Autism Acceptance Month

 April is Autism Acceptance Month. You read that right, acceptance, not awareness. I know very few people who aren't at least somewhat aware of autism. Most people know someone on the spectrum (usually a child) as well. Quite a few adults are autistic themselves, more than we think. This includes me. I was diagnosed at 13 and re-diagnosed twice more as an adult. There's no denying it, I'm on the spectrum.

Autism Acceptance Month is twelve years old. I know that a lot of people think that it's all about puzzle pieces and "Light it up Blue." But the truth is that Autism Speaks, the organization that is the most vocal and prominent, is considered a hate group by most autistic adults. The idea that autistic people need a cure, rather than accommodations and support, is ableist at it's core. We're not broken and we're not sick. It's not a disease, it's a neurotype. And neurotypes aren't curable.

So that's why it's about acceptance. The world hasn't accepted our neurotype. I don't need to change, I need adaptations that help me be successful in our world. I'm glad that I have a lot of accommodations too, at work, and I've managed to make my life fairly autism-friendly. That's not to say I don't have challenges, because I very much do. But I manage, and I do my best.



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