The Neurodivergent Liberation Manifesto

Because 1.2 billion people deserve more than survival. They deserve to thrive.

Version: Mission Manifesto 1.0
Date: August 20, 2025
Purpose: A declaration of intent for systemic change
Scope: Global Neurodivergent Liberation Movement

🔥 Why This Matters

We are in the middle of the biggest civil rights fight of our time.

Every day, 1.2 billion neurodivergent people wake up in a world built to push them out. Schools punish their natural ways of learning. Workplaces demand they hide who they are just to keep a job. Healthcare retraumatizes them in the name of “treatment.” Policies and systems look at difference and only see deficits.

This isn’t a tech gap. It’s a human rights crisis.

💔 The Human Cost

Sara: Brilliance Branded as “Defiance”

Sara is eight. She sees the world in patterns — in numbers, in sound, in light. Her brain runs symphonies most people can’t even hear.

Her school calls it a problem. They suspend her for stimming. They punish her for moving while she thinks. They call her disruptive because fluorescent lights cause her pain.

Sara isn’t broken. The system is.

Her parents sink $40,000 they don’t have into private schooling. Her teacher cares but isn’t equipped. Her principal is tied up in policies that only work for neurotypical kids.

And Sara’s story isn’t rare — it repeats in hundreds of thousands of classrooms every single day.

James: The Cost of Masking

James built software millions rely on. His ADHD helped him spot vulnerabilities whole teams missed. His hyperfocus created elegant solutions that saved his company millions.

For eight years he masked perfectly. He acted “neurotypical” at work, collapsing every night from the effort.

At 32, the mask broke. Burnout ended his career. His company lost its sharpest mind. The industry lost innovations they’ll never even know were possible.

James’s story is echoed in workplaces worldwide.

Dr. Martinez: Healing That Hurts

Dr. Martinez became a doctor to help people. Two decades later, she watches neurodivergent patients leave her ER terrified. Not because she doesn’t care, but because she was never trained to see autism under stress, to understand ADHD and pain, to avoid retraumatizing with the way care is delivered.

She feels it — the fear in her patients, the harm she doesn’t mean to cause.

She represents millions of healthcare providers who want to do better but don’t have the tools.

Professor Chen: Research Without Us

Professor Chen studies autism interventions. Her work is widely cited. Her findings shape policy for millions.

But she’s never worked meaningfully with autistic researchers. Her studies measure compliance, not wellbeing. Her “evidence-based” interventions reward appearing neurotypical over authentic thriving.

The autistic community calls her research harmful. She calls their pushback “unscientific.”

And her approach still dominates the field.

🌍 Why the System Must Change

The Accommodation Model Has Failed

For decades, the burden has been dumped on neurodivergent people:

• Beg for accommodations that rarely get approved

• Explain their needs to untrained professionals

• Prove their worth to systems designed against them

• Accept “reasonable” half-measures that don’t meet real needs

• Fight bureaucracies while managing cognitive differences

It was always flawed — it assumes the system is fine and the person is the problem.

Why “Inclusion” Isn’t Enough

Current “inclusion” efforts mean:

• Forcing ND people into NT-designed systems

• Teaching people to survive in hostile environments

• Creating “special” programs that isolate, not integrate

• Talking about awareness instead of changing structures

It’s performance, not transformation.

The Real Fix: Environmental Adaptation

What if instead of punishing Sara under harsh lights, we just used lighting that helps everyone learn?

What if James didn’t need to mask because workplaces were built for cognitive variety?

What if Dr. Martinez had trauma-free protocols for all patients?

What if research wasn’t done on us, but by us, for us?

This is the shift: from forcing individuals to adapt → transforming environments to fit reality.

⚡ Why Now

• People are awake. Self-advocacy is loud and global. We’re not asking politely anymore — we’re demanding change.

• COVID blew the mask off. Remote work proved “productivity issues” were about environments, not people.

• Tech finally caught up. AI and adaptive systems can now flex to our brains in real time.

• The law is changing. Global accessibility standards mean compliance is mandatory. The only question is whether to do the bare minimum or lead.

🚀 Our Approach

• Beyond coping tools → Build hostile systems out of existence.

• Beyond “products” → Create liberation architecture.

• Beyond individual fixes → Give power back to communities.

This is the first platform built by neurodivergent people, for neurodivergent people, owned and led by neurodivergent people.

🔬 Why Evidence Matters

• 300+ research citations — led by neurodivergent scholars.

• Validated across 12 cultures and communities worldwide.

• Trauma-informed from the ground up.

This isn’t Western disability tech exported abroad. This is co-created, global, culturally responsive design.

🌟 The Future We’re Building

• Schools: No suspensions for stimming. No IEP battles. Classrooms that flex to sensory and learning needs.

• Workplaces: No endless accommodation requests. No more burning out from masking. Workspaces that self-adjust.

• Healthcare: No more traumatizing appointments. Providers trained in ND cultural competency. Environments designed for us.

• Research: No more extraction. Research led and owned by the community, shaping policy on our terms.

💪 Why We’ll Win

• 60% of our governance is neurodivergent — real leadership, not tokenism.

• 400+ design docs — we’re not brainstorming, we’re ready to build.

• Global cultural competency baked in.

• Policy integration by design — every implementation sets precedent.

⚖️ Why It’s Justice

• Human rights: Current systems break them daily.

• Economic justice: Billions lost in wasted talent and preventable costs.

• Generational justice: Every delay harms kids who could be thriving.

🌊 The Tsunami of Change

Sara, James, Dr. Martinez — they’re not exceptions. They’re the system telling on itself. Fix the system and we fix it for all of them.

Thriving replaces surviving. Exceptions become the new standard. Everyone benefits.

🔥 The Call

This is the liberation moment. The design work is done. The tech is ready. The community is mobilized. The law is catching up.

The only thing left is courage.

• To ND people: You’re not broken. You deserve systems that fit you.

• To families: You shouldn’t have to choose between authenticity and success.

• To professionals: We’re giving you the tools to help without harm.

• To organizations: Cognitive diversity isn’t a burden. It’s a competitive advantage.

• To society: Build for ND thriving and you build a better world for all.

🌅 The Dawn

We are at a crossroads. Future generations will ask: Did we see it coming? Did we act? Did we build systems worthy of human diversity?

Liberation isn’t a maybe. It’s inevitable.

Not because it makes money — though it will.
Not because it’s efficient — though it is.
Not because it’s legally required — though it’s coming.

Because 1.2 billion people deserve better. Sara deserves better. James deserves better. Dr. Martinez deserves better. We all deserve better.

This is why we fight. This is why we build. This is why liberation will win.

👉 The future is neurodivergent. We choose to build it on purpose. We choose now.

But more than big — it’s careful. And real. And human.
We’re not chasing hype. We’re not building an empire.
We’re building a sanctuary. A framework. A collective.

We call it NDD — Neurodivergent by Design.
It’s a global framework to support neurodivergent people in workplaces and communities: offering employment pathways, care, advocacy, and systemic change — designed by and for those who’ve been overlooked for too long.

We’re looking for people who feel that hum in their chest when they read these words.
If that’s you — here’s what to expect and how to join us as a Founder.

🌱 Why Become an NDD Founder?

Becoming a Founder isn’t about a title or a badge.
It’s about helping us shape the direction of this movement in its most important stage: the beginning.

Founders are the ones who:

• Help refine our vision and build the roadmap.

• Give feedback on our tools, ideas, and language.

• Contribute their expertise, lived experience, and energy to the work.

• Decide, collectively, how we grow and who we invite.

We don’t expect everyone to give the same thing — some give time, others ideas, others their networks, others just quiet presence and encouragement.

What matters is that you care enough to show up and help build.

🌟 What You’ll Get as a Founder

Becoming a Founder gives you:

• Early, full access to all NDD documents, drafts, and plans — including Founder-only resources.

• A voice and a vote in shaping how we move forward.

• A place in our private WhatsApp group (until we migrate to Teams), where all decisions are made collectively.

• Opportunities to contribute where and how you feel able — no pressure to overcommit.

• The chance to be part of something that could change lives, including your own.

🚀 What We Expect

We expect:

• That you read the documents and understand what we’re building.

• That you act with care, honesty, and integrity in representing NDD.

• That you’re willing to sign an NDA once you’ve decided to commit — to protect our work and each other while it’s still fragile.

• That you respect the collective — no one here owns it alone.

You don’t have to know everything or have a fancy title.
You just have to want to help build a safer, fairer world for neurodivergent people.

📝 How to Join as a Founder

Here’s the process:

✅ Step 1 — Join NDD & Read the Available Docs

Join NDD as a free member here:
🌐 neurodbydesign.substack.com

Once you’ve joined, read the core documents that are already available to all members.
These will give you the heart and the roadmap of what we’re building.

If you like what you read and want to contribute as a Founder — go to Step 2.

📝 Step 2 — Fill Out the Survey

Complete the Do You Want to Help Us Build a Global Neurodivergent Framework? survey:
📄 Fill out the survey here

This helps us understand a little more about you, your experience, and how you might want to contribute.

📩 Step 3 — PM Me

After you’ve joined, read the docs, and filled out the survey, send me a private message (PM) via the PFTT–NDD chat saying:

“I’ve joined, read the docs, and completed the survey. I’d like to contribute as a Founder.”

I’ll then upgrade you to Founder level (via a free promo) so you can access the Founder-only documents.

✍️ Step 4 — NDA & The WhatsApp Party

After you’ve reviewed the Founder-level documents, if you’re happy to commit, I’ll send you an NDA to sign.
Once that’s done, you’ll be invited to our private WhatsApp group — where all the decisions are made (until we migrate to Teams).

🔗 Final Note

We’re not here to sell you anything.
We’re not here to extract or exploit.
We’re here to build something careful, sustainable, and profoundly needed.

If you feel the hum in your chest reading this — if you see yourself in these words — come find us.

We’re waiting for you.

— Gus
NDD

What if no neurodivergent person had to fight alone for the right support?
What if trauma-informed, team-based care wasn’t a postcode lottery — but just there?
What if real AI — trained on lived experience, not bureaucracy — made that care instant, fair & global?

That’s why we’re building NDD.
Because the system isn’t failing by accident. It was never built for us.
Too simple. Too siloed. Too slow.

So we’re building what no one else would:
✅ An open, neurodivergent-first operating system for health, care & life — powered by OceanAI.

2. OceanAI: Not Just Tech — The Bridge 🔄

OceanAI isn’t background software. It is the system.

🔄 OceanAI reads emotional tone, trauma signals & relational patterns. It adapts without replacing. It listens without judgment.
It connects the dots legacy systems can’t.

With OceanAI, we can:
✅ Match every ND person or family to a real MDT (multi-disciplinary team), online & on demand
✅ Coordinate scheduling, secure sessions, live goal-tracking
✅ Let users invite their own team — peers, therapists, advocates — as needed
✅ Pay every contributor fairly, across borders
✅ Offer support anywhere — rural, urban, UK or abroad
✅ All it takes: a device + connection

3. The Framework: Open, Portable, Built to Plug In ✅

NDD is not a clinic. Not a recruiter. Not a locked platform.

✅ We build open APIs, plug-ins & toolkits — so schools, GPs, councils, NGOs can deliver ND-first, trauma-informed care
✅ No more wrong doors: Any entry point builds a team
✅ No more months of waiting: MDTs form in hours
✅ No more postcode/passport bias: Care goes global
✅ No admin burnout: OceanAI handles ops. ND users steer the ship

4. The MDT: Real People, Not Just a Case File ✅

Here’s the shift.

✅ OceanAI matches humans — not forms — by need, urgency, and lived experience
✅ ND people control who’s on their team and when
✅ Every session feeds back into outcomes, satisfaction, and support quality
✅ Peer supporters are team members, not extras
✅ Every voice is paid
✅ All data is encrypted, user-owned, and opt-in
🔄 “Nothing about us without us” isn’t a motto — it’s operational

5. Equity That Actually Reaches People ✅

This isn’t for the privileged.

✅ If you’ve got WiFi, you’ve got a care path
✅ If you can’t pay, we partner or fund the support
✅ If your national system fails you — we bring our blueprint
✅ We start in the UK, Built for Global

6. Data That Fights for Justice ✅

Every opt-in session builds our ND Data Vault:

✅ It shows what works — and where it hurts
✅ It drives live system improvement
✅ It arms policy, reform & accountability
✅ It makes failure visible — no more hiding behind red tape

7. Roadmap: What’s Next ✅

Here’s what’s already in motion:

✅ Phase 1.5 – MDT Proto Builder (invite-only backend)
✅ Phase 2.0 – Ocean Core v1 (text input, trauma-aware summaries, mirror logic)
✅ Phase 2.5 – ND Workrooms (burnout flags, comms translation tools)
✅ Phase 3.0 – Health API pilot (NHS, EMIS-aligned)
✅ Phase 3.5 – Legal + Advocacy Layer (rights translators, Legal-reviewed scripts)
✅ Phase 4.0 – External Testing

🔄 Launch order may shift — but the principle won’t:
No country. No person. No lived experience left behind.

8. Why We’re Here ✅

Because no one should fall through a system that was never built for them.
Because ND support shouldn’t depend on postcode, privilege, or persistence.
Because the wait-and-hope model is broken.

✅ With OceanAI & the MDT engine, “support” becomes what it was always meant to be:
A team. For you. When you need it. OceanAI powers your MDT.
Plug in. Build your team. Change your future.
Anywhere. Any time. ND-first.
No barriers. No borders. No one left behind.

✅ NDD is building the open AI backbone & global MDT system to deliver world-class, ND-first support — instantly, universally, and with user ownership.
We’re not fixing the system. We’re replacing it.

The MDT model addition — a gift from — didn’t shift the heart of NDD. It sharpened it. Thank you 💜

If what we’re building speaks to you — and you want to help — please consider subscribing to NDD.
Right now, all members have been comped while we build this together. This will soon be changing. If you feel you can contribute but you are unable to pay for the sub please pop me a PM.

If you’d like to contribute, you can do so via our Ko-fi link.

Every voice, every share, every act of support helps us build a system that finally fits.

Subscribe now

V1 of the survey is still accessible here:
https://tally.so/r/m6zZPB

I’m now working on V2. Which is still a work in progress and currently

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We’re building scaffolding, not slogans. This is a global, lived-experience framework by & for neurodivergent people—designed to outlast charity, outgrow pity, & replace the old “just cope” system with something we own.

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Here’s what we’re building (and how it actually helps):

• A Global Framework
  Open, living standards for neurodivergent safety, belonging, & fair work—built from real stories, not policy platitudes.

• A Data-Driven Advocacy Engine
  Massive lived-experience surveys, stories, & system-mapping. We turn pain into power—making it impossible for employers, policymakers, & service providers to ignore what needs fixing.

• The NDD Library
  Case studies, resources, how-tos, employer guides, & survival blueprints—all free to access. If it helps someone, it lives here.

• Practical Support Hubs
  Regional & online peer networks—real help, not just advice. Access guides, role lifelines, backup staffing, trauma-informed supports.

• Employer Access & Audit Tools
  Self-serve checklists, guides, & direct support for any business ready to do better for ND staff (or learn why they keep losing us).

• ND-Owned Marketplace
  A place for ND-led businesses, services, & offers. Keep what you earn. The network lifts itself.

• Circular Funding Model
  Membership, not charity. Those who subscribe fuel the build & get a direct say. Those who can’t pay are comped—but expected to bring energy, ideas, or support back in.

• API-Ready Tech Platform
  Open-source tools, anonymised data sharing (on our terms), & integrations with health, employment, & education systems.

• Advocacy & Policy Firepower
  We train the next wave of ND advocates, collect receipts, & show up where the decisions happen—armed with real numbers, real pain, & real solutions.

• Always Free for the Ones Who Need It Most
  No gatekeeping. If you need it, you get it. Paywalls only on deep-dive builds & direct consultancy—never on access, safety, or survival.

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Why?

Because we are tired of being the “fixer-uppers” of broken systems.
Because trauma & burnout are features of the old system, not bugs in us.
Because ND people aren’t broken—they’re being failed.

We’re here to build something that outlasts us all.

If you want to fuel the framework, subscribe, share, or just rest here.
If you want to comp your way in, bring your voice or your action.
If you do neither, that’s fine—someone will need what we’re building when they’re ready.

We are NDD. This is just the beginning.

Fuel The Framework

We’re building NDD as a global, neurodivergent-led support framework.
Our system needs to be:

• Lean (minimal cost, minimal admin)

• Secure (especially for sensitive stories & survey data)

• Flexible (so we can adapt as we grow)

• Human (easy for everyone, not just techies)

What We’re Proposing

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He kept getting promoted — then punished for being himself.

The Person
Autistic man in his 40s. Highly intelligent. Deeply principled. Spent years in mid-senior roles across telecoms and software. Built a reputation for crisis management, pattern-spotting, and earning client trust. Masked quietly, expertly, most of his life.

The Problem
He thrived in high-stakes moments. But office politics? Vague feedback? Unwritten rules?
Every promotion brought new, invisible demands: small talk, playing the game, reading signals nobody explained. He wasn’t rude—just direct. Didn’t gossip, didn’t bluff. Said what he meant. For that, he was marked as “difficult.”
When leadership changed, it got worse. He was frozen out, denied visibility, quietly erased from the accounts he built.

The Cost
The company lost someone who could close six-figure deals and keep clients through chaos. He lost his income, his confidence, and a chunk of his identity. Years of expertise walked out quietly—nobody noticed until revenue dropped.

What Could’ve Helped (With the NDD Framework in place):

• Executive coaching that respects ND communication

• A trained liaison to navigate office politics—without forcing a change of self

• Real advocacy at leadership level

• ND-safe leadership pathways—directness not penalised

• Recognition that different isn’t difficult. Sometimes, it’s essential.

He didn’t need smoothing out. He needed a system that valued how he worked.

Fuel The Framework

She was brilliant at starting. No one ever helped her stay.

The Person
Late-20s woman with ADHD, diagnosed as an adult. Creative, quick-witted, always fizzing with energy. She landed a marketing coordinator job at a fast-growing tech company. Her big ideas got noticed early—so did her ability to move fast. But details, timekeeping, and burnout were always close behind.

The Problem
At first, the team celebrated her “spark.” She brought life to projects that felt flat before. But as the weeks ticked by, her missed deadlines and habit of jumping between tasks became a problem. Nobody recognised the signs of executive dysfunction. She felt ashamed—so she masked harder, working late just to seem “normal.” Soon, the praise turned to criticism: “inconsistent,” “unreliable,” even “dramatic.”
And then, just like that, she was gone.

The Cost
The company lost a natural creative who could have defined their brand voice. She lost her sense of worth—and entered another round of burnout. She hasn’t worked since. She still doubts herself, even though she’s always been one of the sharpest minds in every room she’s entered.

What Could’ve Helped (With the NDD Framework in place):

• Tools to support time-blindness & structured scheduling

• A manager trained to give ADHD-friendly feedback

• Roles shaped to leverage creative strengths

• Access to ADHD coaching or therapy

• A peer network to normalise ND challenges

• Permission to work how her brain works—not just mask it

She didn’t need fixing. She needed scaffolding.

Fuel The Framework

The Person
Autistic man in his early 30s. Seven years in the same cleaning role at a local retail chain. Reliable. Quiet. Walked to work. Never caused trouble. Never asked for help.

The Problem
No formal diagnosis for most of that time. His manager mocked him in front of others. When shutdowns hit, he was called lazy. When he needed space, he was labelled difficult. No adjustments. No questions. No language to explain what was happening — and no one listening anyway. So he kept pushing. Until he disappeared.

The Cost
He left without notice. No plan. No savings. No safety net. Now isolated, unemployed, and unreachable. The company filled the role in days. But they lost something harder to replace: seven years of quiet loyalty, stability, and lived ND experience. He lost his rhythm, his sense of worth, and the one place that felt predictable.

What Could’ve Helped
With the NDD Framework in place:

• A manager trained to recognise autistic burnout & shutdown

• A peer advocate to notice the signs early

• Small sensory adjustments to reduce overwhelm

• Access to therapy when stress built up

• The option to pause or pivot — not break

• A culture that listens before it labels

He didn’t need saving. Just scaffolding.

Fuel The Framework

This isn’t just policy. It’s protection.

Because we’ve seen what happens when there aren’t any.
When good intentions get swallowed by ego.
When "inclusive" spaces forget who they were built for.
When burnout becomes the price of doing good work.
When people like us—neurodivergent, traumatised, complex—walk in hoping to be safe, and leave even more broken.

We’re not letting that happen here.

These standards are the bones of NDD.
Not just how we work—but how we hold each other.
How we make decisions. Handle conflict. Name harm. Rebuild trust.
They’re here to protect the mission, the people, and the future we’re building—together.

If you want to be part of NDD, these aren’t suggestions.
They’re the starting line.
You don’t have to be perfect. But you do have to be honest.
Willing. Teachable. Able to put people above power.

This is scaffolding, not cement.
It will evolve. But the heart of it stays the same:

We don’t build systems that erase people.
We build systems that hold them.

0.1 No Ego, No Empire
This comes first. Before any work. Before any talk of frameworks or roles.
There is no space in NDD for ego-led leadership. No saviourism. No one-person shows.
If you need to be right, to be seen, to be in charge—you’re not ready for this room.
Leave the ego at the door. Or don’t come in.

1. People Before Process
We design for real lives, not ideal conditions.
If someone’s in crisis, unwell, grieving, spiralling—we pause.
We hold. We adapt.
No deadline, KPI, or outcome comes before human wellbeing.

2. Lived Experience Leads
This is built by neurodivergent people—not just for them.
Power is shared. Voices are passed the mic.
We listen sideways, not downwards.

3. Progress Over Perfection
We launch messy. We course-correct loudly.
Mistakes aren’t failures—they’re friction that sharpens the mission.
The standard is honesty, not polish.

4. Safety Is a Shared Responsibility
Everyone deserves to feel safe—emotionally, physically, psychologically.
We don’t tolerate harm. We call each other in, not out.
We protect each other, even when it’s uncomfortable.

5. No Ledgers
We don’t keep score.
Support is not transactional.
We give what we can, when we can—without expecting credit or control.

6. Flexible by Default
Rigid systems break people.
We build with fluidity: flexible hours, roles, outputs, comms.
Burnout is a signal, not a flaw. Rest is sacred.

7. Transparency Always
We say the thing.
About money, power, problems—there is no backstage.
Everyone sees the workings, not just the outcome.

8. Community Is the Metric
Success isn’t reach. It’s resonance.
Do people stay? Heal? Build?
That’s the real impact report.

9. Access Is Not Optional
We build for real people with real needs—sensory, financial, emotional, cognitive.
That means plain language. Multiple formats. Processing time.
No one left outside the door.

10. Repair > Reputation
When we f*** up, we fix it.
We don’t protect the brand over the people.
We centre harm, listen deeply, and rebuild trust from the ground up.

11. Growth With Roots
We grow at the speed of integrity.
No rushing. No overreach.
Every new hub or offer must be grounded before it expands.

12. Sacred Silly
Joy matters.
Memes count.
Play is part of resilience. We honour weirdness as wisdom.

13. Built to Scale, Designed to Hold
Everything we create must grow without breaking us.
This isn’t a passion project. It’s a system that can stretch across countries, cultures, and crises—while staying human.

14. Shared Page, Shared Power
This only works if we’re all on the same page.
Not identical. Not uniform. But aligned.
We check in, clarify, reflect—so no one is building blindly or burning out in silence.
Assumption is the enemy of trust.
We say what we mean. We ask what we need. We make sure everyone knows what we’re doing and why.

15. Rabbit Holes Are Welcome (With a Map)
If you’ve fallen down a rabbit hole while working—good. That means your brain is alive.
There’s no shame in wandering. No penalty for depth.
But share where you are. Let the rest of us know.
If the task you were on is time-sensitive, we’ll regroup and plan the next best step together.
Curiosity is part of the process. So is communication.

This plan is global from day one, urgent by necessity, and shaped by the voices of those failed by every system that came before.

We start by listening.
We scale by doing.
We grow by letting others adapt the model in ways that fit their shores.

NDD is not a service provider.

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We are a framework that overlays, strengthens, and holds other systems accountable.
We bring the work, the care, and the scaffolding. They deliver it—but under our terms.
We protect. We empower. We amplify. Together, we change what’s possible.

Year One: Tuning to the Current

"Before you build the boat, understand the tide."

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