User blog:MissLunaRose/Hello World

Hi, everyone! I haven't been on Wikia for a long time, so I'm basically new to the community here. It is my hope that we can all work together to make Wikia a positive, informative, and respectful autism resource.

I was diagnosed with PDD-NOS, then Asperger Syndrome, then just basic autism by a variety of experts 2 years ago and onward, and after a lot of careful research from the autistic community on my part. I am now in college and have joined an autism club, and more recently, a class for autistic students.

I have a background in creative and essay writing, and have worked on building up wikiHow's Autism Spectrum section (and more recently its new Autism Project) for the past year.



What I Stand For
I am a firm believer in the idea that autistic voices (verbal or not, from all over the spectrum) should be uplifted and valued. Whenever I write, I take care that my work embodies the principles of...
 * Respect—Upholding the dignity of autistic people is crucial.
 * Fairness and accuracy—I carefully research my work as much as I feel is needed. I want my work to be accurate, and to let the facts speak for themselves.
 * Inclusion and diversity—Autistic people are nothing if not diverse. I take care to respect all people who are different from me. (If you feel that I ever said something hurtful, please tell me.)
 * Collaboration—My thoughts and ideas are only the beginning. If you see a page that I write, and you have new ideas for improvements, please do so. All voices are important, and more perspectives help represent the diversity of the spectrum.

How I Can Help
I have ideas for building up this wikia, both by expanding and refining existing articles, and by starting new ones. These include... When my doctor first mentioned autism to me, I felt confused and uncertain about my future. It was the Autistic community that provided encouragement and answers. It is my hope that we can build Wikia into a resource that does this for other autistic people (and loved ones), so they can get accurate information without blame or shame, and feel that it's going to be okay.
 * More articles on autism symptoms, including positive ones, and more details on what they look like in different people
 * More articles on the Autistic community
 * Focus on autistic readers (although loved ones are of course welcome too)
 * At least one image per article; I am an illustrator and can draw things
 * Creating a tone that encompasses respect, acceptance, and at times positivity; no gloom and doom regarding the fact that we exist
 * More helpful resources for those who need them

I look forward to meeting you all, getting to know each other, and working as a team. Please feel free to introduce yourselves in the comments so I can meet you all! I believe that we can work together to make this wiki great.

MissLunaRose (talk) 22:01, January 17, 2016 (UTC)