Episode 206: Neurodivergent community & advocacy – with Katie York

The episode transcript is below.

Carolyn Kiel: Welcome to Beyond 6 Seconds, the podcast that goes beyond the six second first impression to share the extraordinary stories of neurodivergent people. I’m your host, Carolyn Kiel.

Thanks for joining me for today’s episode. It’s about a topic that’s really important to me: finding community as a neurodivergent person. In my last episode of 2023, the one called “Celebrating 200 episodes and looking ahead to 2024,” I talked about how finding and building community with other neurodivergent people is something that’s been a bit elusive for me since I discovered I’m autistic. Community is something that I really want, so I’m focusing on it more purposefully this year. That means figuring out what community means for me, and where to find it (or perhaps, try to create it myself).

Along those lines, in that year-end episode I mentioned I was thinking of starting some kind of group for neurodivergent podcasters. Well, I actually started that group just recently! It’s on an app called Discord and the group is called Neurodivergent Podcasters. If you’re interested in joining, email me at beyond6seconds at gmail.com and I’ll send you an invitation. I’ll put that email address in the show notes for you. This is a brand new group so it’s just getting started, but if you’re a neurodivergent podcaster, I’d love to have you join! Also, I still have my LinkedIn group called Autistic Corporate Professionals. If that describes you, you can join me there too. I’ll link that group in the show notes.

Back in January I went to a podcasting conference called Podfest, where I organized an informal meetup with other neurodivergent podcasters. Honestly at first I had no idea if there were any other neurodivergent podcasters at the conference, or who (if anyone) would show up to the meetup, but people showed up! And we had some great conversations! I met a lot of awesome podcasters there, whose podcasts cover all kinds of different topics. As far as I know, I think it’s the first time I’ve been in the same physical space with so many other neurodivergent people. I have to say, it felt really awesome. I invited them all to the Discord group I mentioned before, and I’m hoping to keep our conversations going.

Also, after I published my year-end episode, I’ve had listeners reach out to me directly to support my goal to find community – some saying that they’re also looking for community and friendship, and others inviting me to join them in communities they’re building. I am so grateful for these messages. I really appreciate hearing from my listeners in general, and I especially appreciate getting these offers of support.

I’d love to hear from you too! Please feel free to contact me on my social media or email (listed in the show notes) and let me know your thoughts about this podcast, or about neurodiversity in general, or just to say hello. If you’re enjoying this episode, please share it with a friend, or someone in *your* community, who might enjoy it too. And if you’re interested in other ways that you can help support this podcast, like contributing to my Buy Me A Coffee or buying an ad on a future episode, I’ll link that in the show notes too.

Ok, now let’s get to my conversation today with Katie York, who talks about discovering their own ADHD and autism, the neurodivergent community that they’ve built, and ways you can get involved in your community to make a positive difference.

Carolyn Kiel: On today’s episode, I’m speaking with Katie York, who’s also known as The Distracted Autistic. Katie is a late diagnosed Autistic who also has ADHD. They are currently program coordinator at the Community College of Baltimore County in Baltimore, Maryland. Katie is also an advocate and community organizer. In 2022, they founded a group called Harford County Neurodivergents to build a network for neurodivergent adults and provide neurodiversity affirming resources and education.

Katie is a member of Harford County Public Schools Special Education Citizens Advisory Committee, and a proud board member of Upper Chesapeake Bay Pride. Katie, welcome to the podcast.

Katie York: Thank you so much for having me. I appreciate it.

Carolyn Kiel: Yeah, I’m really excited to talk with you today. How did you discover your own neurodivergence?

Katie York: So, for me, I, you know, always knew that my brain worked differently, but I didn’t know that there was a name for it in a really long time. And I was diagnosed with ADHD after college. When I got my first full-time office job, I was just like, I am really struggling. And the stuff that worked at school, like for undergraduates, just not seeming to cut it in this environment, and that was getting diagnosed with ADHD.

Getting diagnosed as autistic, similar to probably a good number of folks my age and gender at birth, that it was after someone close to me received a diagnosis that I was like, well, that seems odd, you know?

Carolyn Kiel: Mm-Hmm.

Katie York: They are very much like me. Oh! They’re very much like me. Okay! And so in the, the process of them getting diagnosed, I started to do more reading to help be supportive and learn more, and then saw myself reflected over and over again.

It was uncanny I, I had a friend who also is a late diagnosed AuDHDer with both ADHD and autism and you know, we joke that we’ve never had a unique experience between the two of us because. There’s so much of our story that just we keep seeing reflected in other personal narratives of being disabled, particularly in this fashion of autism and ADHD.

Carolyn Kiel: Yeah, it’s interesting how you kind of look back on life and, and it really changes your perspective once you realize that you’re autistic.

Katie York: Yeah. It’s, uh, you know, I’ve seen folks kind of compare it to like the operating system that’s like, now I have the name for the operating system, but it’s also been helpful to have, you know, the name of the label to be able to look at my brain differently. Like I am never going to will myself out of, you know, having ADHD or being autistic, like I cannot change that. And so knowing that has freed up a lot of, you know, emotional energy that I was expending, being frustrated with my brain. And then being able to also look up to other folks, you know, things that have worked for them with a similar neurotype to be able to see some things that maybe might work for my brain. So I’m working with it instead of fighting against it. And it’s not gonna be the same for everyone of course, but just being able to kind of have new words to frame my experience, to search for potential things has been immensely helpful.

And that was the reason I wanted to start a local community group, ’cause I was like, man, you know, I had a lot of support, you know, wonderful family growing up. But there’s some things where it’s like, oh, this would’ve been helpful to know sooner. You know? I did graduate from high school and go on to college, but I just feel like there was a lot of energy that I spent masking a lot and didn’t realize it in hindsight. And I’m like, ah, that would’ve, you know, potentially been a lot of less energy to expend and some things might have turned out differently in my life.

And I also am like, I am so fascinated by how amazing the brain is, and how so many different things we’re still just learning about even after studying different things for, you know, decades even, that I wanted to be able to kind of do that for other people if they wanted to. You know, I don’t go around telling people like, Hmm, you know why you seem so much like me?

Carolyn Kiel: Mm-Hmm.

Katie York: Well let me tell you! But it has been also, I would say, entertaining in that a lot of the people that have come into my life have also been kind of on a similar-ish journey and realized that they too are either autistic or have ADHD or some other flavor of neurodivergence or disability.

Carolyn Kiel: Yeah, it’s helpful to have that community and people to compare experiences with, like your community, Harford County Neurodivergents.

Katie York: And that’s the reason why I, you know, it’s a very creative name because that is, you know, the presence where I am. And I honestly was like, I’d love to come up with a cooler, catchy name, but I also wanted to kind of leave it open for some folks, so that really the only thing is that someone has a connection to Harford County or maybe is in like the neighboring county. So kind of regionally nearby, because so many things are state and county specific as far as different programs and resources. But also that if we are able to, you know, move on and expand into being able to do more in-person things that we would be able to not have folks traveling from such a long distance.

So as far as the format for Harford County Neurodivergents, at this point, pretty much strictly online as a local Facebook group and a Live Zoom meetup, I don’t record and I hesitate to refer to it as a support group because I’m not a, you know, licensed therapist or social worker. I think of it as more peer support. So it’s not directed at, you know, parents or extended family members or carers for people with these types of disability, and I do not keep as far as self-diagnosed, trying to see if they might fall under this umbrella or a formal paper diagnosis from somewhere. The goal is just to have that community for folks that want it, but then keeping it pretty local regionally to be able to maintain a smaller like Facebook group for folks to feel connected. But also, again, if we’re able to do more in-person things, as I hope it expands, that will have that regionally, it won’t be too hard for folks to travel.

Carolyn Kiel: And is the group just for residents of Harford County or are other people invited to join?

Katie York: I’ve had some other folks join. I do try to keep it semi-local, so like maybe like the next county over, you know, not too far away. If someone, you know, that wanted to join further away, I’m definitely open to it, especially right now because we are pretty virtual. I just didn’t wanna make it like a public group and a big, huge thing because again, I’m one person.

Carolyn Kiel: Mm-Hmm.

Katie York: And that can lead to a lot of, you know, maintaining a huge Facebook group can be a full-time job for multiple people. So keeping it local was also helpful for me to be able to capacity-wise, kind of see if this is something that I can dedicate more resources to as it hopefully grows.

We’re about a little over 50 folks in the group. And the live meetups, we’ve never had everybody that’s, that’s in the group, but on the bigger end, probably about 50% participation. But then there have been some nights where, you know, it’s just been me, maybe one or two other people. And it’s, I, I leave it open for folks to kind of, you know, share if there’s something that they’re particularly struggling with that maybe they want to see if folks have any suggestions for resources. But also, you know, there have been nights where we just kind of talked about our favorite areas of passion or special interest or whatever term we like to use, you know, just being able to kind of have that connection and being able to info dump for a little bit, and from people that are like, yes, I don’t know about this very specific thing, but I wanna learn more. And then let me tell you about my very specific thing! And it being a place of connection and joy.

Because so often, especially for folks who maybe did not get diagnosed or identified at a younger age, may have just felt like again, you know, I know there’s something wrong or different with my brain that I can’t seem to do everything, you know, the way people seem to want me to, or the way I see other kids or folks process information or react to things. And so being able to kind of just build that connection and being able to see autistic joy or, you know, being able to say like, I’m just having a kind of a really depressed day, like, or, you know, someone who has anxiety or someone else who fits under that umbrella that, you know, someone will be like, yeah, no, it’s really tough, and like if there’s anything you wanna talk about, kind of the whole spread of human emotions. But just having that kind of neutral place. And it does lean more autistic and ADHD heavy, I would say, just because a lot of folks tend to think of neurodivergent as basically just another word for being autistic.

Carolyn Kiel: Mm-hmm.

Katie York: But trying to keep representation from different age groups and different racialized identities and other, gender spectrum, that sort of thing, trying to bring in different perspectives as well. So if there’s somebody that maybe is not represented in the group or not significantly represented in the group, I’m trying to make sure that when we’re providing resources that we’re kind of pointing out, Hey, you know, here’s an area where we have this lack, and we would like to make sure we’re highlighting that, you know. This may be different for someone who comes from this class background or someone from this racialized background, or someone who is perceived in the world from maybe a different gender identity than they actually are, and how that intersectionality plays into how someone can be safe if they choose or are able to unmask, because that’s not always something that is realistic and or safe for folks.

Carolyn Kiel: Right, exactly. And so in the descriptions of Harford County Neurodivergents, you refer to it as like a neurodivergent affirming group. And it sounds like a lot of the things that you were just sharing are talked about in the group, in terms of celebrating autistic joy and bringing people together with common experiences, and even highlighting intersectionalities where experiences may differ, may kind of be in line with what neurodivergent affirming means. But what do you mean by neurodivergent affirming? How does that show up in the group?

Katie York: I think for me, the biggest thing is that I don’t see being autistic or having disability that falls under that neurodivergent umbrella as being a superpower or a tragedy.

Carolyn Kiel: Mm-Hmm.

Katie York: There are times where I do get very frustrated with my brain and I’m like, I wish I could just make it do this thing the way that it seems to be working for everybody else that might be in that situation that I’m experiencing, or that my brain didn’t necessarily react to maybe certain sensory inputs. But I also really try to steer away from the, what I consider kind of toxic positivity that you know, this is my superpower and there’s absolutely nothing wrong and I would never change my brain. For my brain is perfect for me because it is my brain. However, it does not mean that it is perfect and there are not things that if I had a magic wand that I might change. And trying to strike that balance between the trope of, you know, autism as a tragedy and something we need to fix or cure and

Carolyn Kiel: Mm-hmm.

Katie York: This huge burden, but knowing that for some folks it can be. And also trying to not say that that is not, you know, someone’s lived experience, not trying to downplay their lived experience because it doesn’t match with my lived experience. And that’s something that I’ve tried to really keep a balance as much as possible, that we can disagree about some things, but you know, we as a community choose to come together in Harford County Neurodivergents and say that, you know, we will listen to each other with respect and we’re not going to talk about folks outside of the group. If someone needs additional supports beyond what we have, you know, we have some local resources we can point them to. But also just holding space for folks that maybe the identity or diagnosis may have been something that was a shock, but not necessarily in a good way, or that maybe is struggling with, you know, internalized ableism, or they may not experience internalized ableism so much as maybe their support system or the folks around them are very negative, or that support system may be lacking.

Carolyn Kiel: It’s part of really, as you said, understanding and giving space for everyone and their own individual experiences with their neurodivergence. Everybody experiences it differently and keeping that open view is really important and understanding that you can’t simplify it. There’s just so many things at play, whether it’s intersectionality with other parts of your background or parts of your identity, or just how your neurodivergence impacts you personally as well.

Katie York: It’s something I realized, and I didn’t give a visual description, especially ’cause I’m not on camera, but for me, I am a white femme presenting person and I do not have disabilities that are very visibly obvious. And so I understand that that is a place of privilege that a lot of folks do not experience, and that I do try to also hold space and also realize that this privilege is something that I need to be aware of when I’m working in my community or interacting with folks. But also that I am actively seeking to learn, and to listen and to compensate people for their labor and seeking out folks, you know, consciously, purposely that have different lived experiences than I do. You know, on a selfish note, I feel like that makes my world larger and, you know, I, I learn a lot and benefit from that in different ways, but I think it’s also important to just learn that I do not have all the answers and I do not have all the lived experience that some folks have, and I never will. And I don’t wanna pretend like I know what that’s like or that I completely understand what someone might be experiencing.

Carolyn Kiel: Yeah. That’s really important to realize. So yeah, that’s great that you’re giving space for that.

Katie York: It’s tough because especially neurodiversity movement, I think, you know, it has still kind of as a whole tended to uplift primarily folks that are white and maybe a little bit more affluent or have more education or have better, you know, reliable access to mouth words. And to me that is something I’ve been trying to balance with the sharing my lived experience and finding support in that community, but also, again, sitting back and listening sometimes or saying, you know, this is not the stage for me at this point.

You know, this is someone else’s area and I’m going to just defer to that.

Carolyn Kiel: It’s really important to leave that space.

Katie York: And it can also be tough too, ’cause sometimes people are coming at different points in their journey, so they might use language that is not necessarily affirming. My thing is, if it is not a slur or something derogatory, if someone chooses to identify themselves in a different way, like the whole, you know, I am autistic versus I have autism, or a person, I’m a person with autism. If you want to use that, you know, you have autism or person with autism, more power to you. If you let me know that, I will absolutely support that. That’s not how I choose to identify, but that’s true of a lot of things that people use other descriptors for themselves that I wouldn’t personally, they don’t necessarily resonate with me. But again, as long as it’s not something where it is a hurtful word to a community or people group, something like that.

I think sometimes we get hung up on some of these differences. And like if someone describes themselves as autistic or with autism, they still are autistic and should benefit from, you know, the support of a community around them. A lot of times folks try to, you know, I feel like gatekeep things.

Carolyn Kiel: Yeah.

Katie York: And I try to take a big tent approach to it. Again, with the affirming end of things to again say that if someone wants to identify themselves with a particular level, that is their journey.

Carolyn Kiel: And why do you feel that neurodivergent affirming community is so important for neurodivergent adults?

Katie York: I think for me it was huge to find other people that I connected with so much. Because for so much in my life, again, I had wonderful, supportive parents and great people in my life I’ve found over the years, but it was just so nice for someone to be like, oh, you know, like, yes, I too also sometimes forget to pee until I’m about to pee outta my ears. You know? Sometimes folks might think it’s funny that I have to set an alarm to remind myself you need to eat, and then I have a second and third alarm for like, no, you really need to eat. Because if I get to work and I get started on a project, I will just go and then I’ll look up and it’s three o’clock and I haven’t eaten anything that day. And then I feel terrible. But also, you know, if I am taking care of my child or, you know, having to do stuff afterwards, like I might be, you know, more maybe curt than I really would like to be to my loved ones. Or I might be, you know, just more frustrated with myself or struggled, you know, the next day or something like that. Setting myself up for failure. So, it seems silly to have to remind yourself to eat regularly, but I do, and I know that, and it’s just a neutral thing to me. But knowing that other folks have that feeling, it’s just so, it’s very reassuring. It’s like, okay, you know, it’s like I’m not alone in this.

Carolyn Kiel: Mm-Hmm. Yeah. As you said, knowing that other people have those same things or feel that way or think that way is a comfort and, uh, helpful for building that community.

What impact has Harford County Neurodivergents had on its members so far?

Katie York: I mean, I think for me it has, again, built that community and being able to see folks learn about themselves, but also for me to learn about myself.

I know there have been some times where folks have said, you know, Hey, like, I’m not gonna be able to make it today and kind of feel bad, and like, that is okay, we’re here for you. And sometimes there might be days or weeks where the group may be more active and it might kind of ebb and flow.

There’s more people joining and there are still folks that are, you know, asking questions. But again, I am not the knower of everything. And so for me, what I see as important is connecting folks to other things and being able to say, Hey, here’s something that already exists, that you do not have to start from scratch. Or this particular service or application was really a pain in the butt. Let me connect you with someone that has already done it because they can kind of help point you in the right direction. You know, it’s not something where I’ve kept numbers on, you know, we’ve impacted this many people this fiscal year. But being able to see those connections and then seeing the growth has been, I think, the best impact.

Carolyn Kiel: That’s great. Especially since for a lot of neurodivergent adults, there aren’t really a lot of services or supports, so having a group that can connect you to supports or other helpful, whether it’s apps or other tools, is really valuable.

Katie York: It’s been something that is a source of frustration for me. That was kind of the other main reason why I wanted to start this group is because although I am a parent, the carer groups didn’t always seem to resonate with me. And then there’s plenty of folks that I know that do not have children, or if they have children, they’re not neurodivergent or disabled. So, especially with autism, like we talk about a lot of different types of disabilities where folks are perceived as the forever child or infantilized, but when people think ADHD and autism, you know, they think that eight-year-old white male-presenting cisgender boy that either is bouncing off the walls or playing with trains and lining up blocks. And it’s like, if you don’t fit into this thing, you don’t qualify for anything. When they have sensory-friendly or autism-friendly screenings at movies, it’s always G-rated kids movies. I love me a good, you know, Disney Classic or something like that. But there are also sometimes where it’s like you might wanna watch something that is PG 13 or R. Why do we have to have the volume cranked up to 95 and I have to wear ear defenders in the theater for those kind of movies that may be like an action movie or something?

And I think there definitely has been some change, especially as self-advocates are continuing to find their voice. ’cause I don’t wanna negate, you know, discount the work of people for decades and even centuries before me. But with the growth of a lot of online communities, being able to figure out, you know, this is something that is important to me and this is something that you know, I want to share with the world. And there’s so many more autistic or otherwise neurodivergent coded folks in media. There’s a lot more folks that are publishing their own memoirs or speaking or typing about their lived experience to the greater internet community. And so it’s been fantastic to see and hear from folks about what it’s like to be disabled in this fashion, as opposed to people who are a sibling or parent caring for this person. And, you know, being able to hold onto that dignity of the individual and being able to find ways that folks can be engaged in their community and have that, you know, meaningful connection with others.

Carolyn Kiel: Those first person accounts, especially from neurodivergent adults are, are really important and I’m glad we’re getting to hear a lot of those stories now.

You have this community peer support group and you’re also active in your local community in a number of boards and committees, and you’ve even been an elected official. What inspired you to get involved in politics and advocacy?

Katie York: I think growing up my family was always very, you were expected to get involved in your community in some fashion. You know, we were expected to be giving back. But also, you know, my parents like vote in every election and so they would take us when we were little to the polls. And they’d explain how things work and why they did things they did, or maybe talk about the different people that they chose to vote for, like explaining some of the things that they’re looking for. And not, again, trying to tell us as, uh, you know, I’m one of five kids. They’re not trying to tell us, you know, who to vote for or something like that. But just saying like, here’s how we kind of think about some of these things. And seeing my parents just get very involved. And I was like, well, you know, that’s just what we do.

For me, I also am very big on, I don’t like to point out a problem and then just hand it to someone else to solve. Like, Hey, this thing is wrong. I just wanted to let you know.

Carolyn Kiel: Mm-Hmm.

Katie York: So if I’m going to complain about something or feel like something is unjust or, you know, maybe an issue is not getting enough attention or funding or whatever it may be, that if I’m willing to point out the problem, that I’m willing to at least try to be part of the solution. And there are gonna be some things where I can’t necessarily be the solution or even be part of it, but working to make the world a better place, to quote the Girl Scouts. That is something that is important to me and that is something that I would like to see as, as you know, my legacy. I hope that I have many more years around, but I wanna know that, you know, at the end that I have tried to make the world better for the people behind me. And I have tried to create places for people to experience joy and fulfillment, but also to empower other people to do the same.

In community organizing, we talk a lot about, you cannot do all this work by yourself. You need that community. You physically cannot do everything yourself, but also you cannot be the only voice in the room. And so having other folks for different advocacy organizations or issues that I’ve been a part of, I tend to keep it fairly local. I’m currently in DC for an advocacy event right now, but I also really feel that a lot of folks kind of overlook the impact of their local school board and their local city council or county council or local parish, you know, some of those hyper local things.

And a lot of the hyper local things are where you can get really involved. You know, if you do not feel you can run for office for whatever reason. I would challenge that if folks just feel like they don’t feel qualified, they have to get to a certain point in their life to be able to run for office, but sometimes that’s not how someone’s gifts are best used, and that’s not something that they choose to do.

But knowing that, you know, you can show up at your local county council or board hearings and you can provide public comments. Or you can help support existing organizations by volunteering and having some of that micro-activism, but also seeing ways you can expand it, and finding areas of interest that you’re passionate about. Because a lot of times, you know that passion can lead into, you know, that deeper connection to the fulfillment for you, but also being able to connect with others over this particular advocacy issue or legislative bill or increase in your tax for trash and water pickup locally. You know it, I think folks, again, just have a tendency to feel like I can’t make a difference as one person. And I’m like, with that kind of attitude, yes. And again, can’t solve everything, you know, I don’t have control of everything, but I wanna know that I’ve made an effort to do good and to help others be able to advocate for themselves.

Carolyn Kiel: It’s true that focusing on local issues, local governments, I think is a lot of times is overlooked because we just hear so much about national or bigger issues. And then as you said, it’s like, oh, well what can I do about that? I’m just one person. But in the local issues, there’s so much influence you can have.

What kind of things do you recommend that people do if they wanna make a difference, they wanna get involved maybe locally, but they really have no idea where to start?

Katie York: If they’re legal age, I’m always gonna say, register to vote. I know that for some folks that can be difficult depending on, you know, your state or province or whatever’s laws. Especially if you’re someone who’s been incarcerated, there’s a lot of states in the U. S. that you can potentially lose your right to vote, potentially even permanently for some states. But if you are not in that category, register to vote. If you are in that category, get connected to some organizations that are working to change that.

And then picking maybe one or two things that speak to you and thinking kind of outside the box. You know, you don’t have to have a child in the public school to care about public schools. You don’t even have to be a parent or carer to care about public schools. We all benefit from, you know, a well-educated society and the other social supports that schools can bring with, you know, health clinics and different therapies and supports for folks who are disabled and food for people, English language learning, those kind of things. But finding something that speaks to you, whether it’s housing affordability or something related to, you know, getting the arts out to folks in maybe a rural community. But find something that you connect with. Because if it’s something that you are being told you should care about, but you really don’t, it really makes it tough.

You can still have an impact and you can still impact things positively, but there are a lot of things where we see incremental successes over a long time, and being able to sustain that for something that you don’t really have that passionate care about is very difficult. There’s also a lot of times where it is, you know, one step forward and three steps back.

Carolyn Kiel: Yeah.

Katie York: And then maybe a half a step forward, or maybe two, and then four or five steps back sometimes. So there’s a lot of times where having that drive can be important, but also just sticking to a few things. And that’s advice I need to listen to myself. But it can be difficult. We want to care about everything and fix everything, and you physically cannot. So if you can become, you know, an advocate for maybe one or two, three issues, and a lot of times they overlap and intersect. So trying to find those intersections with maybe two or three areas that you care about and going from there.

Sometimes, especially at the local level, like folks worry about things being partisan, especially in the US.

Carolyn Kiel: Mm-Hmm.

Katie York: Things are very hyper partisan between the two major political parties, but trying to find common ground with folks. I know that there’s a lot of organizations that are strictly nonpartisan, so if that’s something that’s a concern for you, you can find organizations that do not identify with a particular political party. And knowing that anybody can be an advocate, anybody can be an ambassador. You don’t have to have gone through higher education and political science. You don’t have to come from necessarily certain family or background. You can make a difference, but just getting started is the biggest thing.

A lot of folks have kind of a fear of getting involved, you know, and it can be intimidating to be even in public comment for, you know, your local county council or something like that. Because a lot of times it’s set up where there’s a microphone and there’s a little podium or place where you’re supposed to stand and look at, you know, this table of potentially sometimes, you know, a dozen or more people all looking at you, but you don’t necessarily have to be the most eloquent speaker, as I am demonstrating clearly. Your voice is important and no one can tell your story but you, so no one can say, you know, this is something that impacts X, Y, and Z for you. They can say, Hey, someone in this class or someone in this geographical area, if this is how it might impact them, or how we know it will impact them. But being able to say, this is something that, this is how it will impact me, and making that connection on the personal level is so huge and a lot of folks really discount their voice or their written or typed words.

Carolyn Kiel: Our involvement’s really important. Absolutely.

Katie, thank you so much for sharing your experience, the organizing and the advocacy that you do. How can people get in touch to learn more about Harford County Neurodivergents and the other work that you do?

Katie York: So I do go by The Distracted Autistic as a nod to both my ADHD and autism. I like for people to know what they’re getting in for. Mm-Hmm. I am most active on Facebook out of all the social media, so just The Distracted Autistic on Facebook. And that is also the public point for Harford County Neurodivergents, ’cause it is a private group. But also I have a website that’s just TheDistractedAutistic.com. That’s where I have like my blog and some backup for some of the other social medias.

Carolyn Kiel: Okay, perfect. Yep. I’ll put a link to your Facebook page in the show notes.

Katie, thanks again for being on the show. As we close out, is there anything else that you’d like our listeners to know or anything that they can help or support you with?

Katie York: I think as far as, you know, help and support the advocacy or self-advocacy, whether they’re someone they’re disabled or someone who’s experiencing something like maybe struggling with affordable healthcare or housing or something else, but using your voice, getting involved. That is, I think, something that is overlooked and something that is hugely important. You know, and then stay tuned, you know, I’m looking forward to being involved in a lot more projects and doing more community education on the neurodiversity front as well.

Carolyn Kiel: Right. That’s awesome. This is great. Well, thanks again, Katie and I look forward to seeing all the new things that you’re getting involved with as well. And thanks so much for all of your advocacy and support to our community and to other communities too.

Katie York: Thank you. I appreciate the work you’re doing. I haven’t been able to listen to the entire back catalog. I’m working on it. But I really appreciate the variety of voices that you’ve been amplifying, ’cause to me that’s so huge.

Carolyn Kiel: Thank you so much. I appreciate that.

Thanks for listening to Beyond 6 Seconds. Please help me spread the word about this podcast. Share it with a friend, give it a shout out on your social media, or write a review on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast player. You can find all of my episodes and sign up for my free newsletter at Beyond6seconds.net. Until next time.