Open Society

What would happen if schools were powered by free and open source software? What if students were trusted and given the freedom to explore and experiment with their school-issued devices? The resul…

A discreet way to make the invisible visible Wearing the Sunflower discreetly indicates to people around the wearer including staff, colleagues and health professionals that they need additional support, help or a little more time. A global presence Since the Sunflower was established in the UK

It’s impossible to talk about Automattic without talking about remote work. The company is a role model and innovator in this area: It has been entirely remote since 2005, and at 1,700 employees, it has helped prove that a remote workplace culture can succeed at scale. But “remote” has taken on a d…

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Background: Masking involves blending in or covering a stigmatized identity, to avoid discrimination and to “pass” within society. Autistic people often report masking, both intentionally and unintentionally, to get by in social situations. Autistic people who report high rates of masking also tend to experience poorer mental health. It is important we understand whether there are variables that can protect against the negative effects of masking. One such potential variable is autistic community connectedness (ACC)—being part of and belonging to the autistic community. Past research suggests there are benefits for autistic people socially connecting with other autistic people. We investigated whether ACC could moderate the relationship between masking and wellbeing. Methods: One hundred ninety-six autistic people completed an online survey including measures of ACC, masking, and mental wellbeing. We used moderation analysis to test whether ACC acted as a buffer between masking and wellbeing. Results: Higher self-reported masking related to poorer mental wellbeing. Higher ACC related to more positive wellbeing. Higher ACC correlated with more masking. However, there was no interaction effect, and ACC did not moderate the relationship between masking and wellbeing. Conclusions: Although ACC did relate to more positive mental wellbeing overall, it did not moderate the negative relationship between masking and wellbeing. If masking relates to the prejudice faced by autistic people, those with greater attachment to the autistic community may also be more aware of discrimination against their community. Furthermore, autistic people who are more connected might experience a higher salience of masking when moving between autistic and nonautistic settings. Tackling prejudice toward autistic people is critical in helping to reduce the negative effects associated with masking, and we must endeavor to change perceptions and increase inclusion of autistic people. Community brief Why is this an important issue? Lots of autistic people say that they often have to ‘mask’ the fact they are autistic. This means they might (on purpose or by accident) use strategies like planning a social script before meeting someone, trying to hide their stims, or forcing themselves to use eye contact because non-autistic people expect this. Previous research has shown that the more someone masks, the more they experience poor mental health and wellbeing. We wondered whether feeling connected to the autistic community (“autistic community connectedness”) could help protect autistic people from these negative masking outcomes, because many autistic people talk about how they get joy out of being part of this community. What was the purpose of this study? We aimed to see whether autistic community connectedness could play a role in protecting autistic people against the negative effects of masking on mental wellbeing. What did the researchers do? We used an online survey which included questions about masking, connectedness to the autistic community, and mental wellbeing. One hundred and ninety-six autistic people completed the survey. We used an analysis called ‘moderation analysis’ which can be used to see if something is acting like a buffer or protector between two things (in this case, masking and wellbeing). What were the results of the study? Although people with higher autistic community connectedness generally had more positive mental wellbeing overall, we found that community connectedness was not acting like a protector. In other words, masking still related to poorer wellbeing, even when someone had high autistic community connectedness. What do these findings add to what was already known? Our findings show that autistic community connectedness can be something positive for mental wellbeing, but we think that masking keeps happening because there is so much stigma and prejudice towards autistic people. It's difficult for autistic people to “take the mask off”, and people who are more connected to the autistic community may be even more aware of the prejudice and discrimination experienced by the autistic community. Our findings provide further support for the idea that masking has a lot to do with experiences of stigma. What are potential weaknesses in the study? Our participants were mostly female, and we recruited them via online communities. There may already be high feelings of autistic community connectedness in these participants, so our findings won't be the same for everyone, and it would be useful to have more people who actively reject being part of the autistic community within studies like ours, as well as having more diverse participants involved. How will these findings help autistic adults now or in the future? We show that autistic community connectedness is related to wellbeing, and we need to support autistic people to feel like they can freely explore this community and decide whether they want to get involved or not. If we want to help autistic people mask less, we really need to work harder on creating societies that are open to authentically autistic people.

To be able to easily see if a contact has filled out their gift aid form, you'll need to create a property under a contact record so that it can be included in your form - alternatively you can create properties directly from the form builder which might be easier in this instance. Using a HubSpot CRM for Nonprofit Fundraising Fundraising efforts are a way for charities to not only raise money but also promote key charity messages and goals, to further help their cause. The digital transformation of the business world hasn't by-passed fundraising and we are here to help! https://blog.hubgem.co.uk/non-profits/how-to-manage-gift-aid-declarations-in-a-crm Who are HubGem? HubGem is a, multi-award-winning, digital marketing agency specialising in helping education, non-profit organisations and businesses grow by increasing their reach and improve their engagement. We are passionate about the importance of effective, transparent communication both within an organisation and beyond. We are genuinely excited to find new ways that tech can make a difference and bringing these ideas to businesses to drive them forward in an increasingly digital world, is something we find incredibly rewarding. https://www.hubgem.co.uk/

Background Fibromyalgia and ME/CFS are multifaceted conditions with overlapping symptoms(1); the pathoaetiological mechanisms are complex and debated(2), however there is a strong association with features of hereditary disorders of connective tissue (hypermobility) and autonomic and inflammatory abnormalities (1,2). Objectives To determine potential autonomic and inflammatory mechanisms of pain and fatigue in fibromyalgia and ME/CFS Methods After excluding participants with WCC higher than 10 (suggesting acute infection) baseline markers of inflammation (CRP and ESR) were available for 60 patients with confirmed diagnoses of Fibromyalgia and/ or ME/CFS and 23 matched controls. Participants then underwent full research diagnostic evaluation including a hypermobility assessment(1) and autonomic challenge (60 degree head up tilt, [ISRCTN78820481][1]). Subjective pain and fatigue were assessed before and after challenge (VAS). Linear regression models were used to explore predictors, with adjustment for confounders as appropriate. Mediation analyses (looking for mechanistic effects) were conducted according to the method of Hayes (3) and mediation considered significant if bootstrapped confidence intervals of the estimated indirect effect did not cross zero. In these mediation analyses predictor variable was group membership (patient or control), outcome variable was change in 1)pain and 2)fatigue induced by challenge and mediatiors 1)no of connective tissue features in hypermobility diagnostic criteria endorsed by participant; 2)baseline inflammatory markers. Results ESR and CRP were significantly higher in patients rather than controls, even after correcting for BMI, age and sex (B=5.15, t=2.05, p=0.044; B=1.77, t=2.15, p=0.044 respectively). Adjusted ESR and CRP correlated with both subjective fatigue (B=0.44, t=2.09, p=0.04; B=1.63, t=2.60, p=0.011) and pain severity (B=0.13, t=2.51, p=0.014; B=0.45, t=3.01, p=0.004) at baseline. Autonomic challenge amplified pain (B=14.20, t=2.87, p=0.005) and fatigue (B=31.48, t=5.95, p=0.001) in patients to a significantly greater degree than controls, controlling for baseline levels. Baseline ESR and CRP also predicted challenge-induced increase in fatigue (B=0.78, t=370, p=0.001; B=1.91, t=3.36, p=0.001) and ESR challenge-induced increases in pain (B=0.46, t=2.35, p=0.021). Mediation analysis demonstrated that number of connective tissue features expressed in hypermobility criteria mediated the degree to which subjective pain was increased by the autonomic challenge (Bootstraped 95% CI of indirect effect do not cross zero, 0.1572 – 6.8171). ESR mediated the degree to which subjective fatigue was increased by the autonomic challenge (Bootstraped 95% CI of indirect effect do not cross zero,0.7541 – 7.3888). Conclusion To our knowledge this is the first study to directly explore autonomic and inflammatory mechanisms of pain and fatigue in a combined population of Fibromyalgia and ME/CFS. This study this adds to the evidence-base of baseline inflammatory abnormalities in fibromyalgia and ME/CFS. It highlights their potential role in predicting symptom severity and their potential mechanistic role in autonomic induced pain and fatigue, suggesting future treatment strategies. References [1]Eccles JA, Thompson B, Themelis K, Amato ML, Stocks R, Pound A, et al. Beyond bones: The relevance of variants of connective tissue (hypermobility) to fibromyalgia, ME/CFS and controversies surrounding diagnostic classification: an observational study. Clin Med (Lond). 2021;21(1):53-8. [2]Eccles JA, Davies KA. The challenges of chronic pain and fatigue. Clin Med (Lond). 2021;21(1):19-27. [3]Hayes AF. Partial, conditional, and moderated moderated mediation: Quantification, inference, and interpretation. Commun Monogr. 2018;85(1):4-40. Disclosure of Interests Jessica Eccles: None declared, Charlotte Thompson: None declared, Beth Thompson: None declared, Marisa Amato: None declared, Kristy Themelis: None declared, Hugo Critchley: None declared, Neil Harrison Grant/research support from: speakers bureau, Kevin Davies: None declared [1]: /external-ref?link_type=ISRCTN&access_num=ISRCTN78820481

Many autists reject all forms of social power. Unless we have autistic people in our environment that nurture our sense of agency and intrinsic motivations, trauma may prevent us from learning how …

Autistic and non-autistic adults’ agreement with scientific knowledge about autism, how they define autism, and their endorsement of stigmatizing conceptions of autism has not previously been examined. Using an online survey, we assessed autism knowledge and stigma among 636 adults with varied relationships to autism, including autistic people and nuclear family members. Autistic participants exhibited more scientifically based knowledge than others. They were more likely to describe autism experientially or as a neutral difference, and more often opposed the medical model. Autistic participants and family members reported lower stigma. Greater endorsement of the importance of normalizing autistic people was associated with heightened stigma. Findings suggest that autistic adults should be considered autism experts and involved as partners in autism research.

The authors conclude from a range of literature relevant to the autistic condition that atypical strategies for the allocation of attention are central to the c...

Listen to Bonus: Conference to Restore Humanity! Overview from Human Restoration Project. In this bonus episode of Human Restoration Project's podcast, we talk about all of the fantastic opportunities available at our upcoming Conference to Restore Humanity! 2022: System Reboot, which is entirely online from July 25th-July 28th, 2022. We detail:The goals and reasoning for establishing the conference, including pedagogy, sustainability, accessibility, and representationThe keynotes, learning tracks, and additional eventsThe purposeful design for ensuring everyone can participate and be informed through the conference (and why traditional conferences don't work for everyone)...and other reasons why a virtual-first conference model is not only needed, but necessaryIf you're interested in attending, early bird pricing ends really soon from this recording - June 30th! You can sign up at any point at humanrestorationproject.org/conference

For many disabled people, options like remote working have been needed for years. As many workplaces make this shift, are there also other ways the world could become more accessible?

The Information Autism website provides up-to-date, scientifically reliable information about autism, including information about a wide range of treatments, therapies and services used to help autistic people.

NEWS Happy Pride Marches and parades across Turtle Island yesterday marked another fraught Pride weekend. For many disabled people, it’s a time of ecstatic communion with other queers, a time to reckon with the hurt of younger years and the entanglements of our gender, sexuality, and disability

Let’s take a look at what's broken in coding culture, how we got there, and how to fix the internet's creative culture.Anil Dash is the CEO of Glitch, the cr...

Out of the five elements of well-being, adults worldwide fared worst in 2013 in purpose well-being -- suggesting a global deficit in the number of people who actually like what they do each day and who are motivated to achieve their goals.

In creating an organization for lasting change, it's vitally important we revisit the values in which we promote a human-centered education.

Explore millions of resources from scholarly journals, books, newspapers, videos and more, on the ProQuest Platform.

Slack’s threads might as well not exist

It’s painful and exhausting to ‘mask’ Autism — but I have no other choice

What if a certain mindset and "disability" made you a savvier consumer?

The Autism Advantage. Cognitive fallacies and biases in research with autistic subjects. Are researchers more biased than autists?