NeuroDivergent Rebel - Refusing Assimilation Shirt V3.0

Earlier in the year I accidentally launched a shirt sale that I had meant to cancel (mostly due to doubt there would be any interest in the current political climate) but forgot? since the sale was live anyway, I decided to share it with you all.

In the end (despite all my doubts) people loved the shirt and it turned out to be a huge success - so I am doing it again!!!

For those who don?t know, my ?day job? (before the anti-DEIA wave hit) was as an independent consultant, teaching organizations how to be more Queer and Neuro-Inclusive (MORE INFO BELOW).

For many years Pride Season (stretching late May to early July) was my busiest time of year (because I couldn?t fit them all in June).

This year, going into June, I have ZERO Pride Month clients on my books. It is scary, but somehow I know that we will be okay.

Shirt purchases mean a lot right now, but also if you are not looking for a shirt at this time, sharing is the type of help one can't put a price on.

To everyone who bought a shirt last time: I can't thank you enough for your support, especially, in these uncertain times.

I truly appreciate you all!

-Lyric Rivera

*More info below

This shirt sale is part of an ongoing fundraising effort to help support the NeuroDivergent Rebel Blog's Advocacy Efforts

Everything is so uncertain these days. The world feels very unstable.

In previous years, I'd found a career I loved, that I could do well, and that suited my needs. This (finding adequate, supportive, and meaningful work) is something many Autistic and other NeuroDivergent People often struggle with.

Autistic People are more likely to be underemployed or unemployed because we are often misunderstood and undervalued by those around us. Additionally, we frequently face challenges finding careers adapted to our unique skills and needs.

Many environments do not include or understand us, and we are often blamed for struggling in environments that fail to consider our differences in their design and operation.

For the past four years, I dedicated my life to creating kinder, more compassionate, and neuro-inclusive spaces (something we all can benefit from regardless of our brain types).

I loved my work more than I had loved any job before (because it was meaningful, and I could see its positive impact on the people around me), but recently the tone has changed.

It's been a journey.

Years ago, before learning about my Autistic mind, I had set out on a quest to find the ?right kind? of livelihood, one that did minimal harm (and preferably was helpful to the community and world around me).

In my teen years, I'd taken "if it harms none, do what you will" to heart, and in adulthood, I found comfort in the Buddha's teachings, which tied nicely into my existing belief (and disbelief) systems.

Bouncing through multiple jobs and career paths over the years, I'd struggled to find a job that fits my life goals of "leaving the world better than I found it" and not doing harm.

Eventually, after a jarring late Autism diagnosis (at the age of 29), I found my calling working as a NeuroDiversity Consultant, helping organizations of all shapes and sizes better understand the human spectrum of brains (and experiences) within their spaces.

My work helped make spaces more accessible for NeuroDivergent People. It also made organizations more efficient and effective (because people are better at collaborating and communicating when they make fewer assumptions about the people around them and understand each other better).

DEI&A (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Accessibility) Is NOT a Bad Thing!

I was trying to make the world a better place (because that's what DEI&A is really about: making the world safe and inclusive for ALL of us).

The current administration's war on DEI&A is a war on those who are most vulnerable (to whom this world is already unkind), making the world harder for all of us to survive in.

Maternity leave is DEI&A. Wheelchair ramps are DEI&A. Support for Autistic People and those with disabilities or the elderly is DEI&A. So many things are DEI&A, but the way those in power talk about it, you wouldn't know it.

Life on Pause

My Neuro-Inclusion work has mostly been placed on pause. The businesses that aren't struggling right now (thanks to all the economic uncertainty) are scared to book anything DEI&A right now (thanks to threats from our fascist dictators).

My current path (thanks to the help of my readers and my intimate understanding of Christian Nationalist Fundamentalism and Project 2025) has turned to sharing the news about current political events in the United States (and sometimes globally), focusing on Fascism and Christian Nationalism in America, Project 2025, and the Trump-Musk regime.

I am not where I thought I would be; this isn't how I imagined my life. Still, it feels as if I'm on the right path.

While I don't know what our future holds, I am hopeful (today) that things will work out somehow.

Thank you for being part of it!

-Lyric Rivera