It’s time for change on Autistic & Unapologetic. In fact, it was time for change about a month ago; when articles were still coming out on time, my social media schedule was still sociable and my inbox hadn’t reached an ominous three-figure number of unread messages.

In truth, this sorry state has developed as, while I have just as many hours in the day as many of the greats; Oprah Winfrey, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson & pioneer of the Marvel Cinematic Universe: Kevin Feige, I’ve somehow managed to develop a workload as big as all of those names put together (and this keeps on growing; personally, professionally and advocate-ly).

That’s why, today, before I collapse in on myself Deathstar style, I’m hitting 2 panic buttons and beginning a restructure of the site; Autistic & Unapologetic 2.0, if you will.

1. A New Schedule

Before Autistic & Unapologetic became something which forced me to go out and interact with people, the heart of my advocacy was dedicated to releasing positive posts about understanding and embracing Autism. So, as a building is only as strong as its foundations, it seems fitting to start with changes here, ergo:

  • Instead of a weekly post, articles will now be released bi-monthly (on the 2nd and 4th Saturday of the month). This will give me more chance to focus on the before and after of posts; content will be more polished and I will be able to engage more with your comments and emails.
  • Changing the monthly autism news roundup to a seasonal autism news roundup (so, one every 3 months). Yes, I will be sad to see this pillar of the site sitting on the bench. However, in time, I have big plans to bring the autism news back and better than ever (but I’ll stay hush on that for now).
  • As for the weekly newsletter, this is going to stay the same as, despite my initial fears all those years ago, you lot actually seem to love these emails (and I’m hoping it’s not just for the fascinating fact of the week).

With the site supporting more people than ever before, these changes are sure to make a huge difference in guiding people to find the help they need. However, for this to continue there’s one more thing I have to announce today.

2. I’m Asking for Donations

Since starting the site, I have wound up in many anxiety infested situations, all in the name of sharing the latest support techniques, tactics and therapies available and raising positive understanding of our community e.g.

  • I’ve discussed my battles with eating disorders in international papers
  • I’ve campaigned in the UK Parliament, for the review of the Autism Act
  • I’ve attended suicide prevention courses – learning strategies I’ve since used to help struggling members of our community

However, despite all these nail-biting moments, nothing has ever seemed quite as scary as asking for donations to support the site…

This isn’t something that should come as a surprise to me though as, ever since the days when I first started this page, I have constantly been reminded how advocacy isn’t cheap – due to the purchase of research papers, photo-editing software and external maintenance. Nevertheless, the small saving pot I originally had, made me believe that I would be alright, until those savings were used up.

On one side of the coin, I really shouldn’t complain, as I often speak to people who need funding far more than myself. Yet, on the other side, I now see that, if I can’t get funding, I will struggle to keep this site up and running smoothly for those very same people.

Because of this, I am finally putting my pride aside and opening up a Patreon: A site where readers can donate monthly amounts to help keep the lights on. For me, these donations can be as low as £1 a month: which even if only 15% of readers donate, will ensure that Autistic & Unapologetic can keep on going. Find out more.

Some Final Thoughts

Before I do disappear to start putting these new plans into action, I just wanted to say thank you to everyone reading. Today I’ve spoken a lot about some of the problems the site and I are currently facing but, in a strange way, I feel very fortunate to have the problems in the first place.

Currently, Autistic & Unapologetic is celebrating it’s 4th year of life and every day I log on to the page, it blows me away to see the interest and attention people have for my words. Make no mistake, I never intended for this site to get so big, but seeing it do so has given me an enormous sense of purpose, which I otherwise would be wasting away on the PlayStation.

So, whether you’re autistic yourself, a family member, a supporter worker or just have a fleeting interest in the spectrum, thank you for being here to learn all about autism. Together all of you are a constant reminder of why I set this site up in the first place and that, in turn, shows everyone why the autism community, now and forever will be, the best community.