We aspire to the NeurodiVenture operating model. Here’s how we do it.

In Brief

• We pledge to act and interact in ways that contribute to an open, welcoming, diverse, inclusive, and healthy community.
• We use prosocialThe eight prosocial design principles provide guidance for dealing with people who regularly ignore relevant advice (or consistently refuse to seek or give advice) and therefore regularly cause downstream problems… More principles, restorative practicesRestorative practices (RP) derive from ​“restorative justice,” which is used to bring together, in mutual agreement for mediation, the victim and the perpetrator of an offense. The goal is typically restitution for… More, transformative justicetransformative justice—justice practices that go all the way to the root of the problem and generate solutions and healing there, such that the conditions that create injustice are transformed.Emergent Strategy:… More, and an advice processAlmost all Teal organizations use, in one form or another, what an early practitioner (AES) called the “advice process.” It comes in many forms, but the essence is consistent: any… More.
• Don’t be TRAAAAASH (transphobic, racist, ableist, abusive, anti-Black, anti-indigenous, anti-semitic, sexist, homophobic).
• No proselytizing.
• In addition to speaking different languages, we have different neurotypes with different communication styles and norms of sociality. In the case of misunderstanding, assume good intention.
• Tell your truth in such a way that you’re allowing others to tell their truths, too.
• Maintain learner safety and remember what it is like to be a new contributor.
• You can’t just open the door; you have to put out a welcome mat.
• StimpunksStimpunk 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 is created by all of us.
• Live your truth.
• Shred some gnar.

Punk Was Created by All of Us

Contributor Covenant

All Stimpunks agree to abide by the contributor covenant.

We as members, contributors, and leaders pledge to make participation in our community a harassment-free experience for everyone, regardless of age, body size, visible or invisible disability…every disability has invisible components.Invisible – Documentary about 6 disabled women activists (audio described and closed captioned) – YouTube Note: The following was written by Ryan in 2017. Ryan now… More, ethnicity, sex characteristics, genderDue both to their ability to denaturalize social norms and to their neurological differences, autistic individuals can offer novel insights into gender as a social process. Examining gender from an… More identity and expression, level of experience, education, socio-economic status, nationality, personal appearance, race, caste, color, religion, or sexual identity and orientation.

We pledge to act and interact in ways that contribute to an open, welcoming, diverse, inclusive, and healthy community.

Contributor Covenant

Don’t Be TRAAAAASH

A tldr one-liner of the contributor covenant that often appears in the codes of conduct of online 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 is, “Don’t be TRAASH.”

Don’t be TRAASH (transphobic, racist, ableist, abusive, sexist, homophobic).

At Stimpunks, we add three more As to TRAAAAASH for:

• Anti-Black
• Anti-Indigenous
• Anti-Semitic

Jewish, Black, and Indigenous people are canaryAutistic man Freestone Wilson suggested in the 1990s that autistic people are functioning as the “miners’ canaries” of civilisation. When the air in the mine is poisoned we do not… More populations alerting us to our times and our history.

No Proselytizing

Another good one-liner: “No proselytizing.” Consult this article and infographic from Chrissy Stroop on anti-proselytizing principles.

Anti-Proselytizing Principles
Prophylactic Protection against Evangelical Aggression
By Chrissy Stroop

• I am not your mission field.
• I don’t owe you a debate.
• There are no shortcuts to being a good person, least of all “right belief”.
• Leavers are not a “crisis in the Church.” Treat us as humans with moral 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.
• Proselytizing is always objectification. Let people follow their own consciences.
• Our stories are ours. Leavers are not believers’ object lessons.

Empowerment against Evangelization: Countering Conversion Attempts by Asserting Moral Autonomy – Not Your Mission Field

Five Words for Maintaining Inclusive Spaces

Don’t be TRAAAAASH.
No proselytizing.

Those 5 words distill the minimum requirements to maintaining inclusive spaces.

“Everything is politics”, but the codeCode has been my life, and it has been your life, too. It is time to understand how it all works. What is Code? What is Code? is great interactive… More of conduct is not about an advance of progressive/left-wing politics. It’s about establishing a minimal level of civil and professional collaboration. Civil, non-discriminatory, and professional behavior should be a baseline and shared value held by people of all ideologies, regardless of political affiliation (with the obvious exception of hate groups).

Contributor Covenant: Frequently Asked Questions about Contributor Covenant

When social spaces are designed without concern for all groups of users, the space will become an echo chamber of ideas and perspectives from a narrower range of people.

ADL Social Pattern Library | Inclusive Social Spaces – ADL Social Pattern Library

Embracing pluralism is good citizenship. Democracy demands equal accommodation.

Community Norms

We follow this advice from Human Restoration Project.

Express yourself: Be open in conversations, be willing to ask honest questions and engage with integrity. Be willing to disrupt and push the narrativeWhen 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.
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Respond with positive intent: Avoid actions that would harm or hurt others, and ensure that all members of the community are invited to your discussions.

Listen and learn: Continue to remain open to new ideas, allowing yourself to hear full perspectives. Create a supportive community: Help prop each other up and build off each other’s ideas. Provide everyone with goodwill.

Channel joy through struggle: A lot of the work we do is difficult, especially in schools. Find time for joy, fun, and the thrill of learning.

Respect each other’s privacyLiving Privately. - Building and maintaining a sense of what to show in each social environment. - Discovering and creating new environments in which we can show more of ourselves. - Assessing where you can grow… More: Please do not share any messages, photos, or videos without permission of those involved.

Further,

1. We support justice and action.
2. We are explicitly anti-racist.
3. We resist white supremacy.
4. We apply content warnings to traumatic conversations, but content warnings are never used to silence conversations about justice.
5. We do not tolerate hate-speech. We allow swearing but we do not allow bigoted language of any kind.
6. We do not allow misogyny of any kind, particularly trans misogyny.
7. We do not perpetuate ableismable·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 in our actions or language, including refraining from use of ableist language.
8. We are safe for work (no nudity or pornographic images of any kind). At the same time, we support sex workers and recognize sex work is work.
9. We support LGBTQIA+ rights.
10. We do not body shameShame, she points out, is not the same as guilt. Guilt happens in response to an action or inaction. It is linked to an event, not a person. It can… More.
11. We are trauma-informedIn 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.
12. We expect our secular/atheist/freethinking members and our religious members to show one another mutual respect. Avoid both blanket antitheist statements and religious supremacist statements. Religious conversion efforts and blanket religion bashing are both unacceptable community behavior. Do not proselytize for either religion or atheism. Failure to accept moderation in this regard will result in a ban.
13. This is a diverse community with people from many different backgrounds. Be welcoming and respectful toward those who are different from you. Trolling, bullying, and harassment are grounds for banning.
14. Please check and respect other users’ pronouns. If you misgender someone and are corrected, accept correction graciously and adjust going ahead. Willful misgendering will not be tolerated.
15. Accept moderation. Passive-aggressive “vaguebooking” about moderator and admin decisions is a violation of community rules. Avoid passive-aggressive behavior in general.
16. Spreading disinformation is not tolerated in this community. Posting baseless conspiracy theories, anti-vax sentiments, climate change denialism, or other harmful false information is prohibited. If your intention in bringing up such content is to discuss it critically with respect to its impact on society, you are expected to make that clear.
17. The sharing outside of this community of DMs or any screenshots or content generated within this community, is only appropriate if all parties to the content consent. Also do not share content from locked channels on open channels or outside the server without the permission of all involved, and do not share DMs unless everyone in the DM agrees. An exception would be if you need to share the content of DMs with moderators or admins privately to demonstrate harassment.

The above list was inspired by and copied from Project Mushroom’s server rules and Chrissy Stroop’s server rules.

Language Acknowledgement

As an international company, we interact with users and fellow Automatticians whose first language is different than our own, and by improving our communication, we can improve the work we do. We avoid slang terms and idioms that may result in more confusion than clarity, and offer to explain and rephrase our words when needed. In the case of a misunderstanding, we always assume good intentions, and imagine how new possibilities can emerge.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion – Automattic

In addition to speaking different languages, we have different neurotypes with different communication styles and norms of sociality. In the case of misunderstanding, assume good intention.

Also, Stimpunks uses identity-first language (IFL). We are 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, not people with autism. We’re 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, not people with disabilities. Most people are taught to use the opposite, person-first language, despite the overwhelming preference of Autistic, Disabled, Deaf, and Blind people for IFL.

When it comes to the language of identity, we respect personal preference.

And if someone with ANY kind of disability or medical problem tells you they would rather be called disabled or diabetic or epileptic rather than be tiptoed around with awkward phrasing like “person with diabetes” or “person with epilepsy,” for heaven’s sake don’t ARGUE.

As soon as you ARGUE with a disabled person about how they refer to their condition, you put yourself in a position where you’re trying to convince them that their condition is shameful and they shouldn’t want to label themselves with it.

Does that seem like a good idea to you?

Keep in mind that the more culture there is around a disability, and the more that disability changes someone’s fundamental perceptions and interactions with the world, the more likely it is that identity-first languageIdentity-first language places the disability-related word first in a phrase. People who prefer identity-first language for themselves often argue that their disability is an important part of who they are,… More is probably a better bet.

Person-First Language: What It Is, and When Not To Use It » NeuroClastic

Very Grand EmotionsJustice, equality, fairness, mercy, longsuffering, Work, Passion, knowledge, and above all else, Truth. Those are my primary emotions.Very Grand Emotions: How Autistics and Neurotypicals Experience Emotions Differently » NeuroClastic https://youtu.be/uPRa6G2a48E… More: Tell the truth in such a way that you’re allowing others to tell their truths.

Many of us Stimpunks have very grand emotions.

We can be an intense bunch.

There are a number of possible reasons for 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 experiencing emotions more intensely than others. Neurodivergent people often experience emotional lability, emotional impulsivity, and negative intent attribution.

We’re kind of an intense bunch sometimes.

But that’s okay, our intensity can be a positive thing too: Neurodivergents can be more creative and more passionate. That creativity and passion can drive us to take action where others may not, and our cognitive rigidity can give us a strong sense of morals. These features combined make us more susceptible to a variety of sensitivities, including justice sensitivityTaken together, extensive research has revealed that justice sensitivity is a valuable construct for the description, prediction, explanation, and modification of individual differences in justice-related emotion and behavior. Justice sensitivity… More.

For example, in 2015, researchers found that participants with ADHDADHD or what I prefer to call Kinetic Cognitive Style (KCS) is another good example. (Nick Walker coined this alternative term.) The name ADHD implies that Kinetics like me have… More reported significantly higher justice sensitivity and greater perceptions of injustice than those without ADHD.

That same year, Schäfer & Kraneburg did an interesting study in search of a deeper understanding of why neurodivergents are prone to Justice Sensitivity, which is what I will discuss here.

According to Baumert & Schmitt, “justice-sensitive people’s information processing should be guided in a way that raises their probability of experiencing injustice compared with less justice-sensitive people,” and their “emotional reactions to injustice should be stronger the more justice is endorsed as a fundamental value.”

In other words, people who experience high justice sensitivity have a stronger tendency to notice and identify wrongdoing and have more intense cognitive, emotional, and behavioural reactions to perceived injustice.

Additionally, “justice-sensitive people should ruminate longer and more intensively about experienced injustice than less justice-sensitive people” and should have an “inclination to restore justice and undo injustice”.

Those of us with justice sensitivity have a harder time letting these things go and have a strong desire to make right that which we feel is unfair or morally wrong.

Neurodivergents are more likely to experience justice sensitivity, in particular children, but adults as well.

“Kids with ADHD tend to have a strong sense of justice, sensitivity, and of course, energy. When they feel wronged, disempowered, or unheard, they can become quite mad.”

— Dr. Sharon Saline

Neurodivergents: Justice Warriors! by Jillian Enright | Invisible Illness

We feel injustice as pain.

And that can lead to intense, escalating discussions that result in meltdownsMeltdowns are alarm systems to protect our brains.Without meltdowns, we autistics would have nothing to protect our neurology from the very real damage that it can accumulate.I don’t melt down… More.

These moments test our compassion and patience for each other.

“To be compassionate requires decentering or stepping outside one’s own experiences in order to give priority to the experiences of others,”

The only way to save democracy from the Christian Right is by fighting for pluralism – The Conversationalist

This latter form of pluralism asks individuals with such truth claims to display mutual respect for conflicting worldviews not by abandoning the exclusivity of their truth claims, but rather by acknowledging that the reasoning they find sufficient for their beliefs may not be sufficient for others.

The Journal of Inter-Religious Studies, Issue 17, Summer 2015

“It’s to tell the truth in such a way that you’re allowing others to tell their truths, too.”

When navigating each other’s very grand emotions, remember to respect each other’s truth and “to tell the truth in such a way that you’re allowing others to tell their truths, too.”

Prosocial Decision Making and Conflict Resolution

We use prosocial principles, restorative practices, transformative justice, and an advice process.

The tailored core prosocial design principles we use:

1. ​​TrustedAutists 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 within the group and strong understanding of purpose (to support an open and inclusive neurodiverse and creative team)
2. ​​Fair distribution of costs and benefits
3. ​​Fair and inclusive decision-making ​
4. Fast and empatheticEmpathy is not an autistic problem, it’s a human problem, it’s a deficit in imagination.We all need to work on imagining things we have not been through.Empathy, Imagination and Autism… More conflict resolution
5. ​​Authority to self-govern ​
6. Appropriate relations with other groups
7. ​​Tracking agreed upon behaviours (a working advice process minimises the need for tracking)
8. Graduated responses to transgressions to prevent a person or a subgroup from gaining 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 over others (appropriate focus on fair and inclusive distribution of resources minimises the need for coercion)

Operating Model and Backbone

Learner Safety

Maintain learner safety and remember what it is like to be a new contributor.

Psychological safetyPsychological safety is a condition in which you feel (1) included, (2) safe to learn, (3) safe to contribute, and (4) safe to challenge the status quo—all without fear of… More is a condition in which you feel (1) included, (2) safe to learn, (3) safe to contribute, and (4) safe to challenge the status quo—all without fear of being embarrassed, 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, or punished in some way.

All human beings have the same innate need: We long to belong.

The 4 Stages of Psychological Safety: Defining the Path to Inclusion and Innovation

You can’t just open the door; you have to put out a welcome mat.

Our Rules of Punk: Living Your Truth While Shredding Some Gnar

1. Be yourself.
2. Reframe, so that other’s can be themselves.
3. Live your truth.
4. Shred some gnar.

We’re Here Turning on the Light

I know you think I'm not something you're afraid of
'Cause you think that you've seen what I'm made of
Well I am even more than the two of them!
Everything they care about is what I am!
I am their fury, I am their patience
I am a conversation!

I am made o-o-o-o-of
Lo-o-o-o-ove, o-o-o-o-ove
And it's stronger than you
Lo-o-o-o-ove, lo-o-o-o-ove, lo-o-o-o-ove
And it's stronger than you
Lo-o-o-o-ove, lo-o-o-o-ove, lo-o-o-o-ove
And it's stronger than you
Lo-o-o-o-ove, lo-o-o-o-ove, lo-o-o-o-ove

-- Stronger Than You

A rainbow doesn't choose to be a rainbow
It just shines in the sky

To all of you in darkness
We're here turning on the light

Now I stand with you for the world to see
My love, my dreams, and me
My love, my dreams, and me

-- Rainbow Connections

Let love conquer your mind
Warrior, warrior
Just reach out for the light
Warrior, warrior
I am a warrior-ior-ior-ior-ior
Warrior, warrior
I am a warrior-ior-ior-ior-ior
Warrior, warrior of love

Underneath darkened skies
There's a light kept alive

Let love conquer your mind
Warrior, warrior
Just reach out for the light
Warrior, warrior
I am a warrior-ior-ior-ior-ior
Warrior, warrior
I am a warrior-ior-ior-ior-ior
Warrior, warrior of love
Warrior of love
Warrior of love

--Warrior by AURORA

Hostility is not the road
The proper basic human code
Chauvinist intolerance is what we loathe
Let's embrace diversity
By first rejecting bigotry
There’s no more room left in society for animosity

We refuse to look away
And ignore issues at bay
We will conquer the hurdles in our way (We are warriors)
(We are warriors)
We won't take shit anymore
A pebble cuts right to the core
All these excuses, what are they for? (We are warriors)
We are warriors

We are warriors
We are warriors
We are warriors
We are warriors
We are warriors

--Warriors by Bad Cop/Bad Cop

Let’s organize our lives around love and care.

Mission

We exist for the direct support and mutual aidPut 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 serve our loved people so we can keep on living through the onslaught.

Creed

I center the marginalized and the different. I center edge cases, because edge cases are stress 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 and design is tested at the edges. I center neurodivergent and disabled experience in service to all bodymindsBodymind: 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.

Covenant

We pledge to act and interact in ways that contribute to an open, welcoming, diverse, inclusive, and healthy community.

Philosophy

We steer by these acquired phrases. They are compasses and stars that align us on our mission.

Interdependence

It is time to celebrate our interdependenceInterdependence 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. Interdependence acknowledges that our survival is bound up together, that we are interconnected and what you do impacts others. Interdependence is the only way out of most of the most pressing issues we face today.

Edges

Our designs, our societies, and the boundaries of our compassion are tested at the edges, 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.

Let's organize our lives around love and care
Let's write each other letters and call it prayer
Let's congregate in the place that isn't anywhere
At the temple of broken dreams