Hello! If you're reading this, chances are you know me as Chris from the website (and Facebook community) Autistic Not Weird: former primary school teacher turned autism speaker/blogger/author.

What I do:
Having left teaching and started Autistic Not Weird in April 2015, I have since delivered speaking engagements nationwide (including for the NHS, the National Autistic Society, mainstream/special school staff teams and students, the 2016-2020 Autism Shows, counselling teams and so on), and internationally for Autism Awareness Australia and India Autism Centre.
My website, Autistic Not Weird, has received over 2,500,000 page hits and nearly 130,000 Facebook followers (at time of writing), while the "Underdogs" series, endorsed by Steve Silberman and Michael Grant (and positively reviewed by The Guardian!), is two books through its series so far, with a third in its pre-order stage.

Before Patreon, this was all achieved during my spare time- in spite of me being occupied by three jobs, a masters degree, captaincy of my local Boys' Brigade, and various offline commitments to people I love. Now, thanks to my Patreon supporters, I have been able to quit a job and devote whole working days per week to writing for Autistic Not Weird!

What I plan to do:
I now intend for my autism advocacy to become a viable full-time career, which is absolutely possible with the right support. Autistic Not Weird is now literally a part-time job, and the more secure my income is, the more safely I can commit to spending my days doing the following:

Working on Autistic Not Weird as both an educational site and a supportive community;
Providing advice and consultancy to those who request help from me;
Producing more helpful content for Autistic Not Weird's YouTube channel;
Publishing more books to promote understanding of autism;
Providing more seminars and training sessions, nationally and internationally.

It's also worth mentioning that I have monthly "supervision" sessions with a therapist for my work with Autistic Not Weird, as it often involves very sensitive work with vulnerable people. These sessions are funded entirely by my Patreon followers, who I am eternally grateful to for enabling me to access the support I need.

How Patreon works:
Patreon is typically used as a way for an artist/musician's fanbase to gain support from their supporters. This allows them to worry less about where their next meal is coming from, and focus more on actually doing the job they love. Pledges are made using the right-hand column, in exchange for a variety of rewards and perks!

And finally...
To those who have read to the end, thank you very much- and thank you too for the support who have provided to the Autistic Not Weird community: whether you are a frequent poster or have simply read an article or two. Please consider supporting this Patreon venture: with enough support, I will be able to spend the rest of my days writing, speaking and publishing to support the worldwide autism community.

Thanks again,

Chris Bonnello
http://autisticnotweird.com
https://www.facebook.com/autisticnotweird
https://www.youtube.com/AutisticNotWeird
https://chrisbonnello.com/

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One final important note:
A number of people have asked me if there's a one-off donation option. Patreon itself doesn't do one-offs, but I can certainly receive donations via PayPal. If you send me a message (via here or Facebook) I'd happily give you the details!