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 don't think the social model of disability is 'total lunacy': for me, that's a suitable way of describing how I'm disabled by being autistic.
For the most part, if the world was more accepting of difference and the methods people use to handle their sensory sensitivities, I would find it a lot less disabling to be autistic. There would still be some problems- I'm never going to be able to play sport or remember to drink enough because my body just doesn't do that properly- but it would be much easier to manage in an autism-friendly world.
I don't expect that to be true for everyone. We're all different. I just don't think it's as simple as 'every autistic person is disabled and should identify as such' or 'autism is a gift and we should all be pleased about it'. It's fine to be one way OR the other, and it's also fine to have mixed feelings about it (as I do).
I was born with a bad heart. My company has been very supportive, I could not ask for more. According to the social model, I should not consider myself disabled because society supports me 100%. My heart still looks like a dried up grapefruit. I rest my case.
That is not covering the whole picture. If your support means that you do not suffer worse employment outcomes than your colleagues - conditions, pay, holidays, access to promotion etc. - then your heart condition is not disabling in regard to your job of work. The social theory of disability does not claim to heal medical conditions, just to facilitate people with medical (and neurodevelopmental etc.) conditions living the most productive and satisfactory lives possible. I don't think that anyone here is claiming that changing the environment to better suit disabled people (what the social model aims to do) is miraculous, or that it is the be all and end all; but you dismissed the concept with some contempt in your original post, and that is what I, and others, have reacted to. I think that people considering the social theory will tend to find it a reasonable proposition. I suspect that relatively few would reach the conclusion that it is, "Total lunacy".
Thank you, Martin. Yes, this is what I was getting at- as I said in my original comment, I know there are aspects of my autism that wouldn't be helped by societal changes, just that a world with more flexibility, understanding, and patience would make life easier.
Incidentally, I am also physically disabled due to multiple chronic pain conditions, so I understand very well that the social model doesn't account for every disability or symptom. I have endometriosis, and it's extremely painful- that can be treated, but as I know from my current (supportive) working situation, I still have that condition and a change in attitudes won't make that pain go away. The social model isn't saying that I would miraculously be cured of my endometriosis now that I work remotely and have flexible hours to accommodate my hospital appointments- it's saying that I'm less disadvantaged by being unwell now than I was when I had to do a 9-5 in person every day.