Talk

Whitney Levis

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Whitney is a Junior developer at NIRD (Northwest Independent Ruby Development) and a graduate of Ada Developers Academy. She cares a lot about teaching, mentoring, and otherwise inspiring others on their life path. She cares a lot about the systemic issues and ignorance issues that put blocks in people's path. She wants to learn all the things. She wants to use knowledge and skills to make awesome things. More than anything, she wants a time turner.

Seattle, WA May 30, 2015
Updated Spoon Theory for the Tech Industry
As an autistic person, I find it extremely difficult to know what thinks can be triggering. This deals with the lived experience of a person with autism and lupus but I think they can self select on that based on the description.

Spoon theory is an analogy used to try to explain the lived experience of people with lupus, which may not be obvious to the casual observer but have a major impact on the day-to-day capacity of the individual with the condition. Many communities have adopted this metaphor to discuss limitations inherent in their circumstance. My journey with spoons has been long and winding. Starting with my experience as a neurodiverse person (specifically on the autism spectrum) and winding my way through my recent experiences with lupus, we will consider many types of spoons, their quantities, and the coping skills I use to manage my spoons. Finally we will journey through the contexts I've encountered in tech and look at the support I've received and the work we can do to support those with less spoons.