Greetings! I am Stuart Duncan or probably better known online as AutismFather.
I created Autcraft, the #Minecraft server for #autistic children and their families in 2013 when I noticed many parents reaching out to other parents in hopes that their autistic children could play together because they were being attacked on public servers so much by bullies and trolls.
Since then, the server has added over 16,000 name to the list of approved players and been featured in many research papers, news articles, a TED Talk, and even Mojang's own "Meet a Minecrafter."
I started out with a diploma in Radio Broadcasting, became a writer about autism after my son and I were diagnosed, and then started my Minecraft server, where I finally found where I truly belonged and have been ever since.
I am most interested in helping people, but beyond that, #science, #videogames, #photography, and in plain ole, simple, wholesome, kind videos and news. I try to look for the "good news" more than the bad.
A few links to give you a sense of who I am, if you're at all interested in learning more:
Research: https://kateringland.com/would-you-be-mine-appropriating-minecraft-as-an-assistive-technology-for-youth-with-autism/
TED Talk: https://www.ted.com/talks/stuart_duncan_how_i_use_minecraft_to_help_kids_with_autism
Meet a Minecrafter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToWAdmRKvLQ
PC Gamer: https://www.pcgamer.com/meet-the-dad-who-quit-his-job-to-run-a-minecraft-server-for-autistic-kids/
I look forward to sharing more about what I do but more so than that, I look forward to learning more from all of you.
Thank you for reading my #introduction message. Nice to meet you!
@AutismFather Welcome! And I am ecstatic to see you join us! It may be useful to look at means to verify your identity. I recall you mentioning this problem on the Bird Site and it would be great to head this off here before someone acts a fool!
@Romaq Yeah, I'm really not sure how that works here. The info I see says to just add the link to my website and then add that to my profile, which I did, but aside from the website itself having a checkmark... I'm not sure how I get one for my profile.
@AutismFather @Romaq I see you're verified for autcraft.com, so that looks fine to me if that's the official server. :)
@trinsec @AutismFather I think that's the one that matters on Mastodon. I also think anyone, "verified or not" can put /:/verified/:/ in their handle, essentially making THAT pointless. But you are the only one who can use that link to the website you control, so my understanding is that is the one that matters.
@trinsec @AutismFather I would also note people like @freemo and some other inimitable people I follow are as "verified" as one can get in this venue, but they don't use "verified" in their handle. They don't need it. And that's how I think of you. But I'm still happy to see you making use of the web link verification for future incident proofing, as much as one can on this platform.
Thank you. @AutismFather has in the past been the target of attacks as his server is dedicated to autistic children playing #Minecraft. I am particularly interested he maintains his unique voice toward that end.