Christie Faye is a queer, neurodivergent woman living in Victoria, BC. She is driven by a deep commitment to building a more inclusive world, and it is this passion that led her to create NOMI.
With a background in web development and a diverse range of experiences, Christie brings a unique perspective to her work. Having recently relocated from Montreal where she started her career as a web developer, Christie draws inspiration from her diverse range of experiences and believes in the power of using technology as a tool to discover community support. She knows that every single person deserves to feel a sense of belonging, and she’s committed to making that a reality.
Quite simply put, we define neurodivergence as a difference in one’s structure and style, affecting the way folks learn, process information, socialize and behave.
Some diagnoses that are most common among those who identify as neurodivergent include (but are not limited to):
As a term, neurodivergent is imperfect. It implies that there is a “typical” brain structure and one that diverges from “typical” (neurodivergent vs neurotypical). We use it because it is the most well-known umbrella term to describe a certain type of variance in neural processing/function.
To quote disability rights activist Emily Ladau from her book “Demystifying Disability”,
For far too long, we've been led to believe that people have either "good" brains or "bad" brains, "normal" ones or "abnormal" ones. Neurodiversity is a concept that rejects these morality- and value-based judgments of the human mind, instead embracing the naturally occurring fact that no one's brain is exactly like anyone else's brain. Within the neurodiversity movement, people with disability-related brain differences are referred to as “neurodivergent”, while people who don’t have such differences are referred to as “neurotypical”
Though we refer to neurodivergence as it’s own category, we understand that a lot of the time disability and neurodivergence go hand in hand. One autistic person may call themselves neurodivergent while another identifies as disabled and a third may not want to identify as either.
At NOMI we believe that you are the only one who can define how you identify and what terms best describe your experience.
We support whatever language you use to identify yourself. Whether that looks like “I am disabled” (IFL) or “I am a person with a disability” (PFL), that choice is entirely yours.
One of the questions you may answer in your profile is your preference between PFL or IFL and we ask that everyone please respect the preferences of all of our community members.
At NOMI we switch between PFL and IFL with a preference for PFL as it is the more widely accepted inclusive terminology.
Please note that the majority of Autistic folks tend to prefer Identity-First Language.
Can I use the app if I am self-diagnosed?
Absolutely!
There are so many reasons why someone is unable to or would prefer not to pursue a formal diagnosis. Money, medical trauma and discrimination due to gender, race or other factors to name a few.
Self diagnosis is valid and we will never ask you to prove anything to us.
© 2022 NOMI | Website Development by Blue Lotus Creative