About the Optimist Jenna Blog

I write about disability and my family. I hope my work will help you better understand disability and how to be good to yourself and others.

About Jenna

I’m Jenna Breunig, a writer and coder. I love writing about disability, drawing, and spending time with my family. Currently, I work for Evoke Melt as an email developer.

In my spare time, I enjoy taking walks with my family, doodling, and playing piano very badly.

I describe myself as neurodivergent. That means my brain works differently than average. I have dyspraxia and sensory processing disorder (SPD). Dyspraxia makes me clumsy, hardworking, and a little awkward. And SPD makes me sensitive to loud noise. Sometimes it’s hard to be different, but also comes with strengths.

In the future, I want to own a little house and a little dog with my sister. It may be a simple life, but I find beauty in simplicity.

If you like my art and writing, then you may like my Instagram. I post about disability acceptance there.

About My Family

Katie

My sister, Katie, has Down syndrome. She’s a young woman who loves singing, dancing, and watching TV. I feel lucky to have her in my life.

I always ask her before posting photos of her online. Also, she has veto power over what I write about her.

Red

Red says autism advocacy must center autistic voices
Red gives me quotes sometimes. (Instagram)

Red is the nickname I use for an autistic family member. The name “Red” is short for “redacted name.” It also goes nicely with the #REDinstead hashtag for autism acceptance.

I refer to Red as “they” instead of “he” or “she.” Red does have a gender, but it is none of your business. The gender-neutral “they” helps protect their anonymity. I also try to draw them with a gender-neutral look.

Red is intelligent and good at designing things. They like nature, cool rocks, and ice cream. But they say that’s all you need to know.

Red checks and consents to anything I post about them.

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