Selkies Of Orkney

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This project is about collecting stories from Neurodivergent women living in Orkney and handing them back to the community in the form of a creation that expresses Neurodivergence in island life.

Like the selkie, this project lives between worlds, exploring what it means to shift, to hide, and to return to oneself.

#Your Story Matters.

# NotInvisible #selkiesoforkney #NDwomen

The Selkies of Orkney focuses on adult women who discover later in life that they are, and/or identify as, NEURODIVERGENT. This creative project explores masking, identity, burnout, belonging, meltdowns, shutdowns, and anything related to un-noted experiences in the context of life in a small island community.

Stories rooted in lived experience, the acknowledgement of how knowledge is formed through lived experience, drawing from recent Neurodivergent-led perspectives and philosophies, and challenging stigma and fixed ways of understanding people and identity.

Photo by Mark Neal on Pexels.com

Share your Story

“In writing, art, poetry, audio, or video, your experience, your way.”
Not everything needs to be named.
These are starting points, not limits.

Before the Name
life before diagnosis

The Mask Wardrobe
camouflaging, social scripts

Sensory Weather
sound, light, touch, overwhelm

Island Time
Orkney culture, space, isolation, beauty

The Diagnosis Moment
shock, grief, relief, anger

Rebuilding Identity
after the label

Quiet Strengths
hyperfocus, empathy, creativity

Popular ways to share messages.

Ways to Share

There is no single way to tell a story.
You can choose what feels right for you:

Tell it your way
If your story doesn’t fit a format, we will find a way together

Write it
A few lines, a full piece, or something unfinished

Create it
Artwork, photography, visual expression

Speak it
Audio recordings or voice notes

Film it
Video, short or long

In the end
Editing is a part of the process.
If it sits, it fits.

Photo by Lidia Miralles on Pexels.com

A Safe Space

This project is built on respect, care, and understanding.

You can share in the way that feels safest for you:

I can meet you in person (where possible)
We can talk via video call
You can send your story by email or post
If writing is difficult, you can tell your story and I or someone can help shape it with you

You remain in control of your story.

If you would like your experience included in the final book or project, I will work with you to make that possible.

Contributors retain ownership of their work unless otherwise agreed.
Stories will not be shared, published, or used without permission.

Selkies of Orkney

We believe stories do not have to be tidy to be true.

We believe late understanding is still understanding.
That identity can arrive like weather, not like a verdict.

We believe masking is survival, not deception.
And that burnout is not failure,
but a signal that something has been carried too long without being seen.

We believe Neurodivergence is not invisible, only unspoken.

We believe small places hold vast experiences.
And that island life can sharpen both beauty and isolation at the same time.

We believe people deserve space to speak in their own form,
spoken, written, drawn, filmed, or still becoming.

We believe no single story explains a life.
But shared stories can make recognition possible.

This project exists as a place to be seen without needing to translate yourself into something smaller.

“We” is a collective voice used to describe the community the project is inviting into being.

My name is Elke Stevens.
I am a Dyslexic, late-diagnosed Autistic/ADHD adult living in Orkney.

Receiving my diagnosis reframed much of my past. It gave language to experiences I had carried for years, especially around masking, burnout, and identity, but also sensory sensitivity, autistic meltdown and shutdowns.

I started The Selkies of Orkney because I believe many adults hold untold stories similar to mine. On an island of just over 22,000 people, being Neurodiverse can feel like being out of sync with your surroundings. I wanted to create a space where those experiences are recognised, respected, and shared.

This project grows from lived experience, community connection, and a desire to build something collaborative and honest.

Elke Stevens
Project initiator.

Community Questionnaire:

Help shape information and education by completing this anonymous questionnaire. It explores how people understand Neurodiversity in everyday life. By taking part, you help highlight real experiences, challenge misconceptions, and support a more informed and compassionate community.

Your voice matters, and your insight helps build a stronger, kinder community.

The questionnaire is split into two separate parts. You’re welcome to take one or both. Each questionnaire will only be saved upon completion.

Click here for Part 1 to take the anonymous questionnaire
‘Community Survey on Neurodiversity Awareness’ – Share your understanding and help us learn what people want to know.

Click here for Part 2 to take the anonymous questionnaire
‘Deeper Neurodiversity Experiences Survey’ – Share your thoughts, beliefs, myths, facts, and lived experiences in your own words.

Feel free to contact us
Ask your questions.
You can ask anything,
There are no silly questions.”
Or connect with the selkies online.

Selkies on Facebook

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Thank you for your response. ✨

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Resources

Here are some interesting links, resources, and support services if you need them. In Orkney, and outside.

Orkney Blide Trust
A community-based space offering support, activities, and connection for people with lived experience of mental health challenges. A place to talk, take part, or simply be.

Safer Orkney
A local partnership working across Orkney to address gender-based violence and abuse, bringing services together to improve support, raise awareness, and strengthen prevention within the community.

Orkney Community Mental Health Team
A local NHS service offering support and guidance for adults experiencing mental health challenges, working with individuals to understand their needs and explore available support.

Protect Orkney
A newer local initiative focused on community safety, awareness, and support.

Orkney Women’s Aid
A local service offering support and guidance for women and children affected by domestic abuse, providing a safe and confidential space to seek help.

Autistic Girls Network
A charity focused on supporting autistic and ND girls and women, with resources and guidance for individuals, families, and professionals. Their site offers different paths to explore information depending on what you’re looking for.

National Autistic Society
Information, guidance, and support for autistic people and their families.

Scottish Autism
Support, services, and resources across Scotland

ADHD UK
Information, advocacy, and resources for people with ADHD, including guidance for adults navigating diagnosis and daily life.

Dyslexia Scotland
Support, advice, and resources for people with dyslexia, families, and professionals across Scotland.

Neurodiversity in Business
Promotes understanding and inclusion of neurodivergent people across workplaces and wider society.

British Dyslexia Association
Information and support around dyslexia and related learning differences across all ages.

Why #NotInvisible?

Link To Autism Europe