A group of renowned advocates and Black and/or PoC led autism organizations have united to express disappointment about a Today Parents article entitled Why there’s a war between parents of children with autism and autistic adults which was initially published (on August 13, 2021) with no identifiable people of color featured or quoted. Though several …
So…I was recently appointed to the IACC, which is the federal advisory board that handles important autism-related matters at the national level. There were ~40-ish? people appointed in total, including 23 public members…and a full EIGHT of us public members are autistic! I am beyond grateful to have an opportunity to serve my community in …
Let’s hope they don’t kick me off: these IACC public comments though… Read More »
To: Meg Evans, Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN) Board of Trustees Secretary Cc: Current ASAN Board of Trustees; Julia Bascom, ASAN Executive Director From: A collective of former ASAN Board and staff, which includes: Morénike Giwa Onaiwu, former ASAN Board of Trustees Vice Chair Cal Montgomery, former ASAN Board of Trustees Chair Oswin Latimer, former …
(Image is an autism acceptance word cloud of multiple colors. Source: unknown) Today I wrote a letter to the editor and the president of “Mad in America” about an ableist and disturbing article that they published on their site. Here is what I wrote: “Dear editor, I am writing to express major concerns over your …
“Neurodiversity Is Dead?” Ion think so. Letter to the Mad In America Editor. Read More »
Today I had the displeasure of reading an article in Mad in America entitled, “Neurodiversity Is Dead. Now What?” Written by a Black woman whose diagnoses range from autism to PMDD, the article makes an attempt to point out what its author views as inconsistencies in the neurodiversity movement. There are six primary points made …
I’ve always been autistic, but I haven’t always known it. I’ve known that I was different from other people, but that difference didn’t have a name that I was aware of. It was just the way I was. Some of the ways that I was different were things that were pretty cool. Like the way …
Why I Decided to “Come Out” of the Autism Closet Read More »
Yesterday my youngest child turned five years old. Birthdays are a big deal around here, as no day is promised to any of us and I view a new year of life as a new adventure to be embarked on in the story of our lives. Additionally, in our family we don’t believe in a …
Accommodation is What Respect Looks Like in Public/Upbeat CPR Rocks Read More »
Today is “World Autism Awareness Day.” While I think awareness is important, I ask you, as a Autistic mom to Autistic and non-Autistic kids: What value is awareness without acceptance? We have been “aware” of HIV for decades and yet people still choose to fear and stigmatize those living with it (case in point: HIV …
I don’t want your autism awareness; I want autism acceptance. Read More »
Dear “autism community,” especially autism parents, Far too frequently the perspectives and experiences of autistic adults are dismissed by autism parents. Not by all parents, of course, but too many. We are told that we are “too high functioning” to understand what you are “dealing with.” We are told that we cannot understand the “severe …
(This is also cross-posted on the Respectfully Connected blog HERE.) In the US, Valentine’s Day is one of the most successful commercial endeavors of the year. In the weeks leading up to Valentine’s Day the pressure gradually increases until the big day arrives. Jewelry, roses, chocolate, and stuffed animals are sold in seemingly endless quantities. …
