Candor - formerly ASAC

12/27/2024

This Holiday Season, please celebrate our values by donating directly to CANDOR.

CANDOR’s work must continue. The principles of Disability Justice require us to be adaptive, accommodating, and receptive to the intersectional and multiple-marginalities of the minds/bodies of community members as we honor each of them as whole and sacred. To make this work sustainable, we rely on your support.

Consider a recurring donation - By committing to give regularly, you provide stable support that allows our organization to plan ahead, innovate, build resiliency, and sustain crucial programs that benefit our communities. And don’t forget to explore our new matching gifts page to find out how to double your contribution with the help of your employer!

who has donated in our Holiday Fundraising efforts, our Giving Tuesday campaign, and throughout our organization’s fourteen year history. We are one of the only Autistic / Disabled led organizations in the Southeast, and your contributions have not only made a significant difference in making our ...

12/13/2024

https://candornc.org/so/d2PEtg7wH?languageTag=en

Are you interested in regular meet-ups (virtual and/or in-person) to discuss topics related to Disability Justice or CAND (Chronically-ill, Autistic, Neurodivergent/expansive, and/or Disabled) identities?

12/03/2024

Our work at CANDOR must continue.  We are dedicated to the principles of Disability Justice, which require us to be adaptive, accommodating, and receptive to the intersectional and multiple-marginalities of the minds/bodies of community members as we honor each of them as whole and sacred.  To make this work sustainable, we rely on your support.

You can amplify our  labor this GivingTuesday by donating directly to CANDOR.  Consider a recurring donation - A recurring donation, of any size, makes a significant and lasting impact. 

Please click the link in our bio to make a secure donation for GivingTuesday 2024!

12/03/2024

Text on image: Support Chronically-ill, Autistic, Neurodivergent, and Disabled people in shifting the narrative "NothingAboutUsWithoutUs

YOUR DOLLARS. OUR VOICE.

Don't speak for us, Support Us!

Our work at CANDOR must continue. We are dedicated to the principles of Disability Justice, which require us to be adaptive, accommodating, and receptive to the intersectional and multiple-marginalities of the minds/bodies of community members as we honor each of them as whole and sacred. To make this work sustainable, we rely on your support.

You can amplify our labor this GivingTuesday by donating directly to CANDOR. Consider a recurring donation - A recurring donation, of any size, makes a significant and lasting impact.

Here's where you can donate: https://www.candornc.org/donate
Volunteer with us here: https://forms.wix.com/8932c196-5bb4-4eac-b6d6-4d31cd9efeee:4f09978a-c5c6-407e-9040-c9a7a7b200e2

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12/03/2024

Thank you to all of our local Lakewood / Durham / NC / and global Disability Justice co-conspirators for building cross-movement interdependence with us in 2024! We are grateful that you held space in your 2024 with us.

We have been honored to share our mission with you this year! We are challenging you to support our goals in creating abundance for our communities with a donation to CANDOR, decision to volunteer for our West End Free Market - (WEFM) - and commitment to provide for others with a food donation to Part & Parcel’s Community Fridge.

What We Need:

1. $2,000 in Monthy contributions. Contributions we can count on provide stable support that allows our organization to plan ahead, innovate, build resiliency, and sustain crucial programs that benefit our communities.

2. Grow our Volunteer Base. Our capacity to impact our community is exponential with you volunteering alongside us!

Where $$ goes:
1. Community Food Initiatives
2. Workforce Development
3. Community Education
4. Torchlight Artist Residency
5. Advocacy Work
6. Accessibility Requirements

Here’s where to donate:
https://www.candornc.org/donate

Sign up to volunteer here:
https://forms.wix.com/8932c196-5bb4-4eac-b6d6-4d31cd9efeee:4f09978a-c5c6-407e-9040-c9a7a7b200e2

Click this link to access our full Giving Tuesday Newsletter.
https://candornc.org/so/d0PECec7H?languageTag=en

11/24/2024

Time Extended! Complete a registration by November 30th and you will receive access to all recordings for 30 days, beginning December 2nd.

Sliding scale registration fees. Email [email protected] if pricing is a barrier.

11/22/2024

Are you wishing you could have attended our conference: Transgressing Neuronormative Relationships ???

11/16/2024

Did you miss the conference? You can still register for complete access to all recordings!

Link in bio.

11/12/2024

Transgressing Neuronormative Relationships
VIRTUAL conference
November 13th-15th, 2024

This conference offers 3 rates: equitable rate ($250) sustainable rate ($125) and an accessible rate ($50)

IF THE ACCESSIBLE RATE IS UNAFFORDABLE, please contact:
[email protected]

11/11/2024

Transgressing Neuronormative Realtionships Conference:
11/15/2024 Afternoon Session Descriptions

Sexuality and Gender
1:20pm - 2:40pm EST
Panelists: Jonah Sanville, Abijah Gattis, Kayley Whalen, Mags Ramon
Moderator: Azrael Burton
This panel will explore gender and s*xuality from the lens of disability, specifically neurodivergence. Panelists will share their personal journeys and experiences with gender and s*xuality. We will discuss societal expectations, personal discovery, and navigating relationships. No panel could fully represent the infinite possibilities of identity, but it is important to acknowledge that the full spectrum of disability is not present across the panel, nor are all racial identities.

Power Dynamics and Abusive Relationships
2:50pm - 3:50pm EST
Presenter: Emily Ragland
Let's have a real conversation about relationships and the way that power and control show up. The most common reason for abuse, neglect, mistreatment and maltreatment is connected to one’s desire to have “The Power”. When we talk about healthy relationships, power can be exchanged back and forth, compromises can be made, honesty is the norm and trust is the foundation. Unhealthy relationships, however, typically result when one person wants to have all of the power to use against the other/s involved. Be it financial, social, emotional, physical, s*xual or otherwise power and control are the root of many problematic relationships. Let’s talk about how that shows up, why it shows up and what we can do to even the scales.

Self-care and Relationship with Self
4:00pm - 5:00pm EST
Presenter: Maya Brandsen
I will share about life with BPD and OCD in relationships. I have learned a lot about managing intense emotions from my experiences. I also want to talk about how to support yourself and be compassionate towards yourself. Finally, I will discuss how to find good support systems.

11/11/2024

Navigating Conflicting Access Needs and Variable Capacity
9:00am - 10:00am EST
Presenters: Leah Broadwell and Mariel Eaves
Navigating conflicting access needs and varying capacities is a nuanced and often complex challenge within the Disabled community. Strategies centered around flexibility, communication, and mutual respect allow co-navigation of needs in ways that honor each person’s dignity and autonomy. Through this presentation, we will explore some parameters for this navigation, as well as offer some concrete strategies.

This session will be interactive. There will be a time where facilitators will pose a few discussion questions. Participation is not required to attend. Our hope is that you choose to participate in a way that works for you so we can each leave with a tool-kit/care-web we have co-created together.

PDA (Pathological Demand Avoidance/Pervasive Drive for Autonomy)
10:10am - 11:10am EST
Presenter: Lydia Stellwag
This presentation is an introduction to PDA, Pathological Demand Avoidance or Pervasive Demand for Autonomy, a lesser known autistic identity. The social, emotional and cultural needs of PDAers differ from non-PDA autistic people and neurotypical people in specific ways that when met, mitigate significant harm to PDA people and those in relation to them. This presentation will explore these needs and discuss other traits that encompass PDA.

Embracing Taboo
11:20am - 12:20pm EST
Presenter: Azrael Burton
The concept of disabled people having s*x is often intentionally ignored or only addressed in a scandalized manner outside of the disability circles. Due to this much of the information about how to have a fulfilling s*x life as a disabled person can only be learned through trial and error. This presentation aims to analyze the societal impacts on disabled s*xuality while also generally demystifying s*xual pleasure with a disability. Through embracing taboo we can notice the current failings in conversations about s*x as a whole.

11/09/2024

Identifying Burnout and Strategies for Management and Recovery
1:20pm - 2:40pm EST
Panelists: Jackie Pilgrim, Kaishawna Fleming, Lou Jent, Morenike Giwa Onaiwu
Moderator: T Land

This panel will explore how burnout uniquely affects Autistic and Neurodivergent people, as our individual body/brain chemistries and systems interact with neuronormative expectations, capitalism, and systems of oppression. Panelists will share personal reflections and what strategies they use to support themselves and others in order to prevent, move through, and recover from burnout. So often, burnout is occuring in ways where there isn’t an ability to do all or many of the things our bodies truly need to heal and recover, so panelists will also speak to those experiences where burnout is happening more longer term.

A Personal Reflection on Internalized Ableism
2:50pm - 3:50pm EST
Presenter: Sam Brandsen

Many disabled individuals struggle with internalized ableism (namely, absorbing negative beliefs about their disability from society.) Internalized ableism is often a deeply personal experience, and can appear in many different ways-- some people may feel a deep sense of worthlessness, others may feel frustration, anger, embarrassment, isolation, hesitancy to advocate for themselves, or any combination of these. This session is largely a personal reflection on my experiences with internalized ableism.

Open Discussion for Conference Attendees
4:00 - 5:00 EST
CANDOR Staff (T Land, Azrael Burton, and Lou Jent) will hold the space 

This will be a time for attendees to connect with one another. You can come with a thought, a question, a reflection, a poem, a doodle, or nothing at all. It is a time for collective listening, pondering, swapping, questioning, dreaming, sharing, validating, and holding.

11/09/2024

CANDOR 2024 Virtual Conference: Transgressing Neuronormative Relationships
November 14th Morning Session Descriptions

Keynote Address
9:30am - 10:00am

Ly Xīnzhèn Zhǎngsūn, J.D. | 長孫驪新鎮 (Lydia X. Z. Brown) they/them/theirs/themself (en) | elle/su (es) | هما/نتینا (ar) | הֵם‎ (he) | no pronouns

Cross Neurotype Communication
10:10 - 11:10 EST
Presenter: T Land
Neurodivergence is framed not only as a cognitive difference but as a distinct culture with its own ways of connecting and communicating, very often differing from neuronormative expectations and orientations. These differences intersect with other parts of identity, as well as geography. This presentation moves through a comparative analysis of neuroeclectic and neuronormative communication practices, provides a framework for cross-neurotype communication, and pushes the audience to develop more expansive understandings of what it means to be in relationship.

Brave Hearts: Access Intimacy in my High Support Needs Reality
11:10am - 12:10pm EST
Presenter: Danny Whitty
I am a high support needs autistic man. This entails a constant calibration between my needs for dignity and autonomy against the real constraints presented by my disability and my available supports. This prompts my explorations of interdependence and true inclusivity, for my own mental well-being and for sharing to inform the broader community of ways to embrace interdependence. In my life, I am fortunate to have siblings who personify access intimacy and model it for others to learn from. My community of fellow nonspeaking individuals with apraxia are another manifestation of access intimacy, one that the world could quite frankly benefit from emulating. I work to amplify this ethos and to encourage others to be brave enough to shift toward embracing interdependence.

11/08/2024

11/13/2024 Conference Session Descriptions

Neurodivergence as a Culture
2:00pm - 3:20pm EST
Panelists: Jack Turnwald, Desy Whitaker, Jenna Meehan, Courtney Napier
Moderator: Lou Jent
This panel is to increase cultural competency around neuro affirming language but also to firmly establish that neurodivergence is an emergent sub-culture. We know this because it has created (as all subcultures do) communicative shortcuts for embodied experiences which are shared among varied neurotypes. We will work to debunk the mythology which bolsters stigmatization, because we can attest that people who are different/ multiple neurotypes are in deep relationships of interdependence with/for/and to one another.

Unearthing the Concepts & Tools that Bury Us
3:30pm - 4:30pm EST
Presenter: DJ Savarese
Transformative change occurs in the asking. In this session I ask my own questions and, in doing so, encourage you to imagine your ways into a world beyond inclusion. I begin by dismantling the garden walls that confine us, unearthing the concepts and tools that bury us and opening us to new, more expansive ways of understanding ourselves.

Black Neurodivergence Futures in Love, Relationships, and Community
4:40pm - 6:00pm EST
Presenters: Kayla Smith, Asiatu Lawoyin and Kaishawna Fleming
Moderator: Ben-Oní
This panel envisions a future where Black neurodivergent individuals lead the way in reshaping how we think about love, friendship, and community. Panelists will share their experiences and insights on creating relational structures that prioritize equity, mutual care, and connection. The discussion will highlight the importance of inclusive, equitable spaces that honor neuroexpansive expressions of intimacy and community, offering radical reimaginings of what love and friendship can look like.

11/03/2024

A beautiful gathering of staff and community partners at the farm!

Image 1: 5 people gather in a garden row to learn about the medicinal properties of spilanthes

Image 2: 6 people are painting flowers and plants on a yellow shed. A service dog lays at the base of a ladder.

Image 3: 3 people are adding details to the leaves on the plant paintings on the shed.

10/17/2024

Workday on the CANDOR Farm.

10/03/2024

CANDOR's 2024 Virtual Conference: Transgressing Neuronormative Relationships

Conferencia Virtual 2024 de CANDOR: Transgrediendo Las Relaciones Neuronormativas

November 13th - 15th, 2024

Neuronormative relationship structures demand an expectation of equal exertion over equity of connection. This is often exclusionary and can separate Autistic, Neurodivergent, and Disabled individuals from lasting bonds. Community is an integral aspect of the survival and thriving conditions of disabled individuals. This conference will provide an overview of navigating relationships outside of the current societal structure. The goal is to foster understanding and stress the importance and value of creating space for varied experiences in interrelations. This conference has been designed by Autistic, Neurodivergent, and Disabled people and centers own-voices presenters.

Las estructuras relacionales neuronormativas exigen una expectativa de esfuerzo igualitario por encima de la equidad de conexión. Esto suele ser excluyente y puede separar a las personas Autistas, Neurodivergentes y Discapacitadas de vínculos duraderos. La comunidad es un aspecto integral de la supervivencia y las condiciones de prosperidad de las personas discapacitadas. Esta conferencia proporcionará una descripción general de cómo navegar por las relaciones fuera de la estructura social actual. El objetivo es fomentar la comprensión y destacar la importancia y el valor de crear espacio para experiencias variadas en las interrelaciones. Esta conferencia ha sido diseñada por personas Autistas, Neurodivergentes y Discapacitades y centra las voces de personas con experiencias vividas.

09/25/2024

Reserved ADA SPACES AND PARKING

Masks are required in reserved ADA spaces. Masks will be available on site. 

Golf cart shuttles can transport between ADA parking areas and ADA reserved seating areas. 

Seating is provided in ADA areas, and, you can bring your own. 

ASL interpretation is viewable from the ADA reserved space at the Music Festival. 

ADA spaces are proximate to the low sensory space and EMS space. 

Visit www.pridedurhamnc.org for maps of ADA reserved spaces and parking