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"!
I think that the 'social theory of disability' has some merit. In a world perfectly designed for me I would not be disadvantaged or disabled in any way. In a world that banned synthetic fibres, blancmange-like textured food, reliance on non-verbal communication, loud music in social spaces for no good reason, and that allowed written communication for everything, I would not be disabled. If all dogs were too small to pose a threat and were incapable of barking, that would be a bonus.
Martin said:n a world that banned synthetic fibres, blancmange-like textured food, reliance on non-verbal communication, loud music in social spaces for no good reason, and that allowed written communication for everything, I would not be disabled. If all dogs were too small to pose a threat and were incapable of barking, that would be a bonus.
What we need now is for each of us to write a list, as you have, of what bothers/pains/agonises/disables us then extract all those things from life.
I wonder how much would be left...
ps. I like blancmange but not how I pronounce it in my head ie. blank mange.
I don't think anyone would seriously suggest that we remove what bothers say for example me, at the expense of you and vice versa, but people with opposing support needs aren't actually enemies just because we wouldn't also for example find it doable to work in the same teams/environments as eachother. I.e. Some people no doubt benefit from the bright light of a hospital or office block but that doesn't mean there can't also be dedicated dim-light rooms. It's not that I disagree with you, please understand, but I know with a government that gave even half a care and appropriate levels of funding it is actually a lot more actionable than people think to make room for eachother even if it's just more islands of accessibility rather than a blanket wide policy... because we know that blanket policy wouldn't work, the NT blanket policy doesn't work now, what is best for one is not best for the other. And I don't like how this thread has set up a wedge of division, misunderstanding, and assumptions about people with (not better or worse just) different autistic experiences.
I don’t know if do LinkedIn but here’s a post about the wonderful inclusive design of Barclays’ new campus in Glasgow. It’s really impressive!
www.linkedin.com/.../danjharris_neuroinclusion-ndcommunity-ugcPost-7109769633401868288-CbB3