More Real, Less Fake

It is happening but very slowly, as slowly as legislation relating to the Autism Act is taking. This is because it’s not in most people interest to push these topics further, industry does just fine without giving neurodiverse people jobs, society has fixed ideals of what beauty and success are. Until people stop and realise that that friend they had at school was ND, or until a child or loved one is diagnosed with ASD it doesn’t speak to people about just how profound an issue it is.

I’m a trustee on a health charity, I now support a few local autistic groups, and am on a council autism board what you realise is how little support and infrastructure there is (in terms of broad public awareness and understanding) to help and how it is a massive societal problem involving the police, social services, jobs and welfare. If the general population consisting mostly of those who consider themselves to be normal saw this as a problem then the urgency would be recognised.

I realise being autistic makes me vulnerable that I need additional protection when I go out, because the general lack of understanding in the population means that I am not entirely free to be my full self in the context of how others want things to be. If I’m masking it’s only as a deterrent to avoid those situations not really because I want to camouflage myself. 

It is happening but very slowly, as slowly as legislation relating to the Autism Act is taking. This is because it’s not in most people interest to push these topics further, industry does just fine without giving neurodiverse people jobs, society has fixed ideals of what beauty and success are. Until people stop and realise that that friend they had at school was ND, or until a child or loved one is diagnosed with ASD it doesn’t speak to people about just how profound an issue it is.

I’m a trustee on a health charity, I now support a few local autistic groups, and am on a council autism board what you realise is how little support and infrastructure there is (in terms of broad public awareness and understanding) to help and how it is a massive societal problem involving the police, social services, jobs and welfare. If the general population consisting mostly of those who consider themselves to be normal saw this as a problem then the urgency would be recognised.

I realise being autistic makes me vulnerable that I need additional protection when I go out, because the general lack of understanding in the population means that I am not entirely free to be my full self in the context of how others want things to be. If I’m masking it’s only as a deterrent to avoid those situations not really because I want to camouflage myself.