Good day to all stakeholders, It is April 2023 and it is Autism Acceptance month. As an autistic myself, I am proposing the inclusion of the Neurodiversity and Autism symbols as part of the default emoji set in Fediverse projects such as Streams, Hubzilla, Friendica, Calckey, Akkoma, Rebased, and others. Autistic individuals face unique challenges and often encounter barriers to acceptance and understanding in society. By including these symbols as part of the default emoji set in Fediverse projects, we can spread awareness and acceptance of neurodiversity and autism, as well as show our support for these communities. To achieve this, I also propose that we standardize the emoji shortcode as follows: * `:infinity:` – regular Unicode Emoji infinity symbol [^infinity-unicode-emoji] * `:neurodivergent:` and `:nd:` – rainbow infinity symbol [^infinity-rainbow-01] [^infinity-rainbow-02] * `:autistic:`, `:autism:`, and `:au:` – gold infinity symbol Currently, instance admins have to manually add these symbols as an emoji, and the shortcode used varies across different Fediverse projects. By standardizing the shortcode and including these symbols as part of the default emoji set, we can achieve the following: 1. Help spread awareness and acceptance of neurodiversity and autism among Fediverse users. 1. Demonstrate our support and welcome to neurodivergent and autistic individuals. 1. Make it easier for openly autistic individuals to add the symbol in their Fediverse nicknames/handles (if supported by the software). 1. Allow users to easily use these symbols in descriptions and posts, regardless of the instance they are on. Currently, users without access to these symbols have to rely on their keyboard supporting the Unicode emoji infinity symbol, or a third-party site like emojipedia. 1. Ensure consistency across all Fediverse software in both shortcode and availability of the symbols. 1. Add another layer of uniqueness to the Fediverse, distinguishing it from other social networking sites. To address concerns and objections, I would like to emphasize that this proposal is not a demand, but a suggestion to support and promote awareness and acceptance of neurodiversity and autism. Additionally, I understand that there may be challenges in implementing this proposal, such as concerns around the feasibility of adding new emojis to the default set. However, I believe that by working together as a community, we can find solutions to overcome these challenges and support the inclusion of these symbols in the Fediverse. To achieve this proposal, I suggest the following timeline and action plan: 1. Raise awareness of the proposal among the Fediverse community through social media and relevant discussion forums. 1. Collaborate with Fediverse project developers to identify feasibility and support for the proposal. 1. Develop a plan for the implementation of the standardized shortcode and inclusion of the Neurodiversity and Autism symbols as part of the default emoji set. 1. Roll out the changes across supported Fediverse projects in a timely manner. Thank you for your consideration of this proposal. I believe that this small change can have a big impact on promoting neurodiversity and autism acceptance in our community. [^infinity-unicode-emoji]: https://emojipedia.org/infinity/ [^infinity-rainbow]: [^infinity-rainbow-01]: Public Domain https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Autism_spectrum_infinity_awareness_symbol.svg [^infinity-rainbow-02]: Public Domain https://fyeahautismspectrum-blog.tumblr.com/post/5852385279