Lily Proulx-Scandone, Sophomore
In school, there will always be those few silent or “weird” kids that the rest of the class goes out of their way to ignore and isolate. Even if they weren’t considered special needs or had any noticeable problems, they were still treated differently. But this cultural mindset is changing. Autism Acceptance Month is a month-long effort throughout April to raise awareness about autism. The event, previously known as Autism Awareness Month, now focuses on decreasing the systemic ableism present in society today.
The first few search results from the internet show Autism Speaks, medical definitions of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and advocacy organizations. Autism Speaks is considered the face of autism advocacy, as they hold a large membership and donors list. Yet they face dissatisfaction from both autistic people themselves and allies, as their membership is mostly non-autistic people. From this dissatisfaction, new advocates arose to do what they could not.
In the past years, autistic activists have wedged themselves within the discussion table of autism awareness, advocating for autistic people themselves to share their experiences and have their voices heard. Within this movement, both young and old autistic activists are shaping legislation and cultural shifts aimed at autistic people. This represents a shift within the movement, from awareness and implying a widespread ignorance, to acceptance and taking action.
Autistic people and families are often excluded from policies and developmental resources, especially racialized groups. The conversation recommended more collaboration and listening to what autistic and non-speaking researchers and academics have pushed for years, up to this point. It is solid advice: take down your bias and listen for just a moment. More often than not, the way neurodivergent people and neurotypical people perceive the world is completely different. This shines through in the dialogues present in respected academics.
The health impacts of systemic ableism are only just appearing in medical knowledge; one contributor to the Instagram account @the.autisticats shares their findings of how overactive fight-or-flight receptors often found in autistic people can lead to early graying of hair. Autism awareness has long moved past just awareness of what autism means. Now, with the pandemic exacerbating the worst injustices that minorities face, including neurodivergent people, the push is not just for awareness, but for acceptance wholesale. This month’s purpose is to try and not only raise awareness, but to take action or rather demand change, rather than just wishing for it to happen.
Sources:
Information was also taken from @the.autisticats on Instagram.
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