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 believe it is important that we continue to recognise Autism as a ‘disability’ so that those that are disabled by it can have access to the support, services and compassion they need. People with genuine disability should not be left to suffer and struggle alone and unsupported. This is the danger if the disability was not recognised. If you don’t feel disabled yourself then that is very fortunate, but please continue to support others with disabilities to have recognition and needs met. No one is forcing anyone to label themselves as disabled if they don’t feel they are but some people depend on it to survive. Perhaps the answer is that autism is disabling for some and not others?It is true that some of these ‘disabilities’ are only disabilities because they are incompatible with the socioeconomic structures and expectations that we live in and taken out of that context they are merely differences. If the world was run by Autistics the neurotypicals may need adjustments? but as it is some of us do need accommodations and support to survive in the current framework.
I also believe that we are all so heavily conditioned to be ableist and intolerant of incapacity, that there can sadly be a lot of shame and/or criminalisation around it, but in reality there should not be any shame in knowing our limits and asking for the help that we need. No one can do everything, we all need support with something, why don’t we start a trend of normalising the loving giving and receiving of support without shame?