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aotearoa emoji! (Better known as New Zealand)

north islands:

South islands:

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pro endo becuase it upsets me that you would choose a fundamentally carceral institution over an experience you don’t personally understand.

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"The gap between high-functioning and low-functioning Autistic people is too wide. This is why they need to be two separate diagnoses."

There is no gap, there are people there.

There is no gap, there are people there.

There is no gap, there are people there.

There is no gap, there are people there.

There is no gap, there are people there.

There is no gap, there are people there.

There is no gap, there are people there.

There is no gap, there are people there.

There is no gap, there are people there.

THERE IS NO GAP, THERE ARE PEOPLE THERE!

MSN Autistic people exist. Separating the spectrum is to leave us behind. Stop forgetting about us.

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I took my little brother (autistic, mostly non verbal) out and he was using his voice keyboard to tell me something, and this little boy (maybe 4 or 5?) heard him and asked me "Is he a robot??" I tried to explain to him that no, he isn't a robot, he just communicates differently, but my darling brother was in the background max volume "I am robot I am robot I am robot I am robot"

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as someone that cant speak, interactions with other people so different depending on what disability they assume I have.

like, only speaking from own experience, but the difference in treatment when people think am deaf vs when people think am developmentally disabled is very very different.

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think my brain took “treat someone’s disability aid like an extension of their body” too far bc my poor poor aac is subject to hitting as many walls and doors and assorted furniture as i am

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so, 2 things!!! firstly, your art style is very niceys, I'm totally not eating it, I promise- ignore the suspiciously art shaped lump in my throat, it's a medical condition- and secondly, can I please have more angel emotes... purrhaps of the angel being tossed gently like. bal. and of the angel being petted... biblical or just like. human lad with wings, up to you!!!

thank you ! ! that made me giggle :3

angel being tossed under cut ! !

ill post the person with wings later because of the image limit , i believe itll be over 30 images total ( not just the pet , probably ) . . .

1 - :3 petting angel ( on eye ) 2 - :3 petting angel ( on wing ) 3 - no mouth petting angel ( on eye ) 4 - no mouth petting angel ( on wing ) 5 - :3 petting angel ( on eye ) with hearts 6 - :3 petting angel ( on wing ) with hearts 7 - no mouth petting angel ( on eye ) with hearts 8 - no mouth petting angel ( on wing ) with hearts

1 - angel toss , no halo , wings closed 2 - angel toss , halo , wings closed 3 - angel toss , no halo , wings open 4 - angel toss , halo , wings open

apologies if this isn't what you expected , i love the idea , but had no idea how to execute it o_O i would have done the other angel version too , but i couldn't make it look good

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remembered why we dont draw food emojis today, whoops

bacalaito, tteokbokki, and baked char siu bao

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coughdrop is finally back up!!

on friday a really nice guy from tech support gave me access to touchchat so i had some form of high tech aac but im still glad to have my usual boards back

thanks for everyone’s kind words 🩷

so we're all chronically online and thus all know about the "cyberpunk dystopia already exists for disabled people" (if you dont, click here) thing

well, every single coughdrop user in the world has not been able to use the app because coughdrop LLC decided to switch server providers without telling their userbase.

this caused a total outage. no one can use coughdrop until its fixed.

let me reiterate, this was a PLANNED outage. NO ONE was informed until a few hours after the servers went down. we have no ETA for when we will be able to speak again.

for some of us, this literally means we have not been able to communicate with our loved ones and community since yesterday morning.

some of us have low tech options or can sign or write, which is great, but i would like to remind everyone that not all of us can. some of us do not have the hand strength or dexterity to write or sign. some of us rely on dwelling/eye tracking tech to move from button to button.

for those of us without a second option, we have become voiceless.

i have to pay to speak. right now, i am paying for a service that isnt serving me. i am disgusted and appalled.

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do you have any tips for using a grid aac layout? we started with weave chat's scrolling board but want to switch to avaz or coughdrop with a normal grid board. we are having a bit of trouble getting used to the many folders and limited number of buttons though 😅

ill try my best to answer this but let us know if i can make anything more clear.

if youre used to having more buttons, start with a large grid size! at least 10x8

i like to keep all my folders on the outer rim of my grid, but it may be more helpful for you to have them all in one clump in a corner. dont be afraid to try new layouts and see what you like.

also i would recommend that the less clicks you have to do, the better. that means you shouldnt have to navigate through like five or six layers of folders to get to a word if you can help it. i would recommend having a categories folder on your home board that is just literally a page of folders for different kinds of words (this is a concept that almost every vocal flair pageset uses)

i primarily take inspiration from vocal flair because i used a preset vf before i made my own board. the "categories" folder button is on my homeboard, which takes me to a board of other folders. like seriously stacked top to bottom, its just folders.

on that note, if we think about aac grids as layers, with each folder being a layer deeper than the layer above it, and the home board being the topmost layer, words that you use frequently should be closest to the top. so the word "do" should be closer to the top (probably on the home board if were being honest, but you do you) than say, a word like "bazooka" (which could be in a folder)

its honestly kind of like an iceberg diagram, where the most "well known" shit should be readily accessible and like "deep lore" can afford to be 2-3 clicks deep into the layers. if that makes any sense at all.

also remember, youre optimizing YOUR aac for YOU, no one else. so do what makes the most sense to YOUR brain

i hope this helps, if it doesnt, feel free to send another ask or dm me :)

i hope something good happens to you today!

chrome

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so we're all chronically online and thus all know about the "cyberpunk dystopia already exists for disabled people" (if you dont, click here) thing

well, every single coughdrop user in the world has not been able to use the app because coughdrop LLC decided to switch server providers without telling their userbase.

this caused a total outage. no one can use coughdrop until its fixed.

let me reiterate, this was a PLANNED outage. NO ONE was informed until a few hours after the servers went down. we have no ETA for when we will be able to speak again.

for some of us, this literally means we have not been able to communicate with our loved ones and community since yesterday morning.

some of us have low tech options or can sign or write, which is great, but i would like to remind everyone that not all of us can. some of us do not have the hand strength or dexterity to write or sign. some of us rely on dwelling/eye tracking tech to move from button to button.

for those of us without a second option, we have become voiceless.

i have to pay to speak. right now, i am paying for a service that isnt serving me. i am disgusted and appalled.

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:3333 hii!!!! i'm sending a priv ask bc i'm to shy to send a message... but i'm a plural therian system and a big fan of yours!! i know this is a lot to ask since i'm on priv, but do you know any 18+ discord servers i could become a part of to get to know more systems/therians? your blog is awesome btw! keep being amazing!!! :DDDDD

aawww thank you so much!! that means a lot to me <3

and actually, i have a server geared towards plurals and therians! its 18+ only bc safety reasons and pretty small but we would love to have you!

anyone is welcome to join as long as you are 18 or older! (u don’t have to be plural or therian as long as ur open hearted to our experiences)

thanks for the ask! i hope something good happens to you today!

chrome

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Speaking with our AAC has been proving difficult outside of specific circumstances

We tend to just bring it with us instead of actually using it

We need more practice

(video of me using aac!)

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went on walk with carer and took pictures of me with my AAC device! love seeing pictures of people with their AAC Devices or other disability aids so decided to share own!

tablet luckily not that heavy, makes it easier to carry on walks!

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Us with our AAC device Creamsicle out in public this morning! Her first outing

continuing the trend of people showing off their machines out in public,,, -Jk

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Destigmatize Munchausen syndrome

This take may be too nuanced for the Internet right now, and that's okay but.. Instead of calling out people who seem to fake any type of illness, instead of complaining about how annoying they are, and ALSO instead of pretending that these people don't exist- what if we just destigmatized Munchausen syndrome??

It seems like everyone is all for mental health until it comes to Munchausen syndrome. And, extra nuance here, we should destigmatize this debilitating mental illness, while still allowing space for chronically ill, disabled people, and those hurt by people with Munchausen syndrome to speak their truth about it.

At the end of the day, those with Munchausen syndrome deserve help as much as anyone with depression does and if they could feel less shame about it they could get help sooner and create less harm to themselves and others.

(I am only talking about Munchausen inflicted on self because destigmatizing M by proxy is a very different type of issue)

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MINDSCAPE - Autism testing prep I'm going to get an autism testing tomorrow!! Here's a doodle for dat

I'm really anxious and nervous but also excited! I'll finally have an answer to the missing puzzle my whole life.