Would you consider attending an aspie gathering?

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Yes, I would. I'd stay for maybe an hour or two - longer if there were food . It would have to be in my town or within about an hour from me. If it were big, like a convention, I'd like quiet places available to go where people could deal with over-stimulation.

If there will be an aspie gathering, would you consider attending it?
Yes, provided that it had participation-type events, and not just speeches and lectures. A mix of the two types is fine.

If so, how close to where you live would it have to be in order for you to consider attending it?
Between 45 minutes and 3 hours away. I want it to be outside the areas I usually go to (so I don't run into anyone I know), but not so far that travel is a hassle. I can drive, but if it's accessible by Amtrak, all the better.

How long would you like the aspie gathering to last? (a day? two days? more than that?)
If it's less than 90 minutes away, then a one-day even is OK. If it's farther than that, I'd want it to be a weekend thing; otherwise it's not really worth the drive.

What sort of activities would you like to have during the gathering? (presentations? games? discussions? beer drinking?)
Semi-formal discussions in break-out groups, instructor-led organized sports games, social skills training facilitated by full-immersion virtual reality machines, presentations and lessons about surviving as an aspie in the modern society, and a cocktail party with trivia challenge games. There would be breaks between activities, plus a catered lunch.

How many participants would you like the gathering to have? (around a dozen? around a hundred? more than that?)
The whole gathering should have 80 to 100 people, to give it the participants that "power in numbers" feeling. But the break-out discussion groups should be limited to 15 people, so each participant gets a chance to speak.

Do you have any additional requirements that need to be met in order for you to consider attending the gathering?
The schedule I wrote would motivate me just fine. I'd stay away if the presentations were too cliche or too patronizing.

Do you have any additional things that you would like to say about the aspie gathering?
My suggested schedule is oriented mostly toward people with mild forms of AS, like myself. It may not work for people with more severe forms of AS or autism. Or it just might, with some accommodations.

Do you have any questions about the aspie gathering?
No.

If there will be an aspie gathering, would you consider attending it?
Sure
If so, how close to where you live would it have to be in order for you to consider attending it?
I probably wouldn't drive more than two hours to get there, unless it was in a city where my family could do other vacation-y type stuff
How long would you like the aspie gathering to last? (a day? two days? more than that?)
Just for the day
What sort of activities would you like to have during the gathering? (presentations? games? discussions? beer drinking?)
Presentations might be neat, but I would like talking to other people too. It would be good if there was some sort of thing/activity that got people talking to each other.
How many participants would you like the gathering to have? (around a dozen? around a hundred? more than that?)
More than a dozen. Enough that there was a variety of ages and genders among each age. For example, I'm 19 and I would like to meet other college students or other people my age.
Do you have any additional requirements that need to be met in order for you to consider attending the gathering?
I would just need it to be close enough because I am not always able to drive, and I would most likely miss it if school interfered.
Do you have any additional things that you would like to say about the aspie gathering?
I think it should be NT friendly as well. If it was a large enough group, I don't think it would be uncomfortable. If there were presentations that could be good for NTs with no knowledge of ASDs.
Do you have any questions about the aspie gathering?
Nope!

For anyone in the brisbane area:

The one Garry organizes is a good one to go to for people who are after a smaller group, we normally have between 6 to 12 people there, not too stressful. It's been going a year or so now, I think Garry and I are the only founding members left though (apart from the uni staff), as people come and go, it remains pretty small (although the last few weeks it has swelled somewhat). It's at the University of Queensland on Tuesdays, 2pm-3pm and onwards till people feel like leaving. The facebook group is called Brisbane Asperger Syndrome Adults.

The womens one is great too, it is pretty large (like millie says) which can be a little stressful due to the number of people and noise, but as millie says I also found it was a very safe non-judgmental environment.

Those are the ones I go to. The uni one is nice on a weekly basis because it's sort of become like a general discussion around the table, where everybody talks about their areas of expertise and learns interesting information, plus people debate philosophical issues - I look forward to it every week; no small talk, straight into the interesting stuff. Plus it goes for an hour or so, short and sweet.

I'm looking forward to the next women's one too!

The Square Peg Social Club

Our April meeting is this coming Saturday at 7:00 PM in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood. Anyone looking to meet other Aspies in the Northwest, we're the largest, most laid back group, and we're totally free. Details are on the webpage, just sign up for a free membership.

[img][650:800]http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh116/dox47/Autism%20Picnic/Seattle%20Neotypicals/Square%20Pegs/CIMG0385.jpg[/img]
Chilling on our huge deck with views of Downtown Seattle and the Space Needle

[[img][650:800]http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh116/dox47/Autism%20Picnic/Seattle%20Neotypicals/Square%20Pegs/CIMG0417.jpg[/img]
A meeting starts to wind down with drinks and conversation

[img][650:759]http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh116/dox47/Autism%20Picnic/CIMG0373.jpg[/img]
Square Pegs mingle with others at last year's Aspergers Picnic event.

Millie, Garry Burge does not run the UQ Asperger Group. This is run by Disability Services at UQ. You need to contact them for more information.

Quite right. Thanks for the correction.

Autreat 2010 will be in PA, so you can probably attend it if you want to!

Autreat's website is here: http://www.autreat.com/

Of course you would be allowed to bring her. What sort of an aspie gathering would it be if people aren't allowed to bring their service animals?

Do you know the nearest place in London and when the aspie gathering starts?

Possibly...

Depends on how good the event was, maybe a city or two away.

The day maybe.

Alcohol. But of course it needs something else to attract a wider audience, maybe a discussion forum or something on those lines. Perhaps a wider goal.

More the merrier...

Nope...

dobtfully

I did, and I couldn't stand it. The man running it was a really nice guy though.

I went to one an hours drive away. It ended up a wild goose chase and the address lead me to a field. weird huh?

I drove for another hour looking for the meeting.

Yes. Aspie gatherings in London are held at the Blue Anchor Pub (near Hammersmith Bridge), on the first Tuesday of every month:
http://www.wrongplanet.net/postt109104.html

I would, and I'm sure that I'd have a good time, as well.