ocular rewritten

welcome everyone!

this is basically just here for us to discuss plans and maybe as a sort of manager chat once the studio exists?

i think the first issue is what we’re going to call the studio. i actually don’t know what the month is officially called, so if someone does, please let me know

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Autism Awareness/Acceptance Month

Rey_venclaw wrote:

i think the first issue is what we’re going to call the studio. i actually don’t know what the month is officially called, so if someone does, please let me know

April is Autism Awareness/Acceptance Month (and 2nd April is Autism Awareness/Acceptance Day).
some people call it awareness, other people don't like the word awareness and prefer acceptance because it's more inclusive towards autistic people.
I think you could either call it “Autism Acceptance Month” or “Autism Awareness/Acceptance Month”, because if you just call it “awareness” you'll probably get a lot of comments saying you should say “acceptance” instead.

“It is … Autism Awareness/Acceptance/Advocacy/Ableism/(silly word)/Whatever the heck you want to call it because everyone has a strong opinion and thinks everyone else is wrong …. Month. woo-hoo” (- Rachel Dorsey, Autistic SLP)

-Squiggle wrote:

snip

what would you call it?

Rey_venclaw wrote:

what would you call it?

I'd probably call it “Autism Awareness/Acceptance Month”.

I would call it autism awareness month in my opinion.

how about we vote once everyone’s here?

Sure!

I like “Autism Awareness/Acceptance Month Studio” because it provides more room for preferences to not cause conflict, if that makes sense. Although, I would prefer it being “Autism Acceptance Month Studio” but everyone has different opinions about the wording and I understand that.

I just thought the title should match the goal. In my opinion this studio should inform people and remove harmful ideas and stereotypes! Both are good though!

Neverwilltell wrote:

I like “Autism Awareness/Acceptance Month Studio” because it provides more room for preferences to not cause conflict, if that makes sense.

I agree. Everyone has different preferences, and in my personal opinion, both awareness and acceptance are important, they work together. With awareness comes acceptance. Both are needed and both are connected.

I think awareness/acceptance works, it minimizes conflict from people wanting it to be the other title, and i do agree that both are important.

Rey_venclaw wrote:

I think awareness/acceptance works, it minimizes conflict from people wanting it to be the other title, and i do agree that both are important.

Sounds good to me!

I’m on board with that too! ^-^ I’m very excited about this.

I was talking with Cody yesterday about sort of splitting up jobs between us. It wouldn’t be rigid or anything, it would just give us an idea of what and how much we’re expected to do, so we don’t get confused or overwhelm ourselves with work. What would each of you be open to doing? There probably aren’t specific roles for all of us, so multiple people can focus on one thing. Some options could be answering questions, vetting projects for accuracy and respectfulness, and inviting people who ask to curate?

Also I don’t know how the ST decides to feature what studios, but maybe, once we create the studio, asking people in the various ND studios around scratch to propose it would help?

I'd be good with answering some questions, and checking projects. By the way, for inviting people, you can invite a bunch of people from my studio or Squiggle's studio to get it started. I invited tons of people from other ND/autism studios for mine. It's helpful because you know those people are already interested in the topic.

I'd be glad to answer questions and monitor projects/comments! I'm pretty flexible with what I do!

I would be glad managing projects and inviting people who ask to curate or anyone who I think might be interested in joining the studio. I’m okay with answering questions too but I tend to get overwhelmed sometimes so I’ll just answer the questions that I know I won’t get overwhelmed by, if that’s fine. I notice that a lot of featured studios tend to have creative prompts relating to the studio to encourage people to base their projects on and I would love to suggest any prompt ideas for that.

As for how ST decides to feature their studios, I found this thread explaining what they look for in studios to feature: https://scratch.mit.edu/discuss/topic/569708/

I probably wouldn't be able to moderate projects or invite a lot of people at once because that takes a lot of energy for me, but I am online frequently and can check messages frequently and I like looking through comment sections.
I'd be happy to answer any questions and invite people who ask to join, as well as reporting anything that breaks the community guidelines. I might not be able to dedicate a load of time to the studio as I have other studios to moderate too, but I'd definitely enjoy helping out here and there. I'm also pretty good at organisation if that's needed, I like coming up with ideas, writing stuff, summarising stuff, etc.

-Squiggle wrote:

I probably wouldn't be able to moderate projects or invite a lot of people at once because that takes a lot of energy for me, but I am online frequently and can check messages frequently and I like looking through comment sections.
I'd be happy to answer any questions and invite people who ask to join, as well as reporting anything that breaks the community guidelines. I might not be able to dedicate a load of time to the studio as I have other studios to moderate too, but I'd definitely enjoy helping out here and there.

Same.

I’m good with doing basically anything, although, like Eddie, I’ll probably only answer questions if I’m sure they won’t overwhelm me.

sorry i’ve been inactive.

two more questions-

what do we want to include in the description?

what is our policy on curators?

Probably something similar to Pinks description. And for curators, just a form probably

For the description, we could describe the purpose of our studio and what Autism Acceptance/Awareness Month is about. For our policy on curators, like what Cody said, having people to fill out a form.

The form could look something like this:
Username (no @)// Nickname// Pronouns// Activity level (from 1-5)// Are you Autistic?// Are you Neurodivergent in any other way?// Do you know any Autistic people?// Will you follow the rules?// Codeword//

We can remove any parts from or add more parts to the form. This is just an example. I combined Pinks’ Autism Acceptance Studio form with other forms I commonly see in studios for the example. I hope that’s ok.

Thanks for elaborating Eddie! I’m not the best at putting my ideas into words -w-

I 100% agree with what Eddie says!

i actually think invitations on request might be better for a featured studio?

here’s some things i think the description should probably include. we can each maybe write a brief explanation of one/a couple of the parts?

“welcome to the studio!”

“what is autism?”

“what is autism awareness/acceptance month and why do we need it?”

“projects to add”

“our code of conduct” (could I write this one?)

“how to join”

“meet the managers”

and maybe some sort of conclusion?

here’s a studio! https://scratch.mit.edu/studios/33079952/

thoughts on host rotation?

Rey_venclaw wrote:

two more questions-

what do we want to include in the description?

what is our policy on curators?

I wanted to share my thoughts on these previous things you mentioned but I didn't because I was dealing with irl stuff at the time.
I think in the description it would be really good to include some ideas for ways people can participate in the studio and participate in autism month even if they're not autistic, because that would really help engage kids with learning about autism which would be awesome.
one of the most frequent comments in PinksMonkey's studio is “but I'm not autistic” lol, so we should probably clarify super obviously in the description that anyone can join and explain why it's important to support us even if you're not autistic

Rey_venclaw wrote:

i actually think invitations on request might be better for a featured studio?

sounds good, yeah I agree just asking to join might be better for a featured studio. (but I like the way a form might invite you to talk about your experiences with autism, so maybe there could be another way to do that. hmm)

Rey_venclaw wrote:

here’s some things i think the description should probably include. we can each maybe write a brief explanation of one/a couple of the parts?

I'd be happy to write any part of the description other than the welcome bit or conclusion because I'm terrible at writing those. and/or I can write my manager intro if we're doing manager intros. feel free to just assign anything to me and I'll get it done

Rey_venclaw wrote:

thoughts on host rotation?

I've never tried or participated in that before so I don't know if it's a good idea or not. I guess it depends on how long the studio is active or how active it becomes, and whether the host is comfortable being host. maybe we could organise a plan for it in case we do decide to do it, but only decide once the studio is ready or starting to become active.
also depends on who the managers would be, actually. if we plan on promoting less familiar people who are just active and helpful in the studio, it might be risky due to studio raids.

Rey_venclaw wrote:

i actually think invitations on request might be better for a featured studio?

here’s some things i think the description should probably include. we can each maybe write a brief explanation of one/a couple of the parts?

“welcome to the studio!”

“what is autism?”

“what is autism awareness/acceptance month and why do we need it?”

“projects to add”

“our code of conduct” (could I write this one?)

“how to join”

“meet the managers”

and maybe some sort of conclusion?

Sounds good!

Rey_venclaw wrote:

here’s a studio! https://scratch.mit.edu/studios/33079952/

thoughts on host rotation?

Not a fan, it makes things confusing

I would like to write the “projects to add”, ”welcome to the studio”, and/or the conclusion sections if that’s okay with everyone else.

For the rest of the sections, I like them. I think that they would fit great in the studio.

And for the “meet the managers” section, a format to introduce us could look like this:
@Username // Nickname// Pronouns// Role as a Manager// Neurodivergent or ally?//

Fill in example: @Neverwilltell // Eddie// e/they/he// Project Manager// Autistic//

It doesn’t have to look like this. This is just an example for ideas.

Rey_venclaw wrote:

thoughts on host rotation?

I don’t have anything against it. However, I can relate to Cody’s comment about it because I agree that it may make things confusing.

For the manager form I was thinking something similar to that as well, but what if we also each have a brief sentence about the impact our autism has on our lives, for educational purposes?

Rey_venclaw wrote:

For the manager form I was thinking something similar to that as well, but what if we also each have a brief sentence about the impact our autism has on our lives, for educational purposes?

I like that idea!

okay, how’s this for the division of description writing?

eddie = intro, outro

cody = how to join, projects to add

pinks = what is autism awareness/acceptance month and why do we need it

squi = what is autism

soki = code of conduct

(everybody writes their own manager intro)

also who’s making the thumbnail and what should be on it? (red background, gold text?)

sounds good, here's my manager intro

@-Squiggle // Squi // she/they // I moderate comments, invite people, and am happy to answer any questions. I check my notifications frequently // autistic & neurodivergent // autism has been my special interest for a few years so I love learning about and talking about it!

(idk what's best to write so I might adjust this over time)

Rey_venclaw wrote:

also who’s making the thumbnail and what should be on it? (red background, gold text?)

yess good colours
I don't know who should make the thumbnail but I can definitely do it if needed (see studios I'm following for other thumbnails I've drawn)
if we have enough time we could do a thumbnail contest maybe?

idk

anyway this all sounds really good so far, I have a good feeling about this studio

oh btw maybe turn comments off in the studio if you don't want people commenting there yet

Yeah, that sounds good. I can probably make the thumbnail too!

Here's my info:
@PinksMonkey // Pinks // They/he/she // I can answer any questions, check projects, and other similar things. // I'm autistic and have generalized anxiety disorder. // Same as Squi, autism is something I love teaching people about! ☺️

@Rey_venclaw // Soki // she/they but I’m good with any // I host the studio, moderate and respond to comments, review and add projects, and basically help wherever help is needed // I’m currently in the process of getting an autism diagnosis and I have several other neurodivergent conditions as well // It can be challenging to be autistic, but this isn’t because autism is bad. Instead, it’s because autistic people often aren’t accepted in society. autism awareness/acceptance month, as well as this studio, exist to try and change that. I hope you join us on our mission <3

i feel like this is too cheesy or something but i don’t know what else to say. any thoughts?

-shxdes // Cody // He/Him // I'm happy to answer anyone questions and discuss any querys you have! I also moderate projects! // I have autism and ADHD!

I could also make a thumbnail, my scratch account it dedicated to my art.

Rey_venclaw wrote:

i feel like this is too cheesy or something but i don’t know what else to say. any thoughts?

I don't think it's too cheesy.

Rey_venclaw wrote:

okay, how’s this for the division of description writing?

eddie = intro, outro

cody = how to join, projects to add

pinks = what is autism awareness/acceptance month and why do we need it

squi = what is autism

soki = code of conduct

(everybody writes their own manager intro)

also who’s making the thumbnail and what should be on it? (red background, gold text?)

Happy to work on that! I have no homework since it's the end of my term so I should get it done today or tomorrow!

how about we all try to get our parts done by sunday at the latest, so we have time to work out issues and get people to propose it?

ok.

idk what time zones we’re all in, so there’s not like a set, specific deadline. just generally finish it in the next 1-2 days

Definitely!

Got it!

Here’s my manager form:
@Neverwilltell // Eddie// e/they/he// I manage projects, invite curators, and can answer questions people may have. I will also help for whatever else is needed!// I’m Autistic. I would love to hear other people’s experiences about being on the spectrum since everyone is different and I love to keep an open mind about others’ perspectives.//

(Tell me if there’s anything I should or need to add.)

I’ve already started on the introduction and conclusion. I’m almost done with them. I’m going to keep them short if that’s okay so we have more room for the rest of the description. Can I post them here on this forum when I’m done writing them?

yep! posting them here is fine

Ok! I’m already done with both the intro and outro. I did my best to check multiple times for any grammar mistakes or wording confusions that I may have written and corrected them before copy & pasting them to here.

Introduction:
Hello! Welcome to the studio! We invite you to celebrate Autism Awareness/Acceptance Month with us. Autism Spectrum is a widely misunderstood condition so not all people know factual information about it. Our studio has been created to educate people about Autism and explain why we have the month of April to spread awareness and acceptance about being on the spectrum. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask!

Conclusion:
Thank you for checking out the Autism Awareness/Acceptance Month studio! We hope you learned a new thing or more about Autism Spectrum. Have a wonderful day/night! ^-^

Code of Conduct (I am dissatisfied with the phrasing of basically this whole thing. suggestions?)


(This is the equivalent to a rules section. Follow these guidelines at all times in your comments and projects, or you may be reported or asked to leave the studio)

- Follow the Scratch Community Guidelines (found here https://scratch.mit.edu/community_guidelines/) at all times

- Treat everyone with respect and kindness and avoid getting heated or angry, even if you disagree

- Listen to the perspective of actually autistic people when it comes to autism. (I feel like I should add more to this one but everything I can think of could potentially come across as rude. would “If you aren’t autistic, you don’t know what it’s like to be autistic, so don’t act like you do” work okay? i’m awful at tone)

- Don’t use the r-slur or other ableist language. Don’t insult, make fun of, or bully people for being autistic. Don’t say autism is bad, or that it should be punished or cured.

- Keep debates about self-diagnosis, Autism Speaks, and any other controversial autism-related topics out of this studio please.

- If a manager tells you to not say something or to disengage from a conversation or argument, you do so!


anything else that should me mentioned or added? anything I should remove or change?