So... I went and did it...

I actually did it, I went public with my Asperger's (and my depression). I did it in my professional blog.

Like I put in that blog entry, the two driving reasons behind my choice were Greg Baugues, a speaker for Twilio I met a couple months ago, and the death of Robin Williams.

Williams's death, in particular, highlighted the importance of standing up and changing the stigma associated with neurological differences and disorders. As part of the developer community -- a community fraught with depression, bipolar, and autism -- I felt it was more important to stand up for my community's rights than to live in fear of what people might think.

I realize that I'm in a relatively unique position, due to my position on the Spectrum, and that's why I've chosen to go ahead and do this. I don't expect anyone else to do what I've done, but I encourage anyone who can, to consider it. Only by speaking out on media that have influence in our real lives can we start dispelling the prejudice and removing the stigma.

You're welcome to read my post, and the rest of my blog, at Shauna Gordon