Hello, and welcome back to The Autistic Writer.
There’s something big on the horizon for The Autistic Writer.
Over the last few years, I’ve become increasingly concerned by the fact that autistic people are more likely than the general population to experience financial hardship. In fact, there are a host of financial issues running through the field of autism that, one way or another, affect the quality of life for autistic people. For a while, I’ve been looking for a way to address this.
At the same time, David Scothern, creator of the blog Mortgage Advisor on Fire, has been writing about financial independence and quality of life. David is also autistic.
As David and I began to see the overlaps in our work – the intersection of autism and financial independence – we realised we could pool our efforts. And that has led us to creating a new podcast:
AFI – the podcast that explores the intersection of autism and financial independence.
Together, David and I will discuss all the issues affecting autistic people, and the concepts behind financial independence, with a focus on how these two subjects overlap.
For those not familiar with him, David is an autistic writer, financial educator and mortgage adviser with more than a decade of experience in financial services.
His work on financial independence has been featured by national media, including Sky News and The Telegraph.
Following his autism diagnosis, he became passionate about making financial education more accessible and helping autistic people build lives with greater independence, security and choice.
A long-time advocate of financial independence, David believes money is not about becoming rich, but about creating the freedom to live life on your own terms, question unhealthy workplace culture, and never feel trapped by toxic work environments.
AFI has a dedicated Facebook page, which you can find by clicking the logo below:
David and I would really appreciate your follows on this page.
We are currently working towards a launch date for the podcast, but it will be soon. Between now and then, you might be interested in hearing about our values, which will drive how we approach our podcast episodes.
OUR VALUES
At AFI, we do not claim to speak for all autistic people. Autistic people are a diverse group, with different experiences, perspectives and opinions. Not everyone will agree with us, but we welcome reasoned and respectful debate.
We understand that the subjects we cover at AFI will not be relevant to every autistic person. We are not excluding anyone; we are simply exploring our particular areas of interest: autism, financial wellbeing, and their intersection.
We also recognise that, while our lived experiences as autistic people are relevant, they are not universal truths. We will share our own experiences and perspectives, but we will not assume that what applies to us applies to every autistic person.
At AFI, we reject racism, sexism, misogyny, homophobia, transphobia, antisemitism and ableism. We aim to provide a safe experience for all people.
AUTISTIC VOICES
At AFI, we are autistic people talking about the autistic experience. Historically, the loudest voices talking about autism have not been autistic. We believe autistic people should take the lead in conversations about autism.
LANGUAGE
We prefer identity-first language. We will almost always refer to “autistic people”, rather than “people with autism” or “people who have autism”. We also generally prefer identity-first language when referring to disability, such as “disabled person” rather than “person with a disability”.
There are two caveats to this:
- We respect other people’s choices to use person-first language (“I have autism” rather than “I am autistic”) if that is their preference.
- Language is malleable, and occasionally a sentence structure, particularly when spoken, lends itself naturally to person-first language. If this occurs in our posts or podcasts, it should not be taken as a change to our general preference.
POLITICS
AFI is not a political endeavour. We do not endorse political parties or candidates.
However, the autism and financial issues we discuss will sometimes overlap with politics. This is unavoidable, and we will not shy away from discussing those intersections where they are relevant. Nevertheless, we will strive not to become embroiled in partisan political debate.
FINANCIAL INFORMATION
We do not sell financial products or services, and we are not in the business of selling or recommending them.
We are not financial advisers. Our discussions are for information and entertainment and should not be taken as personalised financial advice.
We will often discuss different approaches to financial wellbeing, as well as financial pitfalls that people may encounter. These are informed opinions and personal perspectives, not individual financial recommendations. Everyone’s financial circumstances are different, and anyone making financial decisions should consider their own circumstances and, where appropriate, seek professional advice.
SCIENCE, EVIDENCE AND CRITICAL THINKING
At AFI, we believe in rigorous scientific method, critical thinking, and proportionate conclusions. We take scientific evidence seriously and will seek to understand what the research tells us. We will critically consider the methodology, potential sources of bias, and the conclusions drawn from research. We will challenge claims where we believe those conclusions are not supported by sound scientific reasoning.
We believe that the strength of a conclusion should reflect the strength of the evidence supporting it. We will attempt to distinguish between established findings, emerging evidence, interpretation, speculation, and personal experience, and will try to be clear about the degree of certainty that the available evidence allows.
ERRORS
We are human. We recognise that we might sometimes get things wrong and we will correct significant errors when we identify them.
That’s all for this time. Take care.
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The Autistic Writer is a labour of love, dedicated to promoting autism acceptance, understanding, and equality. If you’d like to help support this work, a small tip via Buy Me a Coffee would be greatly appreciated. Just click the button, below.
If you like this blog, I can also highly recommend the brilliant Mortgage Advisor on FIRE, which covers financial wellbeing, mental health, and autism issues, among much more.
