Challenging Societal Views on Disability It’s pretty frustrating how society tends to look down on people with disabilities, right? We often get labeled as a burden or a leech, like we’re just sitting around and taking advantage of the system, getting “something for nothing.” It’s all based on these ridiculous standards of productivity that come straight from a capitalist mindset, where your worth is tied to how much you can produce or contribute economically. But honestly,

What is Theory of Mind Theory of mind (TOM) is all about understanding that people have their own thoughts and feelings. It's the ability to figure out what someone else might be thinking or feeling, (coined as mind reading) knowing that their perspective is different from yours. Many people think that TOM is missing in some neurodiverse folks, but I believe it naturally exists on a spectrum in all of us. I believe you can develop TOM, and I've noticed it in my own life. Thro

One of the most frustrating things I've come across as someone on the autism spectrum, , is when people casually say, "but you look normal," or brush it off with, "everyone is a little autistic." These comments, even if meant to be nice or supportive, can really hurt because they show a big misunderstanding about what it's like to live with invisible disabilities. Invisible disabilities like autism and DCCs aren't obvious at first glance. They're beneath the surface, which of

My First Connection One of the key things I did when I got my diagnosis was to look for others who were going through the same thing. The first people I connected with in the NODCC community were parents of a little kid with ACC. They were awesome and really helped me get to know this amazing group of folks dealing with DCCs. Meeting Renee So, I met my late friend Renee Rose Oliver one day. She had not only a DCC, but hydrocephalus and epilepsy. We initially connected onlin