What does autism acceptance mean to you?
What does autism acceptance mean to you?
performance reviews are a side effect of tougher labour laws. The more likely you are to get called into an employment tribunal if you sack someone the more you want to have lots of documentation to show that you’re not just sacking them on a whim.
back in the 80s if you wanted to sack someone your main worry was the Union. And the union rep normally knows if a worker is lazy or a pain. And if you upset the Union all they could do was strike.
Then they, quite understandably, beefed up the tribunal system in the 90s. It got a lot harder to just sack people with out really delving into the reasons why, which mean more paperwork and more reviews. That’s what a lot of managerial work is nowadays. Covering the bosses ass legally if they want to fire you some day.
To me it most of all means people accepting that I am different from them and that I need to do things differently. This doesnt make me wierd or awkward or a troublemaker, it just makes me me.
People not trying to fit me into a box of how a "normal" person should think, feel and act.
Most of all I think workplaces need to be far more accepting of autistic staff. Ironically I think they probably were long before they knew too much about autism, as there was more freedom for people to work in a way they were comfortable with and take breaks when they needed. My uncle tells me stories about his workplaces in the 70s and 80s and there was so much freedom for people to work how they wanted and do what they want, none of which would be allowed in the modern pressurised world of endless emails and performance reviews. I think performance reviews in the workplace should be abolished, I have had terrible experiences with them myself and have also had to comfort an autistic lady who was in tears because the manager of the charity shop she volunteered in was forcing her to have one
There needs to be more understanding of our needs in the workplace for sure and in society in general
To me it's that being different is okay.
That no one should have to feel like they need to mask.
And lastly, embracing who we are. Because we matter and we have a place on this world, in society.
Autism should be accepted, no matter your age, sex, race.
It's more understood now than five years ago and I hope in time it will be even more accepted and understood that there will be more support and autistic schools.
Progress can be slow, but it's coming.
Well said, Glitter.
Seconded. :)
I think both having my strengths and contributions recognised as much as my vulnerabilities and needs. I've been lucky with the former, personally, not so lucky with the latter.
Maybe it boils down to the public understanding that you should not expect an autistic person to behave, need and want what the neurotypical population does, that we need to do stuff differently and sometimes the services have to provide something different for us.
I'd certainly like GPs to STOP telling me I "suffer with autistim" and accept that I am happy being autistic, even if it is difficult for them to bend their heads around my needs to remain well and happy as an autistic person.
And happy autism acceptance week to you and all the team too. Thank you for everything you do to provide us with this space.
What does autism acceptance mean to me?
It means accepting that different isn’t wrong. It means people accepting that normal isn’t intrinsically more right. It means them understanding that social norms and what they are comfortable for them doesn’t necessarily feel normal or comfortable for me. It means them accepting that when I say or do things they consider odd or weird or even deviant, this is my normal.
It means accepting that I’ve as much right to be here and express myself and my feelings as others even if that makes them uncomfortable. It means them accepting that there is a compromise to be struck between what I can expect of neurotypicals and what they can expect of me as an autistic person. It means they still have to compromise and accept sometimes they will have to be uncomfortable or put up with things out side of their social norms even though they are in a majority and I’m very much part of the minority.
That’s what autism acceptance means to me.
There are some really great answers here already.
For me, it's about celebrating difference, no matter how strange it may be.
At the school where I work, we talk about the things that make us different and how that's a good thing. We even have assemblies on that theme. But they all focus on the "safe" differences. They don't address that some people don't use mouth words. They don't address different levels of understanding.
Autistic acceptance is for everyone, not just the ones who can pass in an NT world.
What is the means of rain differently I have autism and I'm in a wheelchair and I have bipolar type two my name is Alex Alexandra I'm inspiring jazz singer I had a serious psychiatric illness a few months ago but I had the staff to help me at woodlands where I live
It means awareness for me, I don’t really need to be accepted, I just need the support to do what I want. I think we need more boots in the ground, to get more autists way they want, eventually acceptance will just be apparent in we are allowed to hone our peak abilities.
Difference in perspective or difference in method?
You adjust yourself to fit the hole, or, is the hole adjusted to allow you to fit too?
I know which I'd rather but with limited power as an individual this is the issue we face as autists if the NT's in charge of legislating fail to understand us and our needs. :(
Autism acceptance means not having to fit in the whole time. Not having to explain why clear communication is so important. Accepting that I cannot communicate mid meltdown effectively. Most of this is caused by caused by people and organisations failing to Do or carry out what they say they will.
Seems mad this even needs to be something we have to ask for though. I think we should just be able to tick a box: Box A) NT schedule Box B) ND schedule. Simple as. No further discourse needed
