Hi! My name is Kai.
I created The Autistic Ambassador (TAA) blog to facilitate cultural exchange between neurotypes.
A “neurotype” refers to a group of people who share commonalities in the ways that their brains develop and function. There are two main neurotypes – people with neuro-divergent brain development and function, and people with neuro-typical brain development and function. As their names might suggest, the latter is most common or “typical” neurotype while the former is a smaller population which differs from the majority.
The neurodivergent community (comprised of autistic individuals, PDAers, ADHDers, dyslexic people, and those with other brain differences) is a marginalized minority group whose neurology is divergent from (but not substandard to) the neurotypical majority.
While awareness of neurodivergence has arguably been achieved, acceptance and true cultural integration remain as unrealized goals. It is towards this acceptance and integration that the educational content provided by TAA is oriented.
I am personally a member of the neurodivergent community as multiply-neurodivergent person and parent of two neurodivergent children. I am also coparent with a neurotypical person. Being part of this inter-abled relationship has been instrumental in demonstrating for me both the need for this cultural exchange between neurotypes and the rewards of working towards it, and serves as a living model for which I am deeply grateful.
TAA aims to be a fully accessible, ADA compliant website catering to individuals of all abilities, as well as a peaceful and inclusive safe space. If we could be doing a better job on any of these fronts, please do not hesitate to let us know by using the contact form provided on this site.
While TAA is far from being the only “autistic ambassador,” on the Internet, the content provided here seeks to join and amplify the chorus of #ActuallyAutistic voices in public spaces, translating our lived experiences for the broader neurotypical world, and advocating not just for awareness, but for acceptance, accommodation, and equal opportunity in co-creating a more respectful and equitable society for all.
It is the belief at TAA that the only true barrier to unity is unfamiliarity, and that by providing an inside glimpse into the worldview and lived experiences of the neurodivergent community in ways that neurotypical people can readily understand and relate to, appreciation and cooperation naturally develop.
The ultimate goal is to facilitate cultural exchange between neurotypes, and that is not a one-way street. TAA aims to serve as an intermediary between the neurodivergent community and the neurotypical community, and to help each better comprehend where the other is coming from.
TAA’s aim is to assist in the process of bringing two distinct neuro-cultures together in harmony, each bringing their unique strengths and talents and insights to form a synergy, a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts.
TAA asserts that it is time for humanity to embrace all of itself, to harness the power of our differences as a potent agent for evolution and progress rather than misusing them as kindling for the fires of division and destruction.
We hope to show that we can accomplish acceptance and cultural integration by learning about one another, and by being brave enough to hold space for world views and approaches to life which differ from our own.
We further hope to show that we can accomplish that by shifting from a paradigm of competing with one another to one of competing with the limits of our combined capabilities, together, as a species.
The educational content at TAA aims to demonstrate that our differences are, in fact, the source of our greatest power, and not just within the neurodivergent community or just within the neurotypical community, but collectively, within the beautiful mosaic of human diversity, itself.
I hope you will join us as we shed light on the history, traditions and tendencies – the cultures – of each neurotype, and as we work towards a better integrated, stronger humanity.
The Autistic Ambassador 