# Copy for AutSPACEs website

Content for “How to Use the Platform”
Content for “About Autism” sensory processing, and what the project is
Content for “How we use your data’
Content for “Open Humans” - explanation for redirection
Content for “Get Involved” - explanation of participatory science and links to take part as researchers

# Content for “About Autism” sensory processing, and what the project is

:::warning
I think it would be best to use the text from the Autistica website to describe Autism and maybe also sensory processing, since it will already be written with autistic people in mind. There's no need to reinvent the wheel! I'd suggest taking the following text and linking to the Autistica website.

I notice though that the "symptoms" of autism are very negative and it might be good to frame in terms of a social model of difficulty
:::

## What is autism?

Autism affects the way people communicate and experience the world around them.

Autism is a spectrum of developmental conditions, including Asperger’s Syndrome. Every autistic person is different. Some are able to learn, live and work independently, while many have learning differences or co-occurring health conditions that require specialist support.

“It's just the way I process the world, it can give me challenges, but it gives me great joy too. I wouldn't be me without it!” Rhi, *autistic adult*

[Find out more](https://www.autistica.org.uk/what-is-autism/what-is-autism)

## What is sensory processing?

Sensory processing refers to the ways that our brains and bodies receive, sort, and respond to our environment using our senses. You might have heard of the five senses: touch, sight, hearing, smell and taste.

There are more senses than just these five. We also have a sense of our own body, we are moving it, and where it is in space. This sense is called proprioception. If you catch a ball or touch your nose, you are using proprioception.

There are lots of different opinions about how many senses there are. Other senses include: a sense of balance (equilibriocpetion), a sense of hot and cold (thermoception), a sense of your heart beating (cardioception), and a sense of time passing (chromoception).

A lot of autistic people (as many as 9/10 autistic people depending on the study) have sensory processing differences compared to non-autistic people. This means that they might respond to their environments differently. Sometimes this can cause extra challenges and create barriers for autistic peeople compared to non-existent people when they navigate environments which were not build with autistic people in mind. For example, you might find lights brighter, noises louder, or busy spaces more overwhelming compared to non-autistic people. You may also experience positive differences,

[Find our more](https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/topics/sensory-differences/sensory-differences/all-audiences)

## What is AutSPACEs?

The "Aut" in AutSPACEs refers to Autistic people, and the "SPACEs" is an acronym which refers to exploring **S**ensory **P**rocessing for **A**ccessible **C**ommunity **E**nvironments. This captures the aim of AutSPACEs which is to make spaces better for autistic people by learning about sensory processing and its impact.

AutSPACEs is made by and for autistic people, researchers, and allies of autistic people, who think that the world would be a much better place if autistic people had more of a say in how public and private spaces are used and designed.

All autistic people are different. We want to collect together lots of stories from autistic people, so that we can better understand how sensory processsing differences affect the way autistic people navigate the world around them. Together, we can use this information to build a better world for autistic people.

There are three main goals:

1. To advise organisations about how they can design and adapt spaces and policies to improve autistic people’s lives.
2. To educate non-autistic people so that they can better support their autistic friends, families, and colleagues.
3. To share autistic people’s stories and tips with other autistic people who have similar experiences, so that they can learn from each other

## Copy for 'How to use the platform'

## How it works

## Add to AutSPACEs

## 1. Register with Open Humans

When you register you create a private and anonymous account with Open Humans. We work with Open Humans to make sure you have control over your data and that it is safe.

## 2. Share your story

Enter a description of how your senses affect you. For example: "I do not go on trains because they are too loud".

## 3. Choose who can read your story

You can choose to share your story publicly, so people using AutSPACEs can learn from it, or privately, for research. You can also share both publicly and with researchers if you prefer.

## 4. Story is checked

If you want to make your story public, it will first be checked to make sure it follows our code of conduct. This is to keep AutSPACEs an autism-first, inclusive and welcoming space for all.
* [name=Soledad] **Check** part is a little bit too long compared to the other sections. You can also add a little bit more text to the **Change** part so they look like have even length. :sunflower:
* 
* 
* [name=Soledad] I can also keep the original text and keep the format like the above. Let me know which version you prefer.
* 

## 5. Change your stories any time

You can view your own stories and edit them, or change who they are shared with any time, even once they are submitted.

:::success
Good point Soledad! I think that it would be best to make the text which finishes off the first sentence much larger. Then there could be an arrow or button to click to find out more? With all the text, it looks more complicated than it needs to but the relevant information is available.
:::

#

## Explore AutSPACEs

You do not need an account to explore AutSPACEs and read other people's stories.

If you are autistic, you may find other people who have similar sense experiences to you. You can discover tips and recommendations from them.

If you are not autistic, you may find ways to better support n empathise with autistic people by learning from them how their senses affect them.

## Content for “Open Humans” - explanation for redirection

To share your stories using AutSPACEs, you must first register with Open Humans. This is to give you control over your data and make sure that your data is kept safe.

Open Humans have been working with The Alan Turing Institute to create AutSPACEs. They are a not-for-profit organisation designed to help people access and understand their personal data, and to help them do and share things that use that data.

You can find out more about Open Humans on their [website](https://www.openhumans.org/about/).

We will never sell your data, and we will never share it without your consent.

:::success
## Continue
:::

(click takes user to OH registration page)

#

## How we use your data

We will ***never*** sell your data or share it with anyone without your consent.

We believe that your data should belong to you, so it's your choice what to do with it.

If you choose to share your story with researchers, your story will be part of a dataset with other people's experiences, and researchers can apply to look at the dataset for the purposes of making the world better for autistic people and their families. We will make sure that autistic people are involved in making decisions about who can look at the data. We have partnered with Open Humans to make sure your data is kept safe and secure. You can make this choice by checking the box 'share with researchers' when you share a story.

If you choose to make your experience public, your experience will first be checked over by a moderator to make sure it follows our [code of conduct](link to code of conduct). We will let you know when a moderator has made a decision about your experience. If they decide it does follow our code of conduct, it will be published anonymously on this website. Anyone will be able to view your story, but your name will be kept private. You can make this choice by checking the box 'share online with everyone'.

If you choose not to share your experience you can still view it by going to [My Experiences](link).

You can also choose to share with your story with researchers and make make your story public. You can do this by selecting 'share with researchers' and 'share online with everyone'.

You can also change your mind at any time by going to My-Experiences and selecting which options you would prefer.

## “Get Involved”

AutSPACEs is an open, community-led project. That means that there are lots of ways for everyone to get involved, not just sharing stories. We especially invite autistic people to get involved with AutSPACEs, although all allies of autistic people are welcome.

For example, you can

1. **Apply to become a moderator**: help keep AutSPACEs a welcoming space for all by making sure we publiish stories in line with our [code of conduct](link)
3. **Apply to access the dataset** for research to benefit autistic people.
4. **Apply to join a panel** to assess who can access the dataset.
5. **Use the findings** from the research to make changes to better support autistic people.
6. **Give feedback** and suggest changes to AutSPACEs. This could inclue a number of aspects such as the design of the platform, the code of conduct, or how we are using and sharing the platform.
7. **Spread the word**: Share and promote AutSPACEs so that others can benefit and use it for good.

:::warning
The "Get involved" page is a bit of an open question at this point as we will have to think carefully about sustainability and what we can support going forwards. This will need careful planning - I have put some suggestions about what we *might* want to include above.
:::

:::warning
It would be really great to break the copy down into some diagrams and step-by-steps :) maybe with graphics
:::