Mastodawn

Lived experience and diaspora documentation preserve the voices, memories, and identities of people shaped by migration, displacement, and cultural transition. By sharing personal stories, communities keep history alive while honoring resilience, identity, and belonging across generations. 🌍✨

https://www.mayabutalid.com/lived-experience-diaspora-documentation/

#DiasporaStories #CulturalIdentity #LivedExperience #MigrationStories #PreservingHistory #HumanConnection

Nicole Myers 6d ago

The Journey of a Glass Child: Embracing Uniqueness

Growing up, I was always the "weird" kid who couldn't fit in, even with my own family, a round peg in a square, rigid hole. I preferred creative things like music, art, and writing, often spending time riding my bike or walking. This was quite different from my peers, who were into sports, the military, travel, boating, and horses—activities my family couldn't afford. So I stayed in my own world, where I was happy and content. My extracurriculars weren't the usual after-school sports. […]

https://dreamspacestudio.net/the-journey-of-a-glass-child-embracing-uniqueness/

Shannon Meilak - Advocate May 3

At the Women Deliver conference, I created an opportunity to speak directly with the e-Safety Commissioner about the recent social media ban for under-16s.

I raised my ongoing concerns about how removing access to social media could further isolate disabled and queer young people. For many in our communities, these platforms aren’t just “social media” — they’re lifelines for connection, peer support, identity, and community when physical spaces are inaccessible or unsafe. There’s already a lot of angst and feelings of disconnection in our communities, and this policy risks making that much worse.

The Commissioner responded that they had done targeted research with LGBTQIA+ young people, First Nations communities, kids with disability, and their care workers. She mentioned working with mental health organisations like Headspace, noted exemptions for gaming and messaging apps to preserve some “digital lifelines,” and said they are evaluating whether marginalised kids are being disproportionately impacted. She emphasised they will follow the evidence and data.

While I appreciated the conversation, I made my position clear at the end:

That the e-Safety Commissioner and her office engage in much broader public consultation. We need to hear directly from people with lived experience, not just organisations, by collecting personal stories and case studies about how these rules are actually affecting mental health, community connection, and daily life. This should be executed through a national inquiry open to public feedback and consultation. Real first-person accounts must be properly documented and considered, as part of the evaluation process for the policies 'success'.

Policies made for young people's own good, can’t ignore the voices of the very communities they impact. True protection includes safeguarding access to connection for disabled and queer youth, not cutting it off.

I’d love to hear from other disabled and queer folks (and parents/carers) in the comments — what has your experience been?

#SocialMediaBan #eSafety #DisabilityRights #QueerYouth #LivedExperience #InclusivePolicy

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Mass Axis Apr 28

The opacity of unclear pipelines
The waste of administrative burden
Built by sellers, for sellers: https://massaxis.com
#BuiltByUsers #RealWorldSolutions #SalesBackground #AuthenticProduct #LivedExperience #PracticalDesign #SellerKnowsBest #FieldTested #RealProblems RealSolutions #TrustTheBuilder

MassAxis

MassAxis is a web application for managing your business.

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Harmony Seeker Apr 22

NDIS research on social inclusion and community access found three things that matter here. First, skilled, individualised support, including support workers who understand a person’s needs and interests, is vital to enable participation. The lack of accessible transport remains a barrier. Negative community attitudes and poor understanding of disability can limit participation even when formal barriers are removed. Those findings describe my life exactly. It is support workers, not a better taxi app or a generic “community group”, that make my participation in life possible. They do not just “assist with transport" but bridge the gap left by the system. The fact that I can rehearse and maintain my health and mental health is directly tied to that support. The reforms focus on efficient funding and on aligning budgets with needs. However, “need” is being defined in a way that strips it of context. The need is not just “to get to an appointment but to arrive without burning so much energy on navigation that the appointment becomes another trauma. The need is not just “to attend rehearsal," but to be able to participate musically and socially, as a full member of an ensemble, in a way that honours the years of training and work that got me there. The NDIS itself acknowledges that community access and inclusion increase independence, confidence, and quality of life. It funds Assistance with Social and Community Participation as a core support, and Increased Social and Community Participation as a capacity-building activity.
Plans will be longer, and assessments will be standardised. Foundational supports will eventually be available nationwide. I remember the pre-NDIS life. I would once again struggle with the taxis that did not arrive, the appointments I effectively missed while physically presenteawith rehearsals becoming tests of endurance instead of joy. I know exactly what it would mean to lose my Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday support. The government says these changes will make the scheme fairer, more consistent, and more sustainable. Maybe some aspects will. Longer plans could mean less constant paperwork, and standardised assessments could fix some inequities. Foundational supports could help children who currently fall through the cracks. But none of that is guaranteed and does not justify ignoring the people whose lives are most directly on the line. When I say I am scared, it is not because I am resistant to change. I know what it cost me to get from that first version of my life. #NDIS #DisabilityRights #DeafBlind #CommunityAccess #LivedExperience #NeurodivergentRights #AutismAustralia #DisabilityAustralia #FoundationalSupports #ThrivingKids #InclusionMatters #AccessForAll (2/2)

Ahimsa Apr 20

Do you want to help prioritize ME/CFS research studies? Then this survey is for you!

Open Medicine Foundation (OMF) has a new clinical trials program, CTN Lite, and they want your input.

"CTN Lite Patient & Caregiver Survey: Shaping the Priorities of OMF's Clinical Trials Network"

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeTmvjcIAM9xWEIvJXuBx_L99wmBHqwYuJ2xOwjQOtGkZl8Zw/viewform

ME/CFS patients (regardless of trigger) & caregivers can take this survey (about 20 minutes long), available until May 15.

@mecfs

#MEcfs #PwME #LivedExperience

Industry Documents Library Apr 8

We’re excited to announce our upcoming #Opioid #Archive National Symposium, Tues, May 12 – Thurs, May 14. Check out the lineup of speakers on topics including #HealthJournalism #HealthPolicy #Epidemiology #DataScience #Archives #ArtificialIntelligence #HistMed #ScienceHistory #HarmReduction #LivedExperience https://oida-resources.jhu.edu/oida-national-symposium-2026/

[EVERYDAY]METALHEAD Apr 6

MY|THROAT|A|ROAR

LIVE
Die Boxen brüllen die Riffs
Eine lärmige Erstürmung der Herzen
Geballte Vokale umarmen als Stroboskopblitz
Dieser Augenblick ist auf ewig zentriert

LIVE
The speakers roar the riffs
A raucous assault on hearts
Closed vowels embrace like a strobe light
This moment is forever centered

#fuckinghappy #supportindependentmusic #mythroataroar #poetry #lyrik #metalhead #live #livedexperience

Welcome to the show:

@BeyondThePale
@themaledict
@fearskaper
@Knotwork
@testdriver_shows