Why We Exist

By: Cortland Nesley

NeuroTales is built on the mantra of “Nothing About Us Without Us.” The phrase has permeated disability rights movements for decades and speaks to the need for Disabled people to be in charge of what affects them. It invokes a community-based approach where an “expert” based one had previously failed. NeuroTales draws on this same principle, seeking to place the power of Neurodivergent and Mad storytelling where it belongs: in the hands of Neurodivergent and Mad people. 

Highlighting stories written by Neurodivergent and Mad people challenges people’s assumptions about the reality of Neurodivergent and Mad lives. Neurotypical writers who don’t consider this responsibility too often regurgitate ableist myths and reinforce stigmatizing narratives. As an Autistic kid, I consumed narratives that depicted Autistic characters as inhuman. They were characters who lacked intrinsic worth until they showed that their “quirks” were useful – quirks that were caricaturizations of pathologized behaviors. I internalized what I saw. I thought I had to be smart to be valued, that I had to have a brain that acted like a supercomputer, that I couldn’t foster vulnerabilities or lead with my heart. 

Sanist and ableist stories dehumanize the subjects they examine and limit our imaginations of who Neurodivergent and Mad people can be. Why is it that so many people fear violence from those labled Schizophrenic and Bipolar, even though they are far more likely to be victims than perpetrators of violence? Being bombarded with narratives where Disabled people can “snap” and turn violent at a moment’s notice likely contributes to this assumption. How many Neurodivergent and Mad characters exist solely to invoke feelings of guilt, sympathy, pity, or fear in an audience? How many are reduced to a series of pathologized behavioral tropes? Disability and Madness is not a metaphor, but a lived existence. Narratives that deny this fact deny the humanity of those whose lives they commodify. 

NeuroTales believes that those who encounter writings from Neurodivergent and Mad people, writings built on lived experiences, will develop a deeper understanding of Disabled lives. We seek to take tangible steps to make that happen. We create spaces where Neurodivergent and Mad writers can refine their work together, using our collective knowledge. We welcome new writers and help them develop into the best storytellers they can be. We advocate for each other's work, believing that doing so will expand our culture's imagination of Neurodiversity and Madness for the better.

Stories have the power to challenge sanist/ableist structures and reinforce the principles of Nothing About Us Without Us. Neurodivergent and Mad art – like all other art– needs attention, support, and community to grow. I founded NeuroTales because I know there are powerful Neurodivergent and Mad stories to be written; we just need to foster them.

Thank you

While building this site, I’ve been fortunate enough to have some brilliant people to help me along the way. They gave great advice, created amazing logos, and asked all the right questions. Without their help, this site would not be what it is, and neither would NeuroTales.

Taylor Beidler – Creative Consultant

Bo Krucik – Logo Designs

Annalise Cain

Bennett Nesley

Giverny Petitmermet

Devon Beidler

Maureen and Terence Verwey