dheadley @dheadley@learningdisability.social

So, to stop the "all talk zero actions", here are a couple of places to help you get started, and, it's just a small portion of all the awesome resources on the topic:
- https://gerireid.com/wcag-for-designers.html WCAG for designers by @gerireid
- https://web.dev/learn/accessibility/ Learn Accessibility, a big free online course by @cariefisher
- https://bitsofco.de/the-accessibility-cheatsheet/Accessibility cheatsheet by @ire
- https://www.a11yproject.com/ The A11Y project, a collective resource
- https://romeo.elsevier.com/accessibility_checklist/ WCAG 2.1 guidelines organised by topics

This week's Accessibility Craft podcast episode is a presentation by my partner Steve on how to build accessible navigation menus. Give it a listen!

https://equalizedigital.com/anatomy-of-an-accessible-navigation-steve-jones/

#WordPress #a11y #AccessibilityCraft #accessibility #podcast #transcripts

Slowly losing your ability to mask autism (and/or other neurodivergence) is a sign you might be burning out.

Masking is a survival strategy, but it is also extremely energy intensive.

Being unable to mask likely means you don't have the energy necessary

ADHD often comes in a bundle offer. Born with ADHD, get anxiety, depression, or a learning disability for free.

While some of the conditions bundled with ADHD are also developmental or congenital, some (such as depression and anxiety) can occur as a RESULT of ADHD as well

I think Mastodon is a lifeline for many of us in the #ActuallyAutistic community. It may be harder to make friends, surrounded by neurotypicals in real life, and/or disabled and isolated.

I’m the same as many of us. No friends locally, only 2 people I’m close to + my partner, and also disabled and isolated. My biggest socialization is video chat and my cats.

Mastodon is great for us. I’ve enjoyed talking to you all every day.

“How A Screen Reader User Surfs The Web” by @smashingmag with @tink and @brucelawson

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUDV1gqs9GA

As a historian and genealogist I am deeply honored to be recently elected as one of the 200 Resident members of the Colonial Society of Massachusetts. The organization was founded in 1892 and publishes the scholarly journal The New England Quarterly. Their majestic headquarters are located at 87 Mount Vernon Street in Boston. Thank you to all the members who supported my candidacy for membership. #Histodons #Geneadons

As some of you may have heard, Tweetbot is currently unable to authenticate with Twitter which currently has a huge impact on our business. Only mentioning this because we are going to be busy putting out fires and trying to get Ivory on the App Store ASAP. So it will be harder to answer your questions. However you can read our current roadmap for Ivory here: https://tapbots.com/ivory/

Also, here are 1000 more testflight openings for now. Thanks for all of your support! 🙏

https://testflight.apple.com/join/HiTBauI3

@middlecground
Top 3 indepth books by Autistic authors:

1. Ten Steps to Nanette by Hannah Gadsby, incredibly indepth, traumatic, honest, I’ve never felt so seen.

2. But You Don’t Look Autistic At All by Bianca Toeps, Bianca runs through the DSM from an Autistic POV, lots of personal stories I could see myself in.

3. A Kind of Spark by Elle McNicoll - not scientific but such a powerful read, v. emotional.

@bookstodon @actuallyautistic #ActuallyAutistic

Apple Music and Apple TV apps are finally arriving for Windows —but only for Windows 11 and in preview versions. https://www.pcmag.com/news/apple-music-and-apple-tv-apps-finally-released-for-windows

@Furty @actuallyautistic

Good recommendation. I have that on my Autism-101 Goodreads list.

https://bit.ly/autism101-GRL

@Supposenot @autisticbookclub @actuallyautistic honestly? Finding something that is compatible with your kid's needs and desires, regardless of your own expectations and vicarious dreams for them.

I was "gifted", right up until I wasn't anymore because I couldn't cope.

My mother continued pushing me to "achieve more", with tales of how "you will never get anywhere in life without a degree". So I did what she wanted, and dropped out after 6 months, with multiple suicide attempts to my name by that point.

I did not have the benefit of knowing I was autistic, and I did not have a parent who would cut me slack to figure out what would work for *me*.

She is a narcissist, so perhaps a little different to your situation.

I eventually figured out a life that I could cope with, and managed to fall into a career despite not having a degree.

Is this what I wanted from my life? No.

Did achieving "success" come at increasingly large cost to my health and ability to operate successfully? Yes.

Does your kid actually want to go to college?

Does your kid actually want a career?

Are they only saying yes because you expect them to achieve these things as a projection of your "type a personality"?

It's a doozy, but what they want and what you want may be two very different things. You can either support them in achieving what *they want*, in whatever format achieving it looks like, or, you can arrive at a burnt out kid, who wants to turn the world off after failing at something they never really wanted anyway, and potentially, a kid who never talks to you again (my mother falls into these latter categories).

If your kid's loftiest goal is to make coffee or work in a library, and that screams failure, please learn to celebrate them for it.

If their goal is a life of research, celebrate that too.

If they don't have any idea what they want, accept that.

But let *them* choose a path of harm reduction within capitalistic exploitation.

When #ActuallyAutistic humans first become self aware, get dx, or even begin to really explore the autistic community and the concept of #neurodiversity we begin to ask questions. Who am I? Is my autistic self who I’ve always thought I was? Am I masking? 

It can be lonely. Discovering other people who know what it is to be #autistic, having your voice heard and your self seen, for the first time, is powerful. For so long we were living in a sort of alternative universe and now here are people who know what we mean.

It’s no small thing. Most autistic people go thru life never getting to know that feeling. And once you’ve made that realization you start digging in me. Learning more. Growing more. And when you do that, the community is better for it. Do you know your #AutisticSelf?

On Tuesday, Jan 3 I’ll be starting up my next 5-week program which uses my specialized autistic life coaching methods to help you get in touch with not only other autistic adults like you, but with your Autistic self. Your true self. Plus you’ll gain some useful tools for preventing meltdowns, shutdown, and burnouts. And self regulation techniques. And much more.

Sound cool? If you want to join check out the link below, message me, or reply below! Hard on money now? Talk to me, no one will be left out due to finances. So let’s go. Come meet your autistic self on Jan 3 and take the next step in your autistic journey.

https://www.theautisticcoach.com/autistic-group-coaching

Did you know? #Microsoft has a support line just for Persons with disabilities. It can be very helpful for people that have limitations with written communication.

The #helpline is only for persons with disabilities or, help with accessibility accessories. They seem to be working to #EndAbleism in this regard. The response time is not too bad either. What's the longest that you've waited on hold.
The number is: (800) 936-5900

#MicrosoftAccessibility constantly seems to be developing innovation, with the #DisabilityCommunity in mind. Thier #accessability page is user friendly, dividing links by #DisabilityAccessories and need. Tools for people with mobility, visual and hearing impairments, are only a small part.

Among the many disability-specific links, are pages to assist those with #InvisibleDisabilities. #Neurodivergence and #MentalHealth pages, along with some #DisabilityGaming accessories game changers. Limb Difference accessories for Xbox, well... Guess who could be a gamer with EA #NHL, again. #GoBolts

Thanks for thinking of, and accommodating our community MS. Other companies that just fire their Accessability Team, could learn from your example.

Microsoft #DisabilityOnly Tech Support Helpline - (800) 936-5900

#Neurodivergence:
https://support.microsoft.com/topic/accessibility-tools-for-neurodiversity-6dbd8065-b543-4cf8-bdfb-7c84d9e8f74a

#LimbDifference Gaming!:
https://www.xbox.com/en-US/community/for-everyone/accessibility

#MentalHealth:
https://support.microsoft.com/topic/accessibility-tools-for-mental-health-76629671-3fc3-4f06-bf65-7ee02d03f540

MS Accessability Home:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/accessibility/

#Microsoft #mobiliy #LimbDifference #disabilities #TBI #InvisibleDisabilityRights #PSTD #ActuallyAutistic #tech #DisabilitySolidarity #GamingAccessories #T
echSupport

Happy autistic burnoutmas to all who celebrate, I am sending you an invisible helmet of quiet and chill for when the people you love talk at you too much, and your fave snacks, and cosy times xx 🎄#actuallyautistic