Should autistic people campaign for recognition as a distinct part of humanity rather than be labelled as disabled?

I have stories previously of other groups of people such as Irish gypsies successfully campaigning to be recognised as a distinct subgroup of humanity. Irish gypsies do have a distinct culture (they are wonderful people if you knew them) but they are quite a bit closer to most other people than autistic people are. So rather than be classified as a disability (excluding comorbidity like learning disability, depression etc) should autistic people, who generally have a unique way of approaching life (that is common across most autistic people) campaign for the same thing? In my opinion I don't consider us to have a disability, I think we are really just a very different type of human being with a common identity among all of us who share the so called disability. What are your thoughts?

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  • No, I think that it should be classed as life long disability but saying that i also believe that more needs to be done to separate both mental health services and neurodevelopmental services into two completely separate services on the basis that current mental health services in the UK doesn't accommodate mental health intervention or treatment for individuals with neurodevelopmental disorder such as autism and ADHD.Autism is disabling because the majority of humanity have created society, infrastructure, employment model design specifically for neurotypical people.

    From a logical standpoint dividing and separating individuals in to a sub groups is not an ideal solution to this problems and promotes segregation of individuals with autism and promotes non inclusion in a variety of things that the majority of people like myself would like to have equal opportunities to pursue and access.

    From an autistic individuals standpoint the term "it a different way of thinking" doesn't help the majority of us and enables non autistics to not take any disabling situations from autistic individuals non serious manner that leads to mental and physical health issues with autistic individuals.   

    The world's population is majority filled with neurotypicals, Individuals with autism is very few and among the individual with autism less than a 1/3 of them have autism with no comorbidities and there is a very small proportion of those who are able to successful integrate in to society with very little to no help and support. Among those individuals who have autism and are able to successfully integrated and succeed into society less than one in hundred understands and recognise that compounding factors including access to opportunities and among other environmental and economic avantages.  

    it benefits everyone with neurodevelopmental disorder such as Autism, ADHD and other learning disabilities to band under one banner because more people means power to promote change the majority of the neurodiverse population needs to succeed in neurotypical world.      

  • I guess your actually not autistic from your comments so I guess your just validating my point that NT people are potentially labelling us as disabled because we don't live life like you. The NT: If someone lives life differently to me they are disabled. Thats the issue. Again I am obviously excluding autistics with comorbidities such as learning disability.

  • Yes, i have a diagnosis of Autism and i consider it disabling. Its disabling because for me i can't understand neurotypicals on a basic fundamental level that affect my ability to gain long term employment and disabled my ability to earn the money that will allow me to live the way i choose.

    My point is that individuals like yourself are proactively working against other autistic individuals, congratulations that your autism has manifested in way that doesn't limit your capability but for many individuals who only have autism have to ask for reasonable adaptations in the workplace in order to cope that wouldn't of happened without the understanding of other neurological developmental disorders such as Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, SPD, ADHD and Autism.

    It doesn't benefit only autistic to be put in their subgroup because it limits your voice for understanding and their a very few people with autism who think like you.       

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  • Yes, i have a diagnosis of Autism and i consider it disabling. Its disabling because for me i can't understand neurotypicals on a basic fundamental level that affect my ability to gain long term employment and disabled my ability to earn the money that will allow me to live the way i choose.

    My point is that individuals like yourself are proactively working against other autistic individuals, congratulations that your autism has manifested in way that doesn't limit your capability but for many individuals who only have autism have to ask for reasonable adaptations in the workplace in order to cope that wouldn't of happened without the understanding of other neurological developmental disorders such as Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, SPD, ADHD and Autism.

    It doesn't benefit only autistic to be put in their subgroup because it limits your voice for understanding and their a very few people with autism who think like you.       

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