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"!
From the replies here and in previous discussions it is my observation that this could be a generational difference.
Younger people, who have become aware of their autistic identity at an earlier age, are more likely to subscribe to the social model that autism is a difference
Older people, who have been diagnosed later in life, are more likely to subscribe to the pathological model and believe that autism is a disability. I'd put myself in this category.
Obviously that is a very sweeping generalization and I may be completely wrong.
Maybe we become more jaded and cynical after a lifetime of struggles. Maybe we lose the optimism and invincibility of our youth, because we know from experience how hard it is living in the real world. Maybe we just have less energy to mask as we get older and autism actually becomes more disabling.
I admire the optimism of the generation who are calling for change and I hope they succeed in achieving a world that is more accommodating to autistic people. However I also believe such change will take decades or generations to happen. Meanwhile autistic people do need the protections that disability and discrimination laws provide in order to survive this hostile world.
I may be an exception to this. I was diagnosed this year at the age of 52 but have never thought of myself as disabled. But I have felt “different” since pre-school.
All my diagnosis has done is explain why I’m different. I don’t feel as I’ve suddenly become less able. Possibly the opposite in fact as I have some hope that I may now be able to mitigate some of my problems.
I too have felt different since first encountering other children at nursery school aged 3. I did not know why until finally diagnosed autistic just over 3 years ago.
I was specifically informed that autism was classed as a disability at my diagnosis appointment. I accepted that at face value and saw no reason not to. Again that could be a generational thing, I was always led to believe that medical professionals were to be believed and trusted.
Up until that point I had not thought of myself as disabled but looking back through my new found autistic lens there were many examples of situations when I had been 'disabled' by being autistic. If I'd had earlier knowledge of that and been given suitable accommodations life could have been less of a struggle perhaps.
It wasn't until later, from watching Aucademy videos, that I learned about the existence of the social model of autism and neurodivergence.
I went through a stage of hope and increased optimism in the months following diagnosis. Unfortunately it didn't last but I genuinely wish that yours proves to be long-lasting. I don't think I am suddenly less able, perhaps gradually so, but I am certainly less inclined to want to waste valuable resources masking any more.
No, I’m all out of spoons. Early night tonight I think.
No spoons tonight
Yup, my optimism level varies throughout the day and from day to day. On Tuesday I was super optimistic. Today, having been in the office for the first time in a couple of weeks, I’m just drained, and I have tinnitus too which I can mostly ignore but am now 100% aware of