Jennifer Macko
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sagewell.bsky.social
Jennifer Macko
@sagewell.bsky.social
1.6K followers 420 following 100 posts
Neurodivergent PhD candidate researching the intersection of mental health, disability, and sex/gender in educational spaces. Former special education teacher. Current university instructor. She/her.
#InvisibleDisabilities 👻
#FeministDisabilityStudies 📚
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sagewell.bsky.social
Zooeyia: the positive benefits to human health from interacting with companion animals (Hodgson & Darling, 2011).

Also known as the perfect spoon-building self-care option after a week long conference with a lot of peopling. #caturday
Picture taken from the viewpoint of a woman reclining on the couch looking at a sable colored cat with pale chartreuse eyes basking in the sun while perched on her lap with one paw extending forward. She wears a grey sweatshirt with burgundy sweatpants and holds a cream colored coffee cup in her hand.
November 15, 2025 at 4:42 PM
sagewell.bsky.social
My favorite find at the @ted-cec.bsky.social conference was this feminist disabilities studies coloring book created by Miso Kwak and Emily Nott. I am enamored with FDS theory & its principles but don’t often see it used in educational spaces so this made my heart very happy!
The following text description was provided by the authors: A Feminist Disability Studies Coloring Book by Emily Nott and Miso Kwak The cover is a bright peach/neutral pink color with an ink illustration of spoons. The header across the top reads “Crip Wisdoms: A Feminist Disability Studies Coloring Book” in a had drawn ink font. The “i” in “crip” is dotted with an eye and there is a heart in the “c,” the eye in “wisdoms” with a star. There are 6 spoons vertically aligned on the page, one above another. Each is slightly different: the first is plain, the second has an ornate handle, the third is small, the fourth is large with a flourish in the middle, the fifth is turned to the side, and the last at the bottom is square handled. Each has a dotted line around it, and the top dotted line has a tiny scissors indicating that someone could cut around the spoon to cut it out of the page.
November 13, 2025 at 6:59 PM
sagewell.bsky.social
The FACES program is recruiting caregivers of Black autistic students to participate in our free upcoming advocacy trainings offered across NC & in Atlanta, Baltimore, & Washington DC. Families will be compensated for their time & snacks will be provided. Learn more at go.ncsu.edu/joinfaces #AutRes
A black father and mother embracing. A green text box reads: What is FACES? We address inequities in school and community- based services among Black autistic children across the lifespan by enhancing knowledge and empowerment among Black families. A black text box reads: What do we offer? Caregiver training sessions Community building Service provider connections IEP meeting advocacy Resource website A red text box reads: Join us! When: Between February and April 2025. Where: Various locations across NC; Washington, D.C.; Baltimore, MD; Atlanta, GA To learn more, scan the OR code or visit the link: go.ncsu.edu/joinfaces Black caregivers of Black autistic children ages 3-18 are eligible to participate. Caregivers must be 18 years of age or older to participate. The autistic child must have a medical or school-based diagnosis. All participant information will remain confidential. Caregivers will receive a $100 stipend for completing the five FACES sessions. This study is funded by the Institute of Education Sciences.
January 15, 2025 at 4:32 PM
sagewell.bsky.social
Spoon/capacity planning is the way I've made it through grad school. Today I'm planning my spring semester. In addition to classes & assistantships, I'll be traveling to Jamaica for an internship, Baltimore for CEC, Virginia Beach for ACRES, & Denver for AERA. The plan: hoard my spoons. #academicsky
Image credit: @NeuroWild on Instagram. The Spoon Theory, created by Christine Miserandino as explained by @neurowild. The image features a lavender smiling octopus holding 2 spoons and a written plan that reads "Saturday: Shelly's party! Today: Do not use spoons on masking, shopping, acting normal, or loud places." The text reads: So I don't run out, it helps to make a plan about how I will use my spoons. If I know there's something expensive coming up, I will save some spoons for that.
January 2, 2025 at 6:58 PM
sagewell.bsky.social
Choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers.

#Books
#BookSky
💙📚
#BookChallenge

Day 11
Book cover of The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang featuring a teal background with scribbled math equations and dark blue division box upon which a kissing couple stand. The female has black hair pulled back in a bun and is wearing a pink long sleeve top black skirt and black shoes. The male has black hair and is wearing a white shirt, blue pants and black shoes.
December 1, 2024 at 2:24 PM
sagewell.bsky.social
Choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers.

#Books
#BookSky
💙📚
#BookChallenge

Day 10
Book cover of The Arctic Curry Club by Dani Redd featuring a blue sky with snowflakes, snow drifts, polar bears, and a table with four friends dining in the snow next to a bon fire. Standing in front of the table is a woman with long dark hair wearing a pink winter coat and blue scarf and mittens. She is carrying a large pot with a lid on it.
November 20, 2024 at 12:06 AM
sagewell.bsky.social
Join us for a chat on creating sustainable lives for neurodivergent folks in academia! We'll discuss the benefits of working in disability scholarship & autism research, disability justice, self-care, & pacing. Dec 4th, 4pm ET. Register: shorturl.at/NYQNy #AcademicSky #DisabilityStudies #Disability
A digital flyer for Council for Exceptional Children Division on Autism and Developmental Disabilities Diversity Committee's Community Chat Series featuring 2 smiling women-one white with short brown hair and glasses and one black with curly black hair and glasses. The main title reads "Creating Sustainable Lives: Empowering Neurodivergent Folx To Thrive In Academia" presented by Jennifer Macko, MAT, Doctoral Student and Janelle Johnson, MA, LMFT, Doctoral Candidate from North Carolina State University. The event is scheduled for December 4th, 2024 at 4pm ET. The description explains that the presentation explores sustainable living through neurodivergent women's experiences in academia, discussing the benefits of disability-focused scholarship and how it fosters sustainability, drawing on disability justice principles and Audre Lorde's insights on self-care and pacing. The session will conclude with a guided discussion and audience Q&A. Registration is available at https://shorturl.at/NYQNy
November 18, 2024 at 3:56 PM
sagewell.bsky.social
Choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers.

#Books
#BookSky 💙📚
#BookChallenge

Day 9
Book cover of Girl Gone Viral by Alisha Rai author of The Right Swipe featuring a solid turquoise background, yellow and white text, and a mock-up on an instagram post with a photo of a lighter skinned female with long brown hair wearing a yellow t-shirt, pink baseball cap, and earrings next to a darker skinned man with black hair, mustache, and beard wearing a gray collared shirt, green tie, lighter graysweater and black blazer with gray lapels.
November 16, 2024 at 3:44 AM
sagewell.bsky.social
And I think this is a good book for today.

Choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers.

#Books
#BookSky 💙📚
#BookChallenge

Day 8
Book cover of The Giver by Lois Lowry featuring a sepia colored close up of an old man with a beard’s face in the upper right corner with branches and weeds emerging from the bottom and left hand sides of the cover. They extend into the image of the old man.
November 6, 2024 at 8:38 PM
sagewell.bsky.social
When I’m stressed, I sometimes forget which strategies help me to feel calm and regulated. I thought I’d share the list I have on my To-Do app. I use it as a choice board of activities to help build spoons. #disability #mentalhealth
Screenshot of Microsoft To-Do app with a background of sand and blue waters featuring a list titled “Self Care” with the following items on it: Spiritual-nurtures your soul and allows you to think bigger than yourself. The soul is the unique, everlasting, intangible part of a person. the "|" that inhabits the body and acts through it: meditation,yoga, nature Practical-tasks to complete to avoid future stress: meal planning, laundry, calendar Physical-improve well being of physical health: hydration, sleeping, exercising, soaking bath, healthy food Mental-engages, stretches, or stimulates your mind or intellect: puzzle, reading, game, museum Screenshot of Microsoft To-Do app with a background of sand and blue waters featuring a list titled “Self Care” with the following items on it: Recreational Self-Care: taking care of your inner child with hobbies, fun/enjoyable activities, and new experiences: daytrip, pampering (paints my nails, take a bath), watching a show or movie that makes me laugh Zooeyia-benefits to human health from interacting with animals:time with pets Social-nurture and deepen relationships: dates, phone calls, family nights, text someone Emotional-connect, process, and reflect on emotions: journaling, therapy, set boundaries
November 6, 2024 at 6:54 PM
sagewell.bsky.social
I appreciate the posts encouraging folks to organize and fight. Thank you for activism and efforts! However, right now I don’t have the spoons for that. This is a lot.

So first, self-care because building up the capacity to do the work is the first step of the work. #Disability #MentalHealth
An off white speech bubble on a light purple background with the quote “Overextending myself is not stretching myself. I had to accept how difficult it is to monitor the difference. Necessary for me as cutting down on sugar. Crucial. Physically. Psychically. Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.” From Audre Lorde, A Bright Light (1988).
November 6, 2024 at 6:08 PM
sagewell.bsky.social
Today’s election day. It seems like the right day to post this.

Choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers.

#Books
#BookSky 💙📚
#BookChallenge

Day 7
Book cover of The Lottery by Shirley Jackson featuring a beige background with stones being tossed through the air. One stone is on the ground; it and the ground around it are tinged red.
November 5, 2024 at 7:25 PM
sagewell.bsky.social
Choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers.

#Books
#BookSky 💙📚
#BookChallenge

Day 6
Cover of the book Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks featuring half of a face of a young white woman with her eyes downcast wearing a whitehead wrap, white blouse, and black cloak.
November 3, 2024 at 3:04 AM
sagewell.bsky.social
I hope you all had a good Halloween. Here’s what I was able to manage with today’s spoons as I had a 14 hour migraine attack that started last night and lasted into most of this morning. 👻🎃🐈‍⬛ #invisibledisabilities #disability
A 50-year-old woman with short brown hair, wearing a short sleeve green T-shirt, blue denim overalls, and hoop earrings. A screenshot from the Friends TV show featuring Jennifer Aniston as Rachel Green, a woman in her twenties with long brown hair, wearing a short sleeve green T-shirt, blue denim overalls, and hoop earrings.
November 1, 2024 at 2:44 AM
sagewell.bsky.social
Choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers.

#Books
#BookSky 💙📚
#BookChallenge

Day 5
Cover of the book The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb by Melanie Benjamin featuring a woman of short stature wearing a red dress and standing on a chair with a green seat cushion. The chair is positioned on a stage and the woman is pulling back a yellow stage curtain and looking out at a pastoral image of a train passing by a field.
October 31, 2024 at 5:08 PM
sagewell.bsky.social
Choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers.

#Books
#BookSky 💙📚
#BookChallenge

Day 4
Cover of the book The Museum of Extraordinary Things by Slice Hoffman featuring a black background with a sepia toned X-ray of a mermaid with wings.
October 29, 2024 at 11:57 PM
sagewell.bsky.social
Choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers.

#Books
#BookSky 💙📚
#BookChallenge

Day 3
Book cover of Geek Love by Katherine Dunn with a plain orange cover featuring dark blue text and a silver national book award finalist embossed circle.
October 27, 2024 at 9:05 PM
sagewell.bsky.social
Maya Angelou, an older black woman wearing a cap, hoop earrings, a bracelet, a black jacket and a large ring on her clasped together hands. The quote reads, “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better do better.”-Maya Angelou
October 25, 2024 at 4:27 AM
sagewell.bsky.social
Choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers.

#Books
#BookSky 💙📚
#BookChallenge

Day 2
Book cover of The Awakening by Kate Chopin with a silhouette of a woman standing hip deep in blue water and facing the sunrise which is on the horizon.
October 25, 2024 at 1:45 AM
sagewell.bsky.social
Choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers.

#Books
#BookSky 💙📚
#BookChallenge

Day 1
Book cover of The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman showing a tapestry of interwoven yellow flowers on a yellow background.
October 24, 2024 at 3:27 AM