Neurodivergence and Archtecture - Chapter Five - Cultural commentary: Being autistic together

Autism Network International was the first autistic community to be created naturalistically by autistic people, and it is the largest autistic-run organization to have regular physical gatherings of autistic people. In this chapter, I draw on my experience to report on the culture that has developed within this particular autistic community, particularly in regard to the creation of a shared autistic space. In contrast to “places of autistics” which are created by neurotypical people, in a shared autistic space, autistic people determine what our needs are, and autistic people make the decisions about how to go about getting our needs met. The huge range of variability among autistic people presents challenges in accommodating sensory needs in autistic space. The kinds of sensory stimuli that are hurtful to some autistic people may be necessary for others. Many of the characteristics of autistic physical space can be experienced as either benefits or hardships, depending on one's point of view. Challenges can become opportunities if one is prepared to approach them as exercises in self-discovery. The chapter therefore draws on the experiences of the Autism Network International and its retreat-style conferences, Autreat, to provide reflections and guidance on preparing shared autistic spaces.