About The S.T.I.M. Project
The S.T.I.M. Project is a non-profit organization with the sole objective of providing Sensory Tools (S.T.) and Informational Materials (I.M.) directly to autistics who need them at no cost.
The sensory tools we provide are ones that our team uses ourselves that we know are high quality and provide different kinds of sensory support. We all have autism, and these are tools that help us. Similarly, the informational materials we provide are all written by autistic people for autistic people, and they provide valuable perspectives and information that is often overlooked or ignored by organizations run by non-autistic individuals.
Our primary goal is, and always will be, to provide tools and information to autistic people who otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford them at no cost to them.
Our Priorities
Autistic-Centered Advocacy
The S.T.I.M. project is committed to always being an autistic-led organization. Our teams are comprised entirely of autistic individuals who are committed to prioritizing the representation and needs of the autism community in all of our projects. It is our goal to always prioritize autistic individuals in our work and projects. We are equally committed to ensuring that the majority of our budget is used to directly benefit autistic individuals through the distribution of S.T.I.M. Packs and other tools and materials directly to them at no cost.
Elevating Voices Across the Spectrum
We recognize that autism is an infinite spectrum and that the experiences of one autistic individual will never be identical to the experiences of another. We also recognize that the voices of autistic individuals are often not the voices centered in conversations about autism. We are committed to elevating the voices of autistics across the spectrum. We include individuals with a variety of experiences, skills, and support needs in our teams to help us incorporate as wide a variety of autistic experiences as possible in our work.
Recognizing Intersectionality
The importance of other identities and experiences and the way that those identities and experiences interact with the autistic experience cannot be ignored. We prioritize diversity and inclusion on our teams to increase our understanding of the ways that race, ethnicity, age, gender, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, economic status, and other intrinsic individual characteristics shape or change the autistic experience.
Hermeneutical Justice
Our autistic team has firsthand experience with how important information and language are to understanding our own autism and we priroitize giving these tools to others. The (ironically confusing) concept of hermeneutical justice is the power that comes from giving individuals the ability to understand and articulate their experience when that experience is one that individuals are traditionally structurally excluded from. This concept is fundamental to our selections of included informational materials in The S.T.I.M. Packs and on our website.
Have other questions? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions to see if we’ve answered them!
Meet Our Team
The S.T.I.M. project is committed to always being an autistic-led organization. Our team is comprised entirely of autistic individuals who are committed to prioritizing the representation and needs of the autism community in all of our projects.
Executive Team
Mandi Eatough
Founder & Director of Operations
Mandi (she/her) is a disability advocate, writer, and analytic researcher. She will soon complete her master’s degree in political science with a specialization in disability politics. Her special interests include disability rights and politics, storytelling, and theatrical performance.
Nicole Parish
Founder & Director of Community Outreach
Nicole (she/her) is a disability advocate. She has been sharing her experiences with disability online with her 2.7M followers on her TikTok @soundoftheforest for the past two years. Her special interest is in entomology and Art.
George Fearing
Director of Advocacy
George Fearing (He/They) is an educator, author, and storyteller. He studied psychology at the University of Washington before spending several years working as an instructor and paraeducator. George's special interests include ethology, the ocean, tabletop role-playing games, and the written word.
Riley Kalt
Director of Development
Riley (all pronouns) is a social media creator focused on disability advocacy and spreading autistic joy on their account (@sourpatchriley). Her special interests include animated media, psychology, and video games like Minecraft and The Sims 4.
Autistic Advocacy Team
Jenna Friedman
Sara Mendez
Scott Christian Sava
Tay Shoemaker
Emma Jean Shuemake
Derek Sikkema
Kyle Weiss
Join Us!
Are you an autistic individual that’s interested in joining our team? We’re looking for more autistic individuals to join our Autistic Advocacy Team to help make decisions about the initial and future implementations of The S.T.I.M. Pack.
Contact George, our Director of Advocacy, at george@thestimproject.org to learn more about what type of support we’re looking for right now.
Support The S.T.I.M. Project
DONATE
Help give autistic individuals and their families who otherwise can’t afford them life-changing sensory tools and informational materials by donating directly to The S.T.I.M. Project.
SHOP
Support The S.T.I.M. Project through our online merchandise shop! All proceeds from our shop will go directly towards the distribution of S.T.I.M. Packs and other tools and materials to autistics in need.