melanie maree

I recently wrote a blog post sharing my observations and personal feelings about being excluded from advocacy spaces within the ND community. What I didn’t realise is that I was doing that very thing within my own post.

I’ve noticed a pattern, a shift in the way the neurodivergent community advocates. The neurodiversity paradigm shift’s foundation is listening to lived experience. People sharing their lived experiences have been a powerful force for change, especially in the autistic community. We’ve seen an influx of late-identified autistic folks through the sharing of our lives with each other.

The news broke this week of a perpetrator hiding in plain sight in 20 child care centres across Melbourne. It's safe to say it's been distressing for parents who send their child to one of the centres involved. I've loved seeing the influx of educational posts about sexual abuse on social media. It warmed my heart. But is sharing information after the fact going to bring real change to violence against women and children?