I’M RYAN, A LATE-DIAGNOSED AUDHD WOMAN, MOTHER OF THREE, AND A DEDICATED NEURODIVERSITY ADVOCATE. I AM THE MIND FROM WHICH AWRYTE WAS BORN.
FROM A YOUNG AGE, I KNEW I DIFFERENT. BY THE TIME I TURNED TEN, I HAD ALREADY COINED A TERM FOR MY EXUBERANT, SPIRITED BURSTS OF ENERGY AND THE ALL-ENCOMPASSING PASSION THAT RESONATED FROM ME ON A CELLULAR LEVEL: MY "EXTRA."
I QUICKLY RECOGNIZED THE NEED TO DULL THE SHINE OF MY "EXTRA" TO FIT IN. SO, I OBSERVED, MIMICKED, AND METICULOUSLY CRAFTED A FACADE—THE FIRST OF MANY MASKS I WOULD WEAR THROUGHOUT MY LIFE—TO BE LESS OF ME AND MORE OF WHAT I BELIEVED THE WORLD WANTED ME TO BE.
AS I STUMBLED THROUGH ADOLESCENCE, DIAGNOSES OF SOCIAL ANXIETY DISORDER AND ADHD ONLY DEEPENED MY SENSE OF ISOLATION.
BY MY MID-TWENTIES, ASPERGER'S SYNDROME WAS CASUALLY ADDED TO MY MEDICAL CHART—SOMETHING RARE IN WOMEN AT THAT TIME—WITH NO FURTHER EXPLANATION. SIMPLY GIVING MY OTHERNESS NEW NAMES DID NOTHING TO QUENCH MY LIFELONG YEARNING FOR ACCEPTANCE AND UNDERSTANDING.
TIME AND TIME AGAIN, MY EFFORTS TO SEEK "SUPPORT" WERE MET WITH DEMORALIZING AND ISOLATING EXPERIENCES. TEACHERS CONSISTENTLY "CORRECTED" AND REDIRECTED MY BIG QUESTIONS AND EVEN BIGGER IDEAS. MEANWHILE, DOCTORS FRANTICALLY TRIED TO "FIX" MY UNIQUE WAY OF PROCESSING AND EXPERIENCING THE WORLD.
THROUGHOUT IT ALL, NOBODY SIMPLY SAT ME DOWN AND EXPLAINED THAT THERE WAS, IN FACT, A WHY; A NEUROLOGICAL EXPLANATION FOR MY SENSE OF "OTHERNESS." MUCH LESS TEACH ME HOW TO COEXIST, FUNCTION, AND FLOURISH IN A WORLD THAT NEVER SEEMED TO HAVE ENOUGH ROOM FOR MY "EXTRA."
WHAT A GAME-CHANGER IT WOULD HAVE BEEN TO HAVE HAD AN ADVOCATE—OR BETTER YET, A COMMUNITY—WHO TRULY GOT ME.
AWRYTE IS THE PLACE WHERE I HAVE CHOSEN TO LAY THE FIRST BRICK OF OUR COLLECTIVE, INCLUSIVE FOUNDATION. TOGETHER, I BELIEVE WE WILL BREAK DOWN BARRIERS TO TRUE INCLUSION AND HIGHLIGHT THE UNIQUE CONTRIBUTIONS THAT NEURODIVERGENT MINDS BRING TO THE WORLD.
AWRYTE IS A SAFE SPACE. AWRYTE IS A CALL TO ACTION—A MOVEMENT TOWARD A MORE INCLUSIVE WORLD WHERE EVERY VOICE MATTERS.HERE, WE AFFIRM, AMPLIFY, ADVOCATE & ALLY.
AS WE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN, AND WILL ALWAYS BE, WE ARE AWRYTE.
IN HOPE AND SOLIDARITY,
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I'M BASED IN
FAIRFIELD COUNTY, CT
80 MINUTES TO NYC VIA TRAIN
I'VE WORKED AS
EDUCATOR
PRODUCTION & STAGE MANAGER
EVENT DIRECTOR
MY SUPERPOWER
READING THE ROOM
SPEAKING MY TRUTH