One of the most challenging aspects of working on Autisable is how incredibly diverse the Autism Community is...

The diversity ranges from parents and grandparents who have children and grandchildren on the Autism Spectrum, to children and Adults who are diagnosed on the Spectrum.

On top of this, each person diagnosed with Autism has an incredibly unique way of communicating their thoughts and ideas about specific topics.

For many people, sharing an idea is rather easy - you have a discussion... a dialogue.  For others, it is an incredible challenge.

Enter, the tough skin....

 

On a recent chat on an autism community website, I wanted to be sure that Autisable is representing the Autism community well.

The response I received was as diverse as the community itself:

"make sure it's non profit" - as enough people are profiting off of the Autism community

"generate your own audience! and stop stealing ours" - mind you, this was only the second time I was in the chat room and I made it clear I just had a few questions.

There was everything from LEAVE NOW! to the difference between blogging and having a forum being discussed.

 

I realized quickly what Autisable needed to do...

1 - it will remain a for profit - but philanthropic in it's efforts.   Donating earnings to non-profits that actually help and benefit the autism community and individuals.   Funding research is not it's goal.  It's goal is to help people as directly as possible, and should help organizaitons fiscally that do the same.

2 - keep an unbiased perspective.   This is what I've found that Autisable is known for - not taking a stance but to promote discussion.

3 - help educate the media on how to appropriately share the challenges associated with Autism.   This is a major hurdle for many journalists/reporters - as far too often the first question I'm ever asked is my opinion regarding vaccines.... which is just a reflection on the lack of understanding as to what families deal with everyday.

There's many more notes I've taken away from that visit to that chat room.

The biggest, however, is making sure that everyone has a fair say - especially those who are diagnosed on the spectrum.

It's because of those diagnosed on the spectrum that we do...what we do.... so we must listen - and act appropriately.

Sometimes what people may say could be harsh, rough, brash....

But having a tough skin will allow you to see the meat of the issues that are brought to the table....that they need to be heard and understood.

So, Autisable is still being worked on - but soon we'll have a landing page online.   This will help folks reconnect with Autisable via social media outlets - and let people know we're still around.

I know it's slow going, but progress is still progress.

Will update as things move forward.

Until later.

If you haven't guessed by now, you know that I always keep myself as busy as I can.

We're still working on Autisable's upgrade, with the current status of matching the articles we've highlighted with the Authors that created them...  and it's a long process with over 5 years of articles on the site and hundreds of Authors.

Once the site is ready, we'll move towards the site actually being relaunched on it's main URL.

Until then, I have a brief personal announcement:   Continue reading →

Ok, I've been a bit off the grid for a little while, so let's recap the past few months, shall we?

Besides the fact that Autisable is down and is in the process of being upgraded... and just dealing with the downside of Autism every now and then...

I lost my job in January, and lost my Mom on Mother's Day.

But, one thing I've learned over the years is to focus on the positive.   In spite of her brain cancer, my Mom was always positive about her own circumstances.  She loved the month of May - after all, not only was it her birth month - it also had mothers day.

My Mom was also a serious planner... always planning things out, even her own funeral.   I'm sure that as Mother's Day came around she hung on with all she could to make the day even more memorable and special.   It was, after all, her style.

I'm not concerned about the loss of my job as well.   After working with some great people for over 12 years, it was time for me to move on. I have no regrets and learned a lot from some great people, many of whom I still touch base with even today.

Now I could focus on the downside of not being employed at a regular job right now, but for those who know me... that's just not my style.

Life will always throw curveballs.  Change is about the only thing that remains a constant in life.

Granted several of these life events I never 'planned for'... but such is the thing called life.  Life is a Journey filled with unexpected moments.  How we respond to those moments can help define our character.

My Mom had over a year and a half to address the issue of the end of her life.   She chose to travel and see friends and family that lived around the United States and in other countries.   She chose to live life to her fullest while she still could... and she did.

My Mom enjoyed her job as well, but that didn't define who she was.

Why should having a job at a company define who someone is?  The reality is it doesn't.

People will ask what I did, and I would say I was a Logistics Analyst.   Did that define who I am?  of course it didn't.   No job description defines who a person is and what they stand for - as the job description only sets out a list of responsibilities to accomplish for a person working at a company.

But the listing of responsibilities does provide guidance and structure - which we all need.  Having a regular job and a list of responsibilities to accomplish each day makes things easier... especially when that list is provided by an employer.  However, without an employer - I have to redefine what my job is now.

My Job description now is a temporary one - as it will only last until I'm employed again.

I've been busy fulfilling many responsibilities on the honey-do list (my job requirements as provided by My Better Half).   Due to my previous place of employment I couldn't accomplish many of the items on the Honey do list... and now I am.

I've been able to spend more time with my Son, Short Stack... which is priceless.

I've been practicing my Voice Over techniques, and learning more from various artists and professionals.  Something I couldn't have done while fully employed.

There's plenty I am now able to do and accomplish at the moment, and when the timing is right - and the job opportunity is there... I will take the necessary steps.

For now... I remain focused on the positive.

Thank you for your support.

Until later...

Blessings.

 

These past few weeks have been a bit rough.

For those just catching up, my Mother passed away on Mother's day, so I've been offline with my family, doing what needed to be done.

So, now I'm getting back on track - and will have some updates soon.

Stay tuned.