Hello, and welcome. My name is joshua (not Joshua, not josh); my pronouns are they/them/theirs/joshua; i love hyper-links (and hyphens); and i hate food. I am a(n) (autistic, AdHd, dyslexic, dyspraxic) person and social worker (MSW, ASW #104778) residing in Santa Cruz who identifies as a White, neuro-queer, gender-vague Jew.

The first break-down of my mental health, and my subsequent self-diagnosis, in 2019 led to a cornucopia of positive events (most germane, this blog). Some other benefits have included (but are certainly not limited to) an increased understanding of my unique processing and learning approaches; access to new and relevant resources (e.g., work accommodations for disabled people); significantly reduced depression and anxiety and increased hope and self-love; being welcomed into a new (for me) community that is understanding and supportive; and a renewed passion for self-discovery.

In respect to this blog, i was (primarily) inspired to share my personal experience(s) with disability after reading melanie yergeau‘s 2017 book Authoring Autism (h/t to my sibling for gifting it to me). More than anything, yergeau’s book reminded me of the crucial importance for actually autistic representation within research, education, and media. The awareness of my ignorance (reflecting the ignorance of my educators) compelled me to feel morally duty-bound to share my own experiences, both for the sake of representation and to inspire others to feel comfortable and empowered to do the same.

I love and have a boundless passion for martial arts, in particular, pencak silat
and kun khmer. They have taught me the true meaning of discipline (read: repetition, or showing up), connected me with a community of people with shared values such as radical acceptance and self-growth, and helped me re-connect my mind and body and heal from trauma. I traveled to Java in 2017 to train and perform (that’s me on the left performing in Jawa Barat, Bandung), and i have been teaching pencak silat classes under the supervision of Guru Rennie Saunders since February 2023.

I am a musician. Writing and playing music have been powerful emotional and creative outlets for me ever since i first picked up a guitar around 12 years old. I began writing original indie/folk rock songs almost immediately after learning to play my favorite artists’ songs (The Beatles, Cat Stevens, Neutral Milk Hotel, Simon and Garfunkel), and from 17 to 23 years old i recorded several acoustic EPs and LPs. From 18 to 26 i co-wrote and recorded several slam death metal splits, EPs, and LPs, in addition to touring the US, Europe, and Asia (that’s me on the left performing in Seoul, South Korea).

I am an animal-person. I was previously the proud parent of a bearded
dragon, Ozzy, and am currently the proud parent of two tabbies, Bennie
and The Jets, as well as a xolo/chi, Little Lady (pictured right to left).

I am also, in addition to many other things: a therapist with an ardor for community mental health services, decolonization, and anti-racism; an ex-applied behavior analysis (ABA) “therapist” (and now an anti-ABA adherent); a dance-lover; and a food-hater.