This is our home page, in plain words.
Same heart. Fewer words. Easier to read.
Want more? Every line links out.
Follow any link down the rabbit hole.
Who We Are
Stimpunks is a nonprofit.
We are disabled and neurodivergent people.
We help our own communities.
We are a small team, led by us, for us.
We speak from inside neurodivergent life.
Not about it. From within it.
“Nothing about us without us.”
We mean it. We live it.
What We Do
We build things that help people live with dignity.
- We give money straight to people through mutual aid and creator grants.
- We make free words, tools, and guides.
- We pay our community members for their work.
- We do honest, human research.
Free help, built by the people who need it.
Who It’s For
This is for you.
For neurodivergent and disabled people.
For the people other systems leave out.
For anyone tired of being told they are the problem.
What “Stimpunks” Means
The name is two words joined together.
Stim is short for stimming.
Stimming is movement that helps you feel calm.
Rocking. Flapping. Repeating sounds you love.
Punk means do it yourself.
It means you refuse to fake being “normal.”
We stim. We do it our own way.
We are Stimpunks.
What We Believe
You are not broken.
The system is broken.
The school. The office. The waiting room.
Not you.
So we fix the system.
We do not try to fix the person.
Broken systems, not broken people.
The Stimpunks spine
Human needs, not special needs.
Care is something we build.
Being yourself is freedom.
How We Fix Systems
We use a simple plan called ARLES.
It is a ladder with five steps.
We start at the bottom.
- Attention — how one mind focuses. See monotropism.
- Relational — how we connect and stay calm.
- Lived Experience — what your day is really like.
- Environment — the space and tools around you.
- Systems — the rules and big institutions.
Fix the small, close things first.
Then change the big ones.
That is how real change holds.
Three Ways to Use This Site
People come here for different reasons.
Pick the one that fits you today.
1. Understand neurodivergent life.
- Everyday Neurodivergent Realities — what daily life can feel like.
- Experiences of Neurodivergent Life — real stories.
- The Pattern Language of Neurodivergent Life — common shapes of our lives.
2. Design better spaces.
- The Stimpunks Design Method — how we build for real people.
- The Livable Worlds Checklist — fix your space, one thing at a time.
- Learning Spaces — places built to hold us, not punish us.
3. Get through hard systems.
- Autistic Burnout — what it is and how to cope.
- Burnout & Sensory Safety — protect your senses.
- Communication Access — when talking is hard.
Need Help Right Now?
If today is too much, start small.
Pick one next step.
- Get Help Now — support and next steps.
- Coping — ways to steady yourself.
- Sensory Checklists — calm your senses.
- Take a Bodymind Break — pause and breathe.
Find Your Path
New here? Start where you are.
- I’m Autistic → Monotropism & Attention Worlds
- I’m ADHD → Kinetic Cognitive Style
- I’m burned out → Autistic Burnout
- Talking is hard → Communication Access
- I teach or design → Learning Spaces
- I want to help → Donate
Not sure? Try Start Here,
or How to Read Stimpunks Without Getting Lost.
Our Other Sites
We made five small sites.
Each one does one thing.
- Point instead of talking → Cavendish Cards
Pictures that show how you feel and what you need. No reading needed. - Play a gentle game → Penguin Pebbling
No winners. Share as much or as little as you want. - Find where you are → Map of Monotropic Experiences
A map of Autistic life, made by Helen Edgar. - Read about stars → ★ stuff
You are made of star stuff. Here is why that is true. - Read about normal → Queering.Earth
Things did not have to be this way.
We made all five with Helen Edgar.
She writes at Autistic Realms and More Realms.
Words We Use
We use a lot of words. We explain them all.
- The Glossary — clear meanings, in one place.
- The Glossary Map — see how the words connect.
No word here is meant to leave you out.
Support the Work
We give money to people that other systems ignore.
- Donate — your gift goes straight to the work.
- Where the Money Goes — see exactly how we spend.
- Our Impact — what your help has done.
We are a 501(c)(3) charity.
We keep our books open.
What We Stand For
If you want the deeper why, read these:
- Our Mission — put resources in people’s hands.
- Our Manifesto — the right to live and learn differently.
- Our Tenets — 27 things we hold true.
- Our Philosophy — the full set of beliefs.
- Design at the Edges — if it fails the most excluded, it fails.
You belong here.
Take what helps.
Leave what doesn’t.
Take a walk in our shoes.
Welcome to the rabbit warren.
We’re glad you came.