This is Bird Note.

Carrie Saspertis helps lead the feminist bird club of Boston.

For me, birding is being able to engage all of my senses and be present in the moment.

I don't feel pressure to socialize or keep up the pace of a conversation.

For Carrie, birding is a way to become absorbed in the sensations of the outside world,

something that can be difficult for them to do elsewhere as an autistic person with an auditory processing disorder.

If I do think in images, I don't necessarily think in language.

I do have to kind of translate pictures in my brain into words to either speak or to write down.

But with birding, I'm really engaging my visual senses.

And especially being able to notice patterns and distinctions.

I can compare that very quickly in my mind to images I've seen in a field guide.

Carrie advocates for making the birding world more accessible for neurodivergent people.

While they've seen programs designed specifically for autistic children,

Carrie says it's important to ask autistic adults what they want for birding too.

Autism doesn't stop at age 18 when the services do.

People are autistic throughout their entire lifespan.

So I think intentionally engaging with the neurodivergent community and autistic adults

to help design more inclusive programming, more accessible sites and activities,

more accessible and inclusive outings in birding organizations is really paramount.

I think it's really important for us to be recognized as the experts on our own experience

and our own access needs.

For BirdNote, I'm Connor Gearing.

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