It's that time of year again! #WorldAutismAwarenessDay!
*extremely sarcastic voice* yay
Here are your annual reminders:
— Marieke Nijkamp – updates (@mariekeyn) April 2, 2019
Yesterday was Autism Awareness Day, which, each year, yields much discourse about how people with autism are treated, showing there are still great strides to be made.
Marieke Nijkamp, #1 New York Times bestselling author of This is Where It Ends and Before I Let Go, editor of Unbroken: 13 stories starring disabled teens, and writer of the upcoming Oracle: Rising, tweeted out some extremely important points.
Let’s look at the tweets.
1. We need acceptance, not awareness.
We want acceptance of our voices and our stories and our lives.
We deserve acceptance.
— Marieke Nijkamp – updates (@mariekeyn) April 2, 2019
This is right on the money. I’m sure we all are aware that autism exist, but being aware of something isn’t the same as accepting it. I can be aware of you, the reader, but to say I accept you is something totally different.
See how it sounds? “I’m aware of you”. Harsh, a little blunt, and you’re not sure what I’m getting at.
Now if I say, “I accept you,” there’s something kinder and much more honest in those words.
See the difference?
2. Listen to #ActuallyAutistic advocates. Boost our voices. Listen to what we have to say.
Boost #ActuallyAutistic people of color. Boost #ActuallyAutistic people across the gender spectrum. Boost #ActuallyAutistic disabled voices.
We contain multitudes.
— Marieke Nijkamp – updates (@mariekeyn) April 2, 2019
You definitely should.
3. Don't #LightItUpBlue. Don't. Do not.
LIUB is the signature campaign of Autism Speaks. The same AS that consistently (still) dehumanizes autistics.
— Marieke Nijkamp – updates (@mariekeyn) April 2, 2019
4. Autism Speaks doesn't speak for us.
Non-autistic voices shouldn't speak over us.
Listen. Listen. Listen.
— Marieke Nijkamp – updates (@mariekeyn) April 2, 2019
5. Don't speak of autism as a burden. Don't speak of autism as a tragedy. Don't speak of autism as an inspiration, a missing puzzle piece, a destroyer of families.
Fuck that noise.
Accept us for who we are.
— Marieke Nijkamp – updates (@mariekeyn) April 2, 2019
6. Do speak of autism as simply another neurotype. Another way of interacting with the world. Recognize where we can meet each other. Recognize where access is limited. Celebrate being different. Celebrate autistic voices. Lift up autistic creators. Listen to our perspectives.
— Marieke Nijkamp – updates (@mariekeyn) April 2, 2019
You may think: it’s the 21st Century. We have history books that tell us condemning differences is bad, bad bad. Do we really need to go over this again? The answer is, yes, we do, because we can’t afford to forget about it.
7. Educate yourself.
Ask yourself what YOU can do to make YOUR world more accessible to the neurodiverse people around you, whether you realize they're there or not.
— Marieke Nijkamp – updates (@mariekeyn) April 2, 2019
Make an effort to better yourself, be willing to change your mind, and LISTEN.
8. If you do wish to talk tragedies, talk about lack of access and acceptance. Talk about ableism. Talk about cure narratives. Talk about institutional violence and abuse. Talk about autistic children being murdered by their caregivers.
Call out pseudo-scientific bullshit:
— Marieke Nijkamp – updates (@mariekeyn) April 2, 2019
9. VACCINES. DON'T. CAUSE. AUTISM.
WHY ARE WE STILL TALKING ABOUT THIS.
— Marieke Nijkamp – updates (@mariekeyn) April 2, 2019
Image Via Imgflip
10. Celebrate #WorldAutismAcceptanceDay today instead.
And then celebrate it tomorrow too.
— Marieke Nijkamp – updates (@mariekeyn) April 2, 2019
Autism Acceptance Day is meant to give those on the spectrum the spotlight. That doesn’t mean you should forget about them tomorrow, or the next day, or the day after that. It means the fight isn’t over.
Featured Image Via mariekenijkamp.com