Stay informed about what is happening in the Autism Community
Here, you can find articles, stories, testimonies, and the latest scoops about everything in the Autism and Disability Community.
Stories from our advocates
This is the place where our amazing Autistic advocates share their stories about what it's like for them to be on the spectrum. This is the place where we have shared our unique stories about living on the spectrum our whole lives. Here is a story about my Autism.
Here, you will find other stories about other Autistic people.
A recipe for Acceptance
All of our Autism advocates want to spread more acceptance as we embark on a journey of a lifetime.
We have to give all Autistic people a voice, no matter ability. There are Autistic people with higher support needs, and we need to respect that. When we bring awareness to these higher support needs, we are not dismissing the lower support needs of other people on the spectrum, but it is imperative to the Autism community that we acknowledge and address it. Addressing higher support needs does not mean ignoring lower support needs; it means not letting them slip through the cracks. It means supporting them and allowing them to talk about their own support needs, with as little help as possible. Know and respect that some Autistic people may need more prompting and help when trying to speak, such as Augmentative Alternative Communication. Also know that some advocates may also have higher support needs. It is important to allow them the floor to speak on these topics, especially when they know more about these higher support needs than you do. Have you ever spent time with those with higher support needs? If not, then give the mic to someone who has experience! Not everything is about your needs, because you only represent yourself, not the entire Autism community. You only represent those with lower support needs, not the community as a whole. Remember that full representation is a much needed antidote for the deep wounds in our community caused by ableism. You like to talk about those killed by parents and caregivers because of their Autism and other disabilities, yet it has come to my attention that you do not want to let Autistic people with the experience of working with higher support needs children and youth, because you would rather discuss the injustices done in the Autism community that you "won't hear in the media". Here is an unpopular opinion: It is not enough to be Autistic to advocate for the Autism community; an Autistic person with experience is a better advocate for the Autism community than someone who only has experience with their own Autism diagnosis. You can only speak for yourself and your own experience with Autism and cannot speak for the whole community, unless you have also worked with children and youth all across the entire spectrum. Even then, can you really speak on behalf on all Autistic people? I have worked with Autistic children at a spectrum camp each summer for 6.5 hours a day, for at least 7 years, so I have limited experience. But I still know a thing or two about what they actually go through. You never see these children in a mainstream classroom, and special education is very limited. Society is designed to keep such high support needs children on the spectrum almost hidden from the general public, because many teachers, therapists, and counselors do not want to work with them. The same happened to me when I was three years old; teachers at my preschool did not want to work with me. Teachers at other schools did not want to work with me, either, which is why I was homeschooled. Please have more sympathy towards those with higher support needs, because you want sympathy given to you!
#AutismAcceptance #AcceptanceNotAwareness #AutismIsNotADisease #NoCure #NothingAboutUsWithoutUs