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 did not expect this thread to blow up so much. Just to be clear: I hate people that claim that ASD is not a disability, because it is.
I hate those TikTokers that pretend to have ASD to get more followers and visualizations. The shrink at psychiatryUK said that I am extremely high functioning, and ASD for me has always been horrible. I wish I could [edited by moderator], and then ask them if they still want to prance in front of a camera.
I hate those Redditors that say that stating that ASD is a disability is "ableist". It is not.
I hate those Redditors that say that stating that ASD shows different symptoms in males and females is "sexist". It is not.
I hate those people that try to show the "positive factors" of ASD by showing only the top 2% of people with ASD. Try to show the life of a low-functioning, non-verbal one and try to find some "magikal superpower" of ASD, I dare you.
You seem to harbour a considerable amount of hatred, which cannot be very comfortable. I have never been 'low functioning' but I have been non-speaking for quite long periods in childhood - most autistics who might be classed as 'non-verbal' can communicate in words, just not spoken ones. Even so, I believe that my autism has given me advantages as well as disadvantages.
I would be very hard pressed to see those advantages. I f that makes you feel better, more power to you.