Buzzword Free
- Cooperate, Don’t Force Competition
- Support Multi-Age Classrooms
Source: The Need
Reading
- Choosing the Margin: Design is Tested at the Edges
- Stimpunks Philosophy
- We Believe: Our Pedagogical Foundation
Choosing the Margin: Design is Tested at the Edges
Main Takeaways
- Compassion is not coddlingSomehow, a set of deeply conservative assumptions about children — what they’re like and how they should be raised — have congealed into the conventional wisdom in our society. Parents... More.
- The more dehumanized groups a person belongs to, the more their experience forces them to understand about the way society is structured.
- This space of radical openness is a margin a profound 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.
- Living as we did on the edge we developed a particular way of seeing reality.
- We fear those who speak about us who do not speak to us and with us.
- MarginalityFor 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 as site of resistance. Enter that space.
- No one knows best the motion of the ocean than the fish that must fight the current to swim upstream.
- By focusing on the parts of the system that are most complex and where the people living it are the most vulnerable we understand the system best.
- When we build things we must think of the things our life doesn’t necessitate. Because someone’s life does.
Philosophy
Main Takeaways
- Design is tested at the edges.
- Human cognitive diversity exists for a reason.
- The right to learn differentlyOur friends and allies at Randimals have a saying, What makes us different, makes all the difference in the world.Randimals We agree. Randimals are made up of two different animals... More should be a universal human right that’s not mediated by diagnosis
Self diagnosis is not just “valid” — it is liberatory. When we define our community ourselves and wrest our right to self-definition back from the systems that painted us as... More.
- LazinessLaziness does not exist.People do not choose to fail or disappoint. No one wants to feel incapable, apathetic, or ineffective. If you look at a person’s action (or inaction) and... More does not exist.
- We urgently need a society that’s better at letting people get the rest
We urgently need a society that's better at letting people get the rest they need.Fergus Murray WIP by Kristina Daniele I’m in pain. Mental. Physical. The result’s the same. Retreating... More they need.
- When you measure include the measurer.
- There is no path to equity
EquityA commitment to action: the process of redistributing access and opportunity to be fair and just.A way of being: the state of being free of bias, discrimination, and identity-predictable outcomes... More that does not involve a direct confrontation with inequity
EquityA commitment to action: the process of redistributing access and opportunity to be fair and just.A way of being: the state of being free of bias, discrimination, and identity-predictable outcomes... More.
- It is time to celebrate our interdependence
Interdependence acknowledges that our survival is bound up together, that we are interconnected and what you do impacts others. If this pandemic has done nothing else, it has illuminated how... More!
- Community is magic. Community is powerThe 20th Century political scientist Karl Deutsch said, “Power is the ability not to have to learn.”I quote this statement often, because I think it’s one of the most important... More. Community is resistance.
- We exist as friction.
- Nothing About Us Without Us
- We should always be part of the conversation.
- Embracing pluralism
Pluralism refers to people of diverse and conflicting beliefs coexisting peaceably, linked by their adherence to a shared social contract which commits members of different groups to treating others fairly... More is good citizenship.
- Name the systems of power.
We Believe: Human-Centered, Trauma-Informed, Self-Determined, Equity-Literate, Interdisciplinary Learning with Open Technology
Main Takeaways
- Dehumanizing practices do not belong in schools.
- Learning is rooted in purpose finding and community relevance.
- Social justice is the cornerstone to educational success.
- Create a neurodiverse inclusive environment.
- Seven Pathways to Ensuring Life Long Learning CompetenciesAll healthy and resilient institutions have a well-functioning competency network (Laloux 2014; Wilson 2015). A good way to understand competency networks is via the notion of trustworthiness and the nurturing... More
- The Eight Principles of Good Autism Practice are embedded in four themes: “Understanding the Individual”, “Positive and Effective Relationships”, “Enabling Environments”, and “Learning and Development”.
- Autists conceptualise the world in terms of trusted relationships with unique people.
- Autistic
Autistic 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 students need strong, trustingAutists conceptualise the world in terms of trusted relationships with unique people.The beauty of collaboration at human scale The Autistic way of developing trust is based on experienced domain-specific competence.... More relationships with their teachers and peers; a learning environment that suits their needs; and some flexibility and control over their time and rhythm of their learning
- Attend to the practices, policies, and aspects of institutional culture that traumatize children at school.
- Dislodge hyper-punitive cultures and ideologies.
- We must infuse trauma-informed
In expanding our definitions of trauma, we must make sure we see trauma as a structural issue, not just an individual one. Scholars now recognize what people from marginalized communities... More education with a robust understanding of, and responsiveness to, the traumas of systemic oppression.
- Trauma-informed education is antiracist and against all forms of oppression.
- Trauma-informed education means centering our shared humanity.
- How do we build learning environments that embrace intrinsic motivationSelf-determination Theory (SDT) is... — a model, a macro theory, of human motivation. It’s one of several models of human motivation, but it’s one that has been confirmed over and... More: autonomySelf-determination Theory (SDT) is... — a model, a macro theory, of human motivation. It’s one of several models of human motivation, but it’s one that has been confirmed over and... More, masterySelf-determination Theory (SDT) is... — a model, a macro theory, of human motivation. It’s one of several models of human motivation, but it’s one that has been confirmed over and... More, and purpose?
- Everyone should have the right to make choices.
- Flow states
Entering flow states - or attention tunnels - is a necessary coping strategy for many of us.Fergus Murray People need to feel appreciated and safe, to give themselves to an... More are the pinnacle of intrinsic motivation, where somebody wants to do something for themselves, for the sake of doing it and doing it well.
- People need to feel appreciated and safe, to give themselves to an activity; and they need to feel like they are making progress to keep giving themselves to it.
- Flow
Entering flow states - or attention tunnels - is a necessary coping strategy for many of us.Fergus Murray People need to feel appreciated and safe, to give themselves to an... More allows us to recharge.
- The path to equity requires direct confrontations with inequity.
- In order to achieve equity we must prioritize the interests of the students and families whose interests historically have not been prioritized.
- Educational outcome disparities are not the result of deficiencies in marginalizedFor 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 communities’ cultures, mindsetsThe marketing of mindsets was everywhere this year: “How to Develop Mindsets for Compassion and Caring in Students.” “Building A Tinkering Mindset In Young Students Through Making.” “6 Must-Haves for... More, or grittiness, but rather of inequities
EquityA commitment to action: the process of redistributing access and opportunity to be fair and just.A way of being: the state of being free of bias, discrimination, and identity-predictable outcomes... More.
- No student will have mechanical limitations in access to either information or communication.
- Tools matter. They are the most basic thing about being human.
- We want our children to discover how to choose effectively for their own needs. To do that, they need choices, and so we believe in Toolbelt Theory
Toolbelt Theory is based in the concept that students must learn to assemble their own readily available collection of life solutions. They must learn to choose and use these solutions... More.
Reflection
Our Mission & Philosophy is our heart, exposed. We get through rough nights on warm linesPeer-run warm lines - staffed by people who have lived mental health experience - have been shown to reduce loneliness and participants' use of mental health crisis services. Additionally, a... More with the words and music on our Mission page. Our Mission page helps us confront our truths and choose the marginsFor 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.
We pay
We pay neurodivergent creators and amplify them to our clients and throughout society.
We exist
We exist for the direct support and mutual aid
Put simply, mutual aid is a form of political participation in which people take responsibility for caring for one another and changing political conditions by building relationships, networks of reciprocity,... More of neurodivergent and disabled people.
We believe
We believe that direct support to individuals is the most effective approach to alleviating the barriers and challenges that prevent neurodivergent and disabled people from thriving in neurotypicalThe existence of the word neurotypical makes it possible to have conversations about topics like neurotypical privilege. Neurotypical is a word that allows us to talk about members of the... More and ableist
able·ism /ˈābəˌlizəm/ nounA system of assigning value to people's bodies and minds based on societally constructed ideas of normalcy, productivity, desirability, intelligence, excellence, and fitness. These constructed ideas are deeply... More environments.
We create
We serve
We serve our loved people so we can keep on living through the onslaught.
Peer-run warm lines “staffed by people who have lived mental health experience” have been shown to reduce loneliness and participants’ use of mental health crisis services. Additionally, a review of several studies found that digital forms of peer support improve the lives of people with serious mental illness by “enhancing participants’ functioning, reducing symptoms and improving program utilization.”
WARM LINE GIVES PEER MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT – NC HEALTH NEWS
When we need to cry, we visit our Mission and Philosophy pages. When we need to hope, we visit our Mission and Philosophy pages. They preserve our souls and align us on our loved people.
- Keep on Livin’
- Let Us Be Our Real Selves
- Be Good, Be Loud
Holding our mission statement as our North Star, we choose the margins. We choose interdependence.
We are interdependent.
Interdependence is our reality. Celebrate our interdependence! Notice and nourish the interdependence in your spheres.
The notion of disability in our society is underscored by a bizarre conception of “independence”.
The Myth of Independence: How The Social Model of Disability Exposes Society’s Double Standards – NeuroClastic
It is time to celebrate our interdependence!
Collaboration allows us to create genuinely safe spaces for autistic and otherwise neurodivergent people.
Are you an inclusive world builder or a eugenicist
TweetEugenics is the scientifically inaccurate theory that humans can be improved through selective breeding of populations.Eugenics is an inaccurate theory linked to historical and present-day forms of discrimination, racism, ableism and... More world builder? Neurodiversity
Neurodiversity is the diversity of human minds, the infinite variation in neurocognitive functioning within our species.NEURODIVERSITY: SOME BASIC TERMS & DEFINITIONS Neurodiversity is a biological fact. It’s not a perspective, an approach, a... More is one of the most powerful ideas of our generation. Ableism
able·ism /ˈābəˌlizəm/ nounA system of assigning value to people's bodies and minds based on societally constructed ideas of normalcy, productivity, desirability, intelligence, excellence, and fitness. These constructed ideas are deeply... More and eugenics
Eugenics is the scientifically inaccurate theory that humans can be improved through selective breeding of populations.Eugenics is an inaccurate theory linked to historical and present-day forms of discrimination, racism, ableism and... More are at the core of our most pressing issues, including in education, and neurodiversity is the answer. #DIYEdge #Stimpunks
Stimpunk combines “stimming” + “punk” to evoke open and proud stimming, resistance to neurotypicalization, and the DIY culture of punk, disabled, and neurodivergent communities. Instead of hiding our stims, we... More #RollinOnOurOwn
Are you an inclusive world builder or a eugenicist world builder?
Neurodiversity is one of the most powerful ideas of our generation. Ableism and eugenics are at the core of our most pressing issues, including in education, and neurodiversity is the answer. Neurodiversity and disability 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 have been fighting ableism, eugenics, pseudo-science, behaviorism
Ultimately behaviorism provides a simplistic lens that can’t see beyond itself.Why is the doctrine of behaviorism still being used, at all?How can ABA be the gold-standard for autism when it... More, conversion therapy, anti-vaxxers, bigots, and the tyranny of the normNormal 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 for decades. Join us in the trenches of pluralism. Our bodily autonomy and our very bodyminds
Bodymind: A term used to challenge the idea the body and mind are experienced separately (Descartes). Written in various ways, Bodymind or Body-mind, this usage foregrounds the understanding that experiences... More are under attack.
Our non-complianceNoncompliance is a social skill.Noncompliance is one of the most important social skills. Noncompliance skills make it possible to say no, even when others want your right to say no to... More is not intended to be rebellious. We simply do not comply with things that harm us. But since a great number of things that harm us are not harmful to most neurotypicals, we are viewed as untamed and in need of straightening up.
THINKING PERSON’S GUIDE TO AUTISM: On Hans Asperger, the Nazis, and Autism: A Conversation Across Neurologies
We live in an age of unvarnished eugenics, and neurodiversity is our most powerful response to it.
Neurodiversity is one of the most powerful ideas of our generation. It’s time is now.
Activities
On day 1, we mentioned developing a personal creed. Here’s our creed.
I know
I know that pluralism is our reality. I know that Neurodiversity is one of the most powerful ideas of our generation, and that Neurodiversity friendly forms of collaboration hold the potential to transform pathologically competitive and toxic teams and cultures. I know Autistic forms of communication within a neurodiverse team and within a psychologically safe environment impart a collaborative advantage to the entire team. I know neurodiversity, the social model of disabilityIn the broadest sense, the social model of disability is about nothing more complicated than a clear focus on the economic, environmental and cultural barriers encountered by people who are... More, and intersectionalityIntersectionality's raison dêtre is to reveal the systems that organize our society. Intersectionality's brilliance is that its fundamental contribution to how we view the world seems so common-sense once you... More are urgently needed reframingWhen we successfully reframe public discourse, we change the way the public sees the world. We change what counts as common sense. Because language activates frames, new language is required... More necessary to equity and inclusion.
I reframe
I reframe out of the confines of the medical model and pathology paradigm and into the respectfully connected expanse of the biopsychosocial model and the Neurodiversity paradigm. I reframeWhen we successfully reframe public discourse, we change the way the public sees the world. We change what counts as common sense. Because language activates frames, new language is required... More from deficit ideologyBriefly, deficit ideology is a worldview that explains and justifies outcome inequalities— standardized test scores or levels of educational attainment, for example—by pointing to supposed deficiencies within disenfranchised individuals and... More to structural ideology.
I center
I center the marginalized and the differentOur friends and allies at Randimals have a saying, What makes us different, makes all the difference in the world.Randimals We agree. Randimals are made up of two different animals... More. I center edge casesCompassion Isn't CoddlingPeople often mistake compassion for “being nice,” but it’s not.The point of compassion isn’t to soften bad news or stressful situations with niceties. It’s to come from a... More, because edge cases are stress cases and design is tested at the edges. I center neurodivergent and disabled experience in service to all bodyminds.
I will
I will never stop learning. I will communicate as much as possible because communication is oxygen to an organization. I will never pass up an opportunity to help out another StimpunkStimpunk combines “stimming” + “punk” to evoke open and proud stimming, resistance to neurotypicalization, and the DIY culture of punk, disabled, and neurodivergent communities. Instead of hiding our stims, we... More. I will maintain learner safety and remember what it is like to be a new contributor. I will make other people feel equal and not aloneAloneness is a characteristic that many creatives embrace and yearn for. Being alone is anything but lonely. Reading, writing, and creating art all demand a personal space where one can... More. I will build with, not for. I will default to open. I will move carefully and fix things. I will make things that help people, and I will not make things that harm people. I will bake ethics into everything I do. I will be a threat to inequity in my spheres of influence.
What’s your creed? Develop a personal creed to have with you as you navigate our systems.
Learn more about the Stimpunks team by reading our bios and listening to selections from our individually curated playlists. Or, if you need something a little more laid-back and cerebal, the below playlist may be just right for you.
Take it Further
Visit our learning space.
Resources
Feed our bricolageIn the arts, bricolage (French for "DIY" or "do-it-yourself projects") is the construction or creation of a work from a diverse range of things that happen to be available, or... More! We’d love to see your suggestions on resources supporting the creation of safe spaces and the spirit of DIYIn the arts, bricolage (French for "DIY" or "do-it-yourself projects") is the construction or creation of a work from a diverse range of things that happen to be available, or... More at the Edge. You can share them in our Commonplace Notebook. We might incorporate them into our website and philosophy.
Thanks for Reading Our Story
That’s it. You made it to the end. Thanks for readingThere are three types of reading: eye reading, ear reading, and finger reading.The Dyslexia Empowerment Plan: A Blueprint for Renewing Your Child's Confidence and Love of Learning Most schools and... More our story of DIY at the Edges.
To recap: