May Newsletter 2024
=======================

Hi from AutSPACEs!

We're no longer using TinyLetter to send out our newsletter. Instead, we're now managing our mailing list using Turing's CRM and the email address [e-mail]. To share our newsletter with others who might be interested please ask them to email us at [e-mail] and we will add them to the mailing list. You can also message us using this address if you want to be removed from the mailing list.

Our next meet-up session is also coming up soon, which will happen on 6th June. In this session we'll be sharing an opportunity to co-author a chapter on co-creation for [The Turing Way](https://the-turing-way.netlify.app/index.html) which is an online, open guide to reproducible research. We'll also be co-creating a glossary to add to the platform.

**Date:** Thursday 06 June 2024

**Time:** 12:00-1:30pm

**Location:**     

   Online via. Zoom: https://turing-uk.zoom.us/j/523235071

**Agenda and notes:**

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BugX18HOadIVo8ABqo1E_Cgs6ldFn9XTEYSm85nITgg/edit

If you want to influence the AutSPACEs strategy but can't make the session or if the meet-up format isn't for you, please feel free to add your thoughts, ideas, or questions to the notes document or email Georgia ([e-mail]) to have your perspective included in the discussion.

## Paper on Moderation Co-creation Published :yellow_heart: :rocket:

Thanks to the amazing work led by James Scott and Susanna Fantoni alongside a large team of contributors, our [paper on co-creating moderation strategies has now been published in the journal Data & Policy](https://doi.org/10.1017/dap.2024.21)! Data & Policy is a peer-reviewed, journal dedicated to the impact of data science on policy and governance, and as it's open access it's free to read.

Fantastic work and many thanks to all involved!

## Chapter on Ethical Citizen Science published

LIBER (the Association of European Research Libraries) has released the Open Science Meets Citizen Science section of their [Citizen Science for Research Libraries guidebook](https://libereurope.eu/article/open-science-meets-citizen-science-a-guide/). The book is openly published online and free for anyone to read and even remix/edit for their own purposes.

This section has been edited by AutSPACEs team member Bastian - and it also includes a chapter on _Ethical Practices for Citizen Science_, which features AutSPACEs as a test case. The chapter was co-authored by members of the AutSPACEs team and you can read it [here](https://cs4rl.github.io/open-science/#_6_0.).

## Code for Thought podcasts on Citizen Science

If we have any German speakers amongst the AutSPACEs community: Bastian appeared on an [episode of the German edition of the _Code for Thought_ podcast](https://codeforthought.buzzsprout.com/1326658/15099691-de-wissenschaft-von-und-mit-burgern-bastian-greshake-tzovaras). The episode touches upon the work that AutSPACEs does & citizen science more broadly.

And for the English speakers: Back in 2022, Bastian [appeared on the English edition of _Code for Thought_](https://codeforthought.buzzsprout.com/1326658/11630426-citizen-science-and-software), chatting about citizen science as well!

## Help Write a Chapter for The Turing Way!

Following a workshop at the Sustainability Institute's Collaborations Workshop 2024, we are working together to co-write a chapter for [The Turing Way](https://the-turing-way.start.page/). The SSI community and The Turing Way community are both welcoming communities which share the values of AutSPACES. We believe in participatory research and "nothing about us without us", and this is a great opportunity to influence the research of the future so it is more inclusive.

We'll be discussing this in the upcoming meet-up session on the 6th June. You can also get in touch by emailing Georgia if you are interested in contributing, or join us on [The Turing Way Slack](https://join.slack.com/t/theturingway/shared_invite/zt-2hzp20nps-FlLO4D~P9lglQS~w4ZcTNg) and going to the #co-creation channel.

## Autism and music - writing by Kat Browning

AutSPACEs community member Kat Browning has [written a new article called "The Spoonie Trap" which is available on her Substack](https://katmuss.substack.com/p/the-spoonie-trap?r=2xmji5&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&triedRedirect=true).

## Spotlight Interview - Bryony Randall

This month's spotlight interviewee is Bryony Hazel Randall. Bryony joined the AutSPACEs community having taken part in a user testing session of the AutSPACEs platform and since then she's been involved in strategies for data management and moderation policies by joining in our online meet-up groups!

>Hi, I'm Bryony! I'm a big fan of kawaii culture, which means really cute things! I love to read fantasy novels, I sing and for me, a nice day would be hand feeding the squirrels!
>
>With Autspaces, I have been joining in group calls with other autistic folks to talk about important aspects of the website like privacy and accessibility. I'm not a tech savvy person, or a researcher, just someone who was interested in a platform for autistic people being ethical.
>
>My tip for Autspaces is to give your time to feel motivated by a particular scenario you want to write out, and that positive and neutral experiences are just as important to share as negative ones!

## Hope - by Sue

We're delighted to be able to share the following poem by AutSPACEs collaborator Suzanne Iwai:

>"I wrote this during the pandemic because we all needed a dose of it when the death rate was rising faster than the vaccine was being developed. The references to a special passport was also a sincere wish for all Autistic people not to have to repeat their context, support needs and their hearts desire ad nauseam, to start all conversations afresh to truly be seen.
>
>That hope has started to be fulfilled with the drive to share data more intelligently and more cohesively. It's never a final destination, it's always a journey, that "I hope", where we can all travel comfortably in each others company"

### Hope

H…..hope to be honest, happy, the opposite of horrible, hateful, hating, harassing and harmful…. all the horrendous
hurtful words that begin with H

O…. open, optimistic, optimum, omnipresent, opalescent .

P…. a pleasing propulsion into a place where pessimism, parameters, and permissions don’t permeate, pervade, or poison.

E…..elastic ecstatic experiences, electrifying, exciting and explosive existential proof of energetic existence
Elevating, expressive and enthralled, nil expenditure no need for elaboration.

I want hope to be my middle name in
A passport that doesn’t expire in
The reaches of my mind, people kind,
A possibility we all share
Travelling, in fragile packages,
Believing it’s worth reaching
Into a future that no one knows
We’re just happy to explore its farthest shore.

Like a TV trailer teasingly shows
‘MORE ? ‘

Yes please 💜

Suzi Qpid 10/07 lTYC I

-------------------------------------------

### Connect with us

* [Github repository](https://github.com/alan-turing-institute/AutSPACEs)
* [Follow us on Twitter](https://twitter.com/AutSpaces)

You are also welcome to email [Georgia](mailto:[e-mail]) and we will support you to be involved or answer any questions you might have.

As always, a huge thank you is due to everyone in the community for all of your ongoing efforts and wonderful contributions. You are making a big difference in creating research which can benefit autistic people and their families.

Very best wishes,

Georgia, Bastian, David, Bryony, Kat, and Sue