Published on 12, July, 2020
(from a discussion I joined in Reddit)
I have been noticing a trend of people who claim that autism is not an disability, I think there were even some people who were asking to remove it from the classification. Do these people not realise the harm they are making to other autistic people, and themselves, just because they have a prejudice against the "disability" designation?
Last year I got my ASD diagnosis, after my social life was ruined by burnouts and horrible blunders.
It is taking all that is in me to admit to myself that I can not do certain things, it is taking all that it is in my self to cope that can not fight my social awkwardness and that this is the only way I can keep socialising with the people. In the best case scenario I end up looking like the "weird one" or the "clown friend" again, it is taking all in me to accept that I have this disability and that I need some accessibility for things.
And yet people keep working to feed this prejudice that many of us have to work against in ourselves.
Every time that I feel I can not express the way I feel or think, it honestly feels like my body is a trap sometimes.
I cannot read body language and vocal cues. Dogs can. I am less functional than a goddamn dog. That's not the fault of society for not being accommodating enough.
I cannot drive at night, bright lights give me an headache and trigger a meltdown. That's not the fault of society for not being accommodating enough.
I cannot stand loud TV or radio. Everybody else can. That's not the fault of society for not being accommodating enough.
I cannot read a map or find my way around an unfamiliar place. That's not the fault of society for not being accommodating enough.
I have poor fine motor control skills. That's not the fault of society for not being accommodating enough.
Something *is* wrong with my brain. I *am* disabled. I need accommodations to function comfortably, and that's okay. It's nothing to be ashamed of because it's not my fault. I did no wrong; I just have a brain that didn't develop correctly. We need to get rid of "AuTiSM Iz MaGiKaL SupErPoWeR". It is not. It's an horrible disability, and my only hope is that someday there will be a way to prevent it.
To be honest, I think that those people saying that ASD is not a disability are either subscribing to the social theory of disability (total lunacy), deluded, or they have such a mild form of ASD that ASD is not a disability for them. I call them the "TikTok autistics"!
What I'm finding on this thread and on the other one with a similar discussion
https://community.autism.org.uk/f/adults-on-the-autistic-spectrum/34453/parental-bias-and-autism
is that both sides are telling the other what to think and say and that really bothers me.
If you have a positive, all embracing attitude to your autism and don't see it in a pathological way (+ don't even seek a medical diagnosis because it's from medics) and don't want to use the terms 'functioning' or 'disorder' then don't but please don't dictate to others and police their language.
Don't tell us we can only use the term for ourselves either if we were diagnosed with this language.
If people feel/are disabled by their condition then it's their choice + right to use those terms and apply for the benefits and accommodations available to them.
If there is a campaign 'out there' that seeks to remove the disability status from autism I find that very worrying as there are people on this forum (+ beyond) who really need support and others who are so disabled by their autism that they wouldn't even be able to take part in a discussion like this.
It's the dictatorial nature of this debate that's bothering me.
I am however only reading it here as I treat social media like a dose of plague - a place for evangelists to evangelise.
Judge Dredd said:I have been noticing a trend of people who claim that autism is not an disability, I think there were even some people who were asking to remove it from the classification. Do these people not realise the harm they are making to other autistic people, and themselves, just because they have a prejudice against the "disability" designation?
To sum up, I agree with this if peoples identification is going so far as trying to remove the classification.
If they don't feel or aren't deeply affected by their autism then they individually have the choice to not seek any support.
However, please don't pull the rug from under the rest of us in the process.
Absolutely. We have to remember it’s a multi-dimensional spectrum and we’ve all had different experiences growing up and different levels of support, so our experiences of autism (and co-morbid conditions) can be very very different.
Whether or not someone else feels disabled by their condition(s) is entirely for them to determine.
Thank you for that comment, I have been thinking for the last couple of days that it is a spectrum so everyone is different although some of us may have similarities which NTs don't understand.