Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Bridget Hampstead's Journey: Autism, Community, and Radical Love
Wed, 16 Apr 2025
Send us a textBridget Hampstead shares her journey from discovering her own neurodivergence to founding Fish in a Tree, a virtual community center supporting neurodivergent adults. Her work combines community building, political advocacy, and neuroaffirming practices to create spaces where late-diagnosed autistic individuals can find acceptance and belonging.• Founded Fish in a Tree after realizing neurodivergent people lacked community support• Pivoted from physical center to virtual programming, expanding reach nationwide• Faced challenges with neurodiversity language acceptance in the Deep South• Represented the US at UN's World Autism Awareness Day despite censorship• Increasingly focused on political advocacy as disability rights face new threats• Programming specifically resonates with late-diagnosed autistic women• Writes daily on neurodivergent topics while seeking funding to address critical issuesConnect with Fish in a Tree at www.fishinatreeNOLA.org. You are so loved and a warm welcome awaits you at Fish in a Tree, where we see you, we get you, you are valid and you are the person of honor at our table.https://tonymantor.comhttps://Facebook.com/tonymantorhttps://instagram.com/tonymantorhttps://twitter.com/tonymantorhttps://youtube.com/tonymantormusicintro/outro music bed written by T. WildWhy Not Me the World music published by Mantor Music (BMI)
Who is Bridget Hampstead and what is Fish in a Tree?
And I enjoyed doing the work. I did, when I watched it back, when the UN was streaming it on their platform, I did notice that I was edited. They did take out some of the things that I said. There was a call, my own personal call to the United States to abolish the practice of ABA therapy in this country. They took that out.
And then I also talked about autistic suicide, the prevalence of autistic suicide, and the importance of addressing mental health care and its understanding of autism and its approach towards autistic people. And that was also cut out.
That's rather surprising. That's a big issue. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among autistic people around the world. So that does kind of surprise me.
I don't, I'm not entirely sure of the reasons it was taken out. And I don't know if the United Nations themselves took it out or if the third party between me and the United Nations that was putting the videos together took it out. But yeah, those were two of the most important things I had to say. They were cut out. Other things were left in that I feel good about.
Well, that's good. At least some positive came out of it. Now, when you speak at a forum of that magnitude, it gives you the opportunity to network. Did you find yourself having the ability to network with people that you just didn't realize that you'd have the chance to in any other situation?
Absolutely. I still, the panel of like six people that I was on with and the organizers of the panel and the moderator of the panel and I are in a group chat and have been for, you know, since last year. when we all got together to film the panel. And we still talk to each other, you know, probably almost every day. Hey, did you hear about this? Hey, this is going on.
Hey, I've written this thing. What do you think? It's been a great sense of community for me to connect with other neurodiversity advocates kind of across the North American continent. It's been great. And then it's also brought me in contact with a lot of people who, you know, saw the stream and reached out to connect.
And it's turned into some great side projects and definitely meeting some really good people.
nice that's always great to meet new people and network so that you can grow your initiatives of what you're trying to do so what's next you've done all this advocacy you've started fish in a tree what's next on your agenda what do you see in your future well you know that's a great question i think when i was planning on
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