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🧵 A little story about why I started working on a personal project for autistic people 1/ Before getting laid off from my last job, I dove back into coding. Did two projects for myself, just to get my head around it again. But after that? I felt lost about what to do next. #ActuallyAutistic

2/ That's when my gf suggested something important: "Please work on something that benefits society, not just another app or service." Those words triggered a memory from 7 years ago...

3/ Back then, during uni, we were working on a project focused on the autistic community. We interviewed this amazing lady - she was autistic, had autistic kids, AND studied psychology and autism at university.

4/ That conversation was mind-blowing. I learned so much about autism, the daily struggles people face, and the challenges they experience just for "not fitting into the norm."

5/ We had this idea involving VR, but we lacked the knowledge to make it happen. I had another idea too - something I believed could really help people - but it was too complex for us at the time.

7/ So I built an app with one core feature: helping during critical moments of mental overload and meltdowns. It provides immediate guidance during acute situations while promoting independence and self-reliance.

8/ Meet kinkō (meaning 'balance' in Japanese) 🌟 It's an AI companion that helps you navigate unexpected situations - like missing your train or when plans change suddenly. It provides structured, personalized guidance to help you find your way forward.

9/ Here's my challenge though: I need to validate if this actually makes a difference. There's a huge gap between "good idea in theory" and "actual impact in reality."