Lily Maureen's Transdisciplinary Neurodiversity

 I have been doing a little bit of research on mirror sensory synesthesia after becoming aware of the term mirror emotion synesthete, which resonated with me. I heard the term from an Autistic therapist on Twitter and decided to look into the wider picture a little bit. I now recognize myself as a mirror emotion synesthete, but I also experience other mirror sensory synesthesia as well, such as the feeling of pain in others almost as if it were my own. Being a mirror emotion synesthete means that I can feel other people's emotions. Synesthesia is a blending of the senses, and while it may seem bizarre to others that I can feel and see music, it is not all that uncommon in Autism. It may also go against your preconceived notions of Autism that I am hyper-empathetic to the point of feeling other people's emotions, but this is also not as uncommon as once thought. Autistics do not necessarily lack empathy, although some of us exhibit it in a much different way than allistics (non-...

 So, I can fall under several identities in the LGBTQIA+ spectrum. For many years of my life, I lived specifically as a gay/bi man... Alternating between the two identities. With time, I came to understand that I fall under the transgender umbrella, and I had to come out more than once before my family started taking me seriously. I have been through many gender identities from non-binary transfeminine to binary trans woman. I have settled today on being a genderfluid transfeminine hypertwink and otherkin (technogender and aliencatgender). The otherkin community may seem strange to you, but it also intersects with my Neurodivergence. Considering I am very fluid in my gender, I am first and foremost Queer, but I am also gay and a lesbian at the same time, omnisexual, demisexual, as well as potentially intersex. I fall under so many different intersections of the Queer spectrum that it can often be difficult to parse. In addition to this, I am a furry which connects me to the catgend...

 Categories do not have to be limiting. Categories can set you free. What you define to be your identity is who you are and no one can take that away from you. Identity is important in the areas of Disability and Queer Rights, which in my case intersect, much like any other movement that has been based in civil rights. Use categories to your advantage to mark your place in society, whatever it may be, to fight against the tyranny that is being reigned on the Disability and Queer Rights Movements at this point in time. COVID is not over, and everyday more and more people are becoming Disabled by the chronic illness of Long COVID, but we still don't know the long-term detriment of this illness. I have even been affected by it and contracted it myself and had a case of Long COVID that, thankfully, seemed to pass after several months. There is also the the public health emergency of international concern, monkeypox, going around and there seems to be a lot of misinformation about it, m...

 We are all living examples of categories, and many of these categories intersect. Another term for category is "label," but I don't like that one as I consider my categories part of my identity. So, how many categories do you have? Categories appear to give a sense of compartment that other areas of research do not provide. They can be given to you by society or claimed by the self. Regardless of your feelings about categories,we are all a combination of many categories. I am Queer, Multiply Neurodivergent, Non-binary (genderfluid transfeminine hypertwink and otherkin), a furry, specifically my sexual orientation would fall under omnisexual, but I am also demisexual, and I am Disabled among many other categories: writer, student, activist, artist, experimental musician, soon-to-be worker.  All of these areas of my life intersect, much like how someone else's race or sexual orientation might intersect with gender. Categories are everywhere and they are what we use to ...

 This is both a rhetorical question, as well as one I am willing to answer. First of all, listen to us and acknowledge us as your fellow human beings (although I am personally an otherkin, but that is the intersection between neurodivergence and gender for me). Acknowledge people for who and what they are. Disabled is an identity, much like gender, race, class, religion, etc. Disabled people are cherished and important members of the community, even if society doesn't always treat us this way. There are many inventions, including personal computers, that would not exist without Disabled people who possessed exceptional talents. Autism is NOT new and has an entire history behind it. There were many scientists, even before the term "science" was coined, who were considered eccentric by their peers, but went on to invent many devices far ahead of their time, often not to the scientist's credit. Many of them were nonspeaking most, if not all, of the time. This brings me t...

 As Disabled people, we are often shunned by society and gaslit in a number of ways that a statement of demanding rights might seem, well, a little demanding, but let me explain. Throughout the course of the Disability Rights Movement, we have been attempting to demand equal rights, access, and accommodations to the things we need, but we have not made it far. We have had a few policy changes over the past few decades and a few accommodations in some areas, but there are still many public places that are not accessible for people who are not able-bodied. This does not even take into account the term "able-minded," which can just as easily translate to able-bodied, as the brain and neurology are directly linked to how the body behaves. I have heard from many wheelchair users in my time on Twitter that many restaurants simply do not afford them enough room, if any, to move around. Many of them have been told that no accommodations could be made. Many buildings are not accessibl...

 You may be able-bodied or able-minded, but I am neither one. You might look at me and it may be invisible at first, but my entire embodiment is Autistic. I have difficulty with proprioception and often need vestibular stimulation to keep my mind at bay. Sometimes I need a very tight hug to release some of the anxiety that builds up in my body, or perhaps a massage to release the knots that build up in my legs and back from chronic stress. I have a kinship to other Disabled people and I am primarily Multiply Neurodivergent, but possess other disabilities, such as a rare kidney condition. Whenever I encounter ableism in its many forms, I don't always know what to do on the spot. That is because I also found out recently that I have apraxia of speech, so it is difficult to get my thoughts out into spoken word. I encounter ableism online as well, from cyberbullying to remarks from various people that do not necessarily coalesce well with the Disabled experience. While some disabilitie...

 Since yesterday, I have decided to use a text-to-speech AAC app for secondary communication after reading a majority of Typed Words Loud Voices. I now know that there are many different ways to communicate, including AAC and writing, which I had not thought about the latter. I have always found it much easier to express myself in written words, as I have apraxia of speech. My thoughts do not always connect well to my mouth, so I often impulsively spout out jumbled words with my speaking voice. The only thing I don't like about AAC is that it takes a little bit longer to respond to someone, but if my speech is already inefficient sometimes, it comes in handy. I have also reached page 30 in my autie-ethnography/memoir and wrote a majority of it yesterday. I had my ADHD meds increased recently, and I can definitely tell a difference in my productivity. Before my increase, I was primarily just reading, but now I am also back to writing and making artwork. I would like to eventually ge...

 My poetry chapbook was self-published earlier this year and can be found on Lulu, or anywhere else that books are sold. It is entitled Cracked Around the Edges, and contains poetry from the years 2015-2016 & 2019. It can be found anywhere from Amazon to Google Play store and Apple Store under the name Lily Maureen O'Nan. I am currently also working on new poetry, an autie-ethnography, and a short story, along with doing a series of mixed media queer and kink-themed artwork.  I have also been voraciously reading neurodiversity studies books, almost all of which have been written by Autistic authors themselves. I am currently on the book, Typed Words Loud Voices, and it is having an impact on how I view my own communication, as I find it much easier to communicate through text, so I have decided to make a concerted effort to employ text-to-speech AAC apps more in my daily life. As far as gender goes, that has also become more intertwined with my neurodivergence as I now ide...