[diversity-talk] Neurodiversity and CoC

[alyssa wright]

Thanks Serge! I think this is a really important community to include in discussions around a healthy and respectful spaces. Do you know of any examples of codes of conducts that include neurodiversity?

Best,
Alyssa.

> On Oct 8, 2014, at 1:53 PM, Serge Wroclawski <emacsen at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> All,
> 
> I've been contacted by someone who wished to be unnamed but who is
> concerned about the issues of a code of conduct and those who are
> non-neurotypical. By non-neurotypical they mean people who have
> autism, learning disabilities, tourette's disorder or other
> neurological conditions which make social interactions difficult or
> potentially fraught, both on and offline. In the OSM community I've
> encountered a number of people who very likely are non-NT, and I've
> seen them encounter difficulty socially.
> 
> The concern raised was several fold:
> 
> First that any statement about diversity include neurological just as
> we do gender, race, background, etc. This is especially important
> because for this population, the differences are hidden (unlike skin
> color, for example), but are not by choice (such as political
> beliefs).
> 
> Secondly, and I think even more importantly, that these issues be
> taken into consideration when dealing with non-NT people. For example
> in the mailing list CoC, one issue that I did not pick up on was that
> the "first strike" rule is for a public admonishment. This can be
> difficult for non-NTs for a few reasons suc-h as that they they may
> not be aware of the problematic behavior, that if the mail is not
> carefully worded that they may need an alternative behavior presented
> or that yhey may perceive a public mail as form of punishment, which
> can be highly anxiety provoking or potentially triggering.
> 
> Thirdly, as I mentioned briefly in the second point, many non-NTs may
> not know or be able to fully process social cues. For example, they
> may stand too close to someone, or speak too loudly, make comments
> which would seem out of place or inappropriate, or just make someone
> feel "uneasy".
> 
> Unfortunately there is a large stigma on neurological disorders (and a
> more broad category of  "mental illnesses") which keeps these people
> from speaking up publicly, or for some of them, from even getting a
> diagnosis, meaning that they may not be able to self-identify.
> 
> I'd like to know what others thoughts are on this topic and how we can
> act to support this segment of the OSM population.
> 
> - Serge
> 
> _______________________________________________
> diversity-talk mailing list
> diversity-talk at openstreetmap.org
> https://lists.openstreetmap.org/listinfo/diversity-talk