The life narrative work neurodivergent (ND) folks are doing in online spaces and social media.
What is it about?
In terms of life narrative scholarship, I argue that the non-narrative, multimodal, networked, connected products, processes and traces of the lives of Jenn has ADHD, Neurodivergent Rebel, The Punk Rock Autistic and Spectrumy on their FB pages occupy a nexus point between autosomatography and automedia. Further, I offer that autosomamedia can be seen as realized via these ND folks’ FB pages, because they importantly demonstrate multimodal, networked, dynamic manifestations of disabled lives, connecting and building communities as they advocate for disability justice.
Why is it important?
These folks serve as anchors for their online communities, hubs even. Through sharing their dynamic instances of ‘living while disabled’, they actively critique the barriers and disadvantages that limit ND folks’ participation in society. They challenge the damaging discourses and attitudes that further disable us. They promote practical ways of navigating a world not accommodating of disability, and they help us dream. They help us envision a world that supports the broad spectrum of neurodiversity, a world where ND folks not only belong but are valued for their ND ways of being.