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Autistic Pride Day
16 years ago
It's today, and yes, I am. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autistic_Pride_Day for more information.
Autistic spectrum people aren't voiceless, and we aren't sick. We don't need an organization to "speak" for us, especially one which advocates "curing" the way our brains function, any more than homosexuality needs to be cured.
Am I disabled? Maybe. The "ed" suffix implies that a disabled person is someone who has had something done to them: I'm "dis-abled" by every person who treats me as inferior because of the way I relate to the world, by every teacher who thought it was healthy to force me into social situations against every evidence that it was emotionally traumatizing and caused discomfort even for the neurotypical kids. Every time someone decides to relate to me as a drone without any unique traits, it attacks what I'm able to do. Every time someone tries to force me to fit in, they're denying my talents and abilities, and trying to fit a round peg into a square hole.
I'm not a puzzle piece to be figured out.
Next time you hear people asking for support for research into autism, talk to them. Ask them what they're looking for... and if it's a cure, fuck them. I don't need a cure for difference, I need people to recognize that difference as being harmless, healthy, and sometimes even beneficial.
Autistic spectrum people aren't voiceless, and we aren't sick. We don't need an organization to "speak" for us, especially one which advocates "curing" the way our brains function, any more than homosexuality needs to be cured.
Am I disabled? Maybe. The "ed" suffix implies that a disabled person is someone who has had something done to them: I'm "dis-abled" by every person who treats me as inferior because of the way I relate to the world, by every teacher who thought it was healthy to force me into social situations against every evidence that it was emotionally traumatizing and caused discomfort even for the neurotypical kids. Every time someone decides to relate to me as a drone without any unique traits, it attacks what I'm able to do. Every time someone tries to force me to fit in, they're denying my talents and abilities, and trying to fit a round peg into a square hole.
I'm not a puzzle piece to be figured out.
Next time you hear people asking for support for research into autism, talk to them. Ask them what they're looking for... and if it's a cure, fuck them. I don't need a cure for difference, I need people to recognize that difference as being harmless, healthy, and sometimes even beneficial.
