Unfortunately April is a month in which it is easy to find a lot of negativity about Autism published under the guise of "awareness", and this is very upsetting and discouraging for Autistic people.
In April I choose to write to counter the dominant conversation of despair and negativity. I'm not Autistic, but I do this as a way to stand with, support and advocate for my kids, my friends and the wider Autistic community.
Below is a summary of what I wrote during April 2015
A letter to my Autistic son
"Dear Son,
"It is almost April again.
"Almost that time of year when it is cool and trendy to be *aware* of Autism and to support that awful Autism Speaks driven money grabbing "light it up blue" campaign.
"Almost time to brace ourselves for the inspiration porn filled social media feeds telling us how amazing "people with Autism" are despite all their suffering, and the equally icky opposite message about how Autism is a puzzle that causes so much desperation in the lives of the entire families it damages.
"And I am cringing because those are not messages I want you to hear......"
to continue reading click here
Autism Acceptance 2015
"......We live in a society that does not value diversity.
"We live in a society that disables people with its intolerance of difference.
"We live in a society that honestly believes the best thing to do for an Autistic child is to make them look not Autistic so that they do not get teased or bullied.
"Conform. Fit in. Submit. Perform.
"These are the messages my children receive day after day. One month of awareness talk is not going to change that. In fact, it reinforces it.
"We are aware you are here and you are different, and we see you as a burden to be endured, problem to be dealt with and a puzzle to be solved." "
to read the whole article click here
Things about my Autistic kids you should be aware of this April
image is a long haired fair skinned child sitting on grass at the edge of a lake
words over the image read "Not sick. Not broken. Not tragic. Not contagious. Not burdensome. No wrong. Not a stereotype. Just an Autistic kid doing their best."
to read the article click here
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