TBN #27
Watch Your Tone 🗣️
April is Autism Acceptance Month and this year’s theme is “Celebrate Differences” which focuses on promoting each individual’s unique differences and to foster inclusivity and connectedness. Currently, there are over 7 million individuals in the United States on the Autism spectrum. The Autism community is growing rapidly with the diagnosis rate increasing by 10-17% each year. However, the cost of health care for the Autism community is currently in the billions due to lack of more effective interventions and treatments. This also creates an equity issue for families who may not be able to afford the cost of health care for Autistic family members. Due to this growing population, it is important to stay informed on how we can support the Autism community in school and at work.
Here are some ways you can support the Autism community this month (and every month):
Review this infographic about Autism
Read the 2023 Autism Report
Learn about workplace accommodations for Autistic employees
Use tone indicators for written content (see below)
Donate to Autism Society
Support Autistic content creators and business owners
Use the following hashtags to promote Autism Acceptance (Awareness) Month: #CelebrateDifferences #AutismAcceptanceMonth #AutismAwarenessMonth
Let’s get into it…
WEEKLY UPDATE
CLIFF NOTES: IN CASE YOU MISSED IT…
AI and Diversity are getting prioritized
Buzzfeed News is shutting down
Idaho bans diversity statements from higher ed jobs
Lesbian Visibility Week (Apr 24-30)
April is Earth Month, Arab-American Heritage Month, World Autism Awareness Month, National Child Abuse Prevention Month, and Celebrate Diversity Month
BENTON’S BASICS: TONE INDICATORS
Long story short…
What are tone indicators? A tone indicator is a symbol or shorthand word used to convey the tone of any text-based message. These indicators are helpful for people with autism or dyslexia, or those who may have difficulty understanding the tone of written content. Here are a few examples:
/j=joking
Sitting in traffic is fun /j
/hj=half joking
The project won’t take that long /hj
/s=sarcasm
I love Mondays. /s
/gen=genuine
You’re such a great friend. /gen
/li=literally
That was a decade ago /li
/nm=not mad
Did you send the reminder? /nm
/l or /ly = lyrics
Just one look at you and I know it's gonna be a lovely day, lovely day /ly
A full (not exhaustive) list of tone indicators
HOMEWORK: CALLING OUT, CALLING IN
What I’m Watching 📺: Netflix’s Night Agent.
What I’m Listening To 🎧: Code Switch’s recent episode, The Fallout of a Callout which features a conversation between Hari Kondabolu called out Hank Azaria, a white person, for portraying an Indian character on The Simpsons. This is their first sit-down conversation.
What I’m Reading This Month 📚: Getting Along: How to Work with Anyone (Even Difficult People) by Amy Gallo
DANCE BREAK: SEMI-CHARMED LIFE
I watched Somebody I Used To Know and Third Eye Blind’s “Semi-Charmed Life” was featured in the film. Now doo-doo-doo is stuck in my head so I am sharing the song with you.
DOUBLE TAP: WHO I’M FOLLOWING
Haley Moss was the first woman open and documented with autism to pass the Florida Bar Exam and become a licensed attorney in the state of Florida.
I’d love to hear from you!
What do you need to be better in work and in life? Send me a message or connect with me on social.
