In 2021, I started GeekDis, an event for the disabled and neurodivergent community to talk about representation on our terms. Four years later, one event ended up becoming an annual event, and I have met so many new people in our community as a result.

During those years I’ve seen many people express the desire to do more, and like myself, they all have the same problem; we’re just one person with many limitations due to our health. I want to do more. I’m spilling over with ideas, and step one of that is realising that this little idea of mine needs to start moving away from my blog.

The first step in doing that was the name, and I hope you all like the new one:

The name ‘GeekDis’ worked, while the event was just a small thing hosted in addition to my blog. But it has grown, and I want it to grow further. I also wanted a name that included the neurodivergent community, and I chose the colours of the disability flag to show inclusion. Representation is for everyone.

I went through all sorts of designs in my head, and in the end, I felt that this bold design made the statement I wanted.

“Dismantling ignorance through discussion” is the aim of the event. It may seem naive to some, however, I’ve seen people take notice, learn and listen.

The repDISND information hub has been updated with new information. This includes clearer information about how to take part in repDISND, and I’ve also removed references to ‘pop culture’ as that confused a lot of people. The event is now focused on disabled and neurodivergent representation in any form.

I’ve not removed all mentions of ‘GeekDis’ as that will take more time and energy than I have. Important pages redirect to the repDISND equivalents. If you find one that I’ve missed, please let me know in the comments.

I mentioned that the name change is step one in my future plans, and while unveiling it was scary, here comes the scarier part; my five-year plan.

To be clear, I have not put any of this in motion at all, and all of these will require a lot of help from other members of the community. Please consider this my call to action for anyone who wants to join together to make a larger community organisation to work towards disabled and neurodivergent representation.

One to Two years

• I would like to set up the disabled and neurodivergent book awards. I’m thinking more an end of year awards-style set-up that people can vote in rather than a judging competition because if it’s run by disabled and/or neurodivergent people we need to make it easy for us to manage.
• Move repDISND to its own domain and start a community blog that promotes disabled and neurodivergent representation.

Three years

• Have a group/organisation of some description set up and start working on a disabled and neurodivergent book and comic database.
• A community hub that links all disabled/neurodivergent groups/organisations worldwide together – I know of various local ones in the UK, but wouldn’t it be amazing if we had something that linked everyone together and supported each other?

Longer term

• I would love to see a disabled and neurodivergent convention.

I’m also interested in other plans that aren’t just book-based, but I feel that it’s important to start somewhere specific rather than spreading too wide.

July is fast approaching, and that means it’s time to start preparing content for repDISND! You can find information about how to take part here and if you’re non-disabled/neurotypical please read this information to find out how to support the event!

I am once again accepting requests for interviews from disabled and/or neurodivergent people who create content representation or represent disability and neurodiversity in other fields. As with previous years, I am also looking for people to guest post here at Just Geeking By.

More details about guest posting and interviews are available here.

I look forward to working with everyone again this year! 🙂

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