We're getting a few new followers here now that #OnlineAutscape2026 has passed -- welcome all!

For those of you who just created your account, you should know there are no Big Tech algorithms here making your choices for you. So, to make your experience here interesting, you have to follow some interesting accounts first.

Here are some other good accounts to follow:

@FediTips – for tips on how it all works

@amase – Autistic Mutual Aid Society Edinburgh

@AutisticInnovator - The Autistic Innovator

@autistics – group account for conversation between autistics (just tag this account to get your post boosted to the group's followers)

To find more, check the "followed" list of people you find interesting.

Does anyone have any other recommendations for good autistic-run or autistic-led accounts? Please reply here!

#ActuallyAutistic #autscape

Hello everyone,

#OnlineAutscape2026 “Evolving Autistic Space Online” starts at 6pm GMT today (Friday 6th February), and if you don't already have a ticket, you can still join us!

There is no set registration deadline; we'll keep registration open until the event starts, and even beyond (so don't worry if you're late). Upon registering you'll automatically be emailed all the information you need.

The event runs from 6th to 8th February. We will be using Zoom webinars for the presentations and a dedicated Discord server for our social space. The main page for the event is at:

https://www.autscape.org/2026/online/

Booking your ticket is quick and easy. Please visit:

https://www.autscape.org/2026/online/registration

We're very proud of our incredible international line-up of presenters! The programme schedule is here (and you can switch it to your local time zone):

https://www.autscape.org/2026/online/schedule

But, as always, presentations and workshops aren't all there is to #Autscape. There will be also al sorts of more informal discussions and socialising going on, in text, in the social space on Discord.

Autscape is a genuine #AutisticCommunity event, organised by and for #ActuallyAutistic people. As is Autscape's way, everything is optional: there is never an expectation to participate, you're very welcome to just come and read/observe. And it's #AutisticSpace: being and acting autistic is accepted, welcomed, and even celebrated. But non-autistic people are also very welcome, provided they respect this.

As many of us #autistic people tend to get stuck and struggle with “doing stuff”, we hope that this reminder gives some of you the prompt you needed to join us. See you at Autscape!

On behalf of the Online Autscape organising team and the Autscape board,

Martijn Dekker
Acting chair, The Autscape Organisation

#autism #neurodivergence #neurodivergent #neurodiverse #neurodiversity #conference

Dear Autscape attendees and allies,

We at Autscape are very happy to announce that registration for #OnlineAutscape2026 “Evolving Autistic Space Online” is now open!

The event will run from 6th to 8th February. We will be using Zoom webinars for the presentations and a dedicated Discord server for our social space.

https://www.autscape.org/2026/online/

### Tickets ###

To book your ticket, please visit:

https://www.autscape.org/2026/online/registration

### Programme ###

We're very proud of our incredible line-up of presenters! Please have a look:

https://www.autscape.org/2026/online/presenters

We are particularly grateful to stand-up poet, spoken word artist, broadcaster and neurodivergent advocate Kate Fox (known from BBC Radio 4 and the Glastonbury Festival, among others), who graciously volunteered time in her busy schedule to give a creative writing workshop entitled “Radical self-acceptance through creative writing and reading”.

The main programme schedule is now ready as well:

https://www.autscape.org/2026/online/schedule

Not listed there are informal discussions and activities; these may be announced later, or even organised on the spot at the event.

### Spread the word! ###

If you have the time, please help us spread the word by boosting this post and forwarding it anyone you think might be interested. It can also be very effective to forward it to organisations and professionals who work with autistic people, so they can show it to their clients (and attend themselves if they wish, of course: Autscape is autistic space, but everyone is welcome).

We hope to see many of you there!

On behalf of the Online Autscape organising team and the Autscape board,

Martijn Dekker
Acting chair, The Autscape Organisation

#Autscape #ActuallyAutistic #neurodiversity #neurodivergent #neurodivergence #autism #AutisticSpace #AutisticJoy #autistic #conference

Registration for #OnlineAutscape2026 is nearly ready to open!

The Autscape Programme Team received an abundance of high quality proposals. We have included as many as possible in the programme, and we hope that those who did not fit in this time will not be discouraged but consider proposing again for future events.

As we wait for final confirmations to publish the whole programme and launch registration, we would like to introduce our guest from Australia, Dr Sharon Zivkovic.

Sharon is an autistic social entrepreneur and systems thinker. Her social enterprise Community Capacity Builders established a Centre for Autistic Social Entrepreneurship in 2023. This Centre piloted a Program for Autistic Innovators, Systemisers and Social Entrepreneurs in 2025, providing autistic individuals with the knowledge and skills to use their innate autistic ways of thinking for the creation of social innovations, to systemise social innovations, and establish social enterprises.

Sharon will tell us about this three-part programme on Saturday, 7th Feb, starting 11 am GMT.

#autscape #autism #ActuallyAutistic #neurodiversity #neurodivergence #neurodivergent #AutisticSpace #employment #SocialEnterprise

❗ The #OnlineAutscape2026 Call for Proposals closes today 16th Jan at midnight GMT!

We have already received many exciting proposals, but especially lightning talks and entertainment are still very welcome.

Submit a proposal here: https://tally.so/r/ZjENP5

Our theme for the 6-8 February Online Autscape is Evolving Autistic Spece Online. But what is autistic space? The concept may have become blurred or forgotten in some of our communities.

👉 The term was first used by Jim Sinclair and an international group of autistic people who met in 1992, and in the #Autreat conferences that took place until 2012

👉 It refers to social, physical and virtual environments created by autistic people, primarily for themselves and their autistic peers, with rules of interaction defined by autistic people only

👉 It is a concept that emerged from autistic communities and has been developed by them over the years, not owned or defined by any academic authority or individual person

👉 It has been upheld by Autscape as a core principle of the organisation and the events we offer

Join in to discuss what autistic space means in today's world, how it has changed and how we can develop it in the future!

Registration for the event opening soon - keep an eye on our social media channels and website.

Learn more about the history and definitions of autistic space here:

https://www.autreat.com/History_of_ANI.html

https://nationalautistictaskforce.org.uk/about/autistic-space/

https://www.autscape.org/2015/programme/handouts/early-autistic-space.pdf

https://academic.oup.com/monist/article/108/4/437/8374574

#Autscape #AutisticSpace #ActuallyAutistic #neurodiversity #autism #autistic #neurodivergence #neurodivergent

📝 The Call for Proposals for #OnlineAutscape2026 is open!
🧭 Theme: “Evolving Autistic Space Online”.
⏳ Submission deadline: 16 January.
Please spread far and wide: https://www.autscape.org/2026/online/cfp

Event essentials:
⭐ Online Autscape 2026: Evolving Autistic Space Online
📅 6-8 February on Zoom and Discord
🎟️ Registration: TBA (stay tuned for further announcements)
https://www.autscape.org/2026/online/

#Autscape #ActuallyAutistic #autistic #autism #neurodiversity #neurodivergence #neurodivergent

Happy New Year from all of us at Autscape!

Save the dates for our 2026 events:

#OnlineAutscape2026: Evolving Autistic Space Online
📅 6-8 February, Zoom and Discord

#Autscape2026: Autism and Neurodiversity in Society
📅 17-20 August at High Leigh conference centre, Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire

Follow our website and social media channels for up-to-date information on calls for proposals, programmes and registration.

https://www.autscape.org/

#Autscape #AutisticSpace #ActuallyAutistic #autism #neurodiversity #society #advocacy

In August 2025, the #ArtificialIntelligence and the Rights of #Autistic People (#AIRA) project presented a workshop at the #Autscape conference, discussing advocacy topics with the audience of autistic people from the UK and other countries. This video shows some highlights from the workshop presentation by Willow Holloway and from a discussion on designing practical learning assignments, as well as comments from workshop participants.

AIRA is a three-year project (2023-2026) by the European Council of Autistic People (#EUCAP), funded by the European AI & Society Fund. Autscape is a founding member organisation of EUCAP.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_d6HDYzYKVA

AIRA raises awareness of AI advocacy topics in autistic communities: A workshop at Autscape 2025

YouTube
@Tattie In an early research pilot session I made a mistake by getting into what 'autistic empathy' is and is not, rather than modelling empathy as I practice it. It shaped my study. I used the needs component of NVC empathy as a research methodology to listen to autistic and neurodiverse identified stories about diagnosis and empathy. It was powerful and moving: people got to be heard. I also ran an 'empathy cafe' at autscape, and overheard one person say that it was one of their best ever experiences at autscape, again the session was very moving. My thesis is that empathy, specifically needs based empathy can act as a bridge across the double empathy problem. #actuallyautistic #autscape
@pinguicverse I was there, too. It didn't really feel like being autistic was the norm (at least not the way it is at events like #Autscape) but it was certainly accepted and welcomed, much more so than at previous editions of the Autism-Europe congress. I credit a lot of that to AsIAm, an Irish autistic-led organisation, being this congress' co-organiser.