D.R.A.S.T.I.C.

Digital Repository of Autistic Sensory Truths, Insights, and other Contributions

Created by Karen A. Timm for EDUC 5507G

Accessibility and Technology, Instructor: Rob Power

August, 2024.

Land Acknowledgement

As founder of the Neurodivergent Infinity Network of Educators, I would like to acknowledge that many Indigenous Nations from across Turtle Island and across the world have longstanding relationships with the territories and lands upon which our advocacy and community leadership occur. NINE acknowledges the traditional, ancestral, unceded territories of these Nations, as the struggle for Indigenous rights is deeply connected to all Human Rights work. When we recognize the systemic and social connections within our work, it is also essential that we refuse to historicize these struggles because doing so ignores the impact of colonial oppression, which persists today. In our advocacy efforts, we are committed to disrupting and dismantling the systems of oppression that have dispossessed Indigenous people of their lands and denied their rights to self-determination. This work is essential to human rights work across the world.

-Neurodivergent Infinity Network of Educators

Overview

The Digital Repository of Autistic Sensory Truths, Insights and other Contributions (DRASTIC) is a web-based learning tool for use by educators and other professionals who are seeking to be allies to the Autistic Community (colleagues, students, clients, family and community members). With a focus on understanding and removing workplace barriers related to Sensory Processing Differences, DRASTIC has been developed to align with the principles outlined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), in the spirit of Nothing About Us Without Us (United Nations, 2006). As such, a key feature of this resource is the compilation of a ‘living’ repository of authentic experiences shared by members of the Autistic (and otherwise Neurodivergent) Community who tell their sensory truths, in their own ways.

Purpose

The Digital Repository of Autistic Sensory Truths, Insights, and Contributions (DRASTIC) serves three key purposes:

Empathy and Allyship: Provides sensory-related insights from Autistics to help non-Autistics understand, empathize, amplify these voices, and take action to remove sensory barriers
Research and Expansion: Offers a data pool for further research on Autistic experiences, potentially expanding into other areas like communication, wellness, and fostering more neuro-inclusive working and learning communities
Authentic Perspectives: Ensures Autistic voices are heard and respected, aligning with human rights and principles of self-determination

Transformative Impact and Next Steps

DRASTIC empowers Autistics to advocate safely and accessibly, supports professional development by embedding authentic voices to build empathy, and lays the groundwork for further sensory inclusion efforts. It helps expand understanding of Autistic experiences, has the potential to grow through additional involvement from the Autistic community, and has already inspired contributors, leading to increased empowerment and motivation. The repository's evolving impact aims to inform, research, and inspire real action for sensory inclusion.

Rationale

As an Autistic educator, parent, leader and advocate, I can attest on many levels to the degree to which sensory experiences impact access to opportunities, success and quality of life for those whose sensory differences vary from the statistical norm. Without a doubt, schools, workplaces and community spaces, even our homes are not designed for or suited to the sensory realities of those of us who are Autistic. Well-being, daily functioning and health can all be impacted negatively, for those who have high sensitivity in sensory processing (Costa-Lopez et al., 2021), but sensory differences can look very different from person to person and these can fluctuate, particularly for those of us who are Autistic; and this is rarely understood well by employers, including educators and professionals whose business it is to understand diverse ways of experiencing the world (StEvens, 2022).

As I have unpacked the layers of my identity over the last number of years, I have come to realize how much of a barrier sensory-unfriendly environments have been for me, as well as for Autistic and otherwise Neurodivergent students, colleagues and family members; and the general lack of awareness about these barriers compounds the challenges we face exponentially. When others don’t understand our experiences, they don’t realize there is a need to make changes. For far too long, Autistic Well-being has been understood through a neurotypical lens; fortunately, in recent years, thanks to the dedicated efforts of Autistic advocates, researchers and professionals (and some allies)in many fields, Autistic wellness is being reconceptualized (Deakin et.al, 2024) and understood from the inside.

The intended aim of DRASTIC is to increase understanding of sensory processing differences and motivate educators and other professionals to remove barriers impacting those whose sensory processing differences place them on the margins of working and learning environments. By introducing this learning through the impactful contributions of those who generously share their experiences facing these barriers, DRASTIC opens a door to workplace accessibility considerations that are often invisible to those who don't face them. Knowledge is power. When we know something is a problem, we can all play an important role in finding solutions that make things accessible for everyone.

Navigating the DRASTIC Resource

DRASTIC includes 5 main subpages as listed below. Each subpage has a hyperlinked index section to facilitate navigation between the content on each page. It is located at the bottom of each page so as not to distract from the main content above.

Guiding Principles

This section shares how DRASTIC will meet the needs of diverse adult learners.

Understanding Sensory Differences

This section shares a brief overview of Sensory Differences and some of the Barriers faced by those whose Sensory Systems differ from those who are statistically the Neuromajority.

The Sensory Truths

This section is a compilation of diverse contributions, insights and resources from Autistic and otherwise Neurodivergent humans. Here you will find videos, poems, photographs and other authentic reflections from those with sensory differences.

Recommendations

This section provides recommendations for understanding sensory differences and fostering safe and inclusive sensory-friendly working and learning environments. There are also many useful resources that will help inform your next steps.

References

This section includes references and links for all materials which have been previously published.

Acknowledgements

The DRASTIC resource has been developed as part of an open-access, non-profit online publication, The Alt Text, which is designed to foster increased accessibility. It is essential to recognize that a great deal of this resource would not have been possible without the ongoing collaboration, commitment and contributions from so many Autistic and otherwise Neurodivergent educators, advocates, authors, researchers and community members from around the world. This work continues to be done in community, with intentionality, with fellow Autistic advocates, to inform changes which are necessary to make workplaces, schools and other environments more sensorily safe for everyone.

Where indicated, contributors have written or created their reflection specifically for this educational resource, while others have given permission for their previous work to be included, at their preference. Publicly posted and previously published content is also included; more information on these items can be accessed on the References page. All contributors are gratefully acknowledged for their content.