The Loud Hands Project is a transmedia publishing and creative effort by the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, spearheaded by Julia Bascom.
Currently, the project is raising money towards the creation of our first and foundational anthology (Loud Hands: Autistic People, Speaking) and accompanying website. In addition, other projects will be developed with more funding. Since LHP has already met its initial goal of $10,000, the anthology is a go!
We need this anthology as a corrective to all the quiet hands messages we get throughout our lifetimes.
The Loud Hands Project video is here:
http://www.indiegogo.com/The-Loud-Hands-Project
Check out the tumblr blog here: http://theloudhandsproject.tumblr.com/
I am making a video about VERY LOUD hands, about “quiet hands,” about stimming, and the need for the Loud Hands Project to change the “business as usual” approach when people write about us, without us.
And here it is, finally:
http://youtu.be/nfS1HEh7jRw
Currently:
The Loud Hands Project made over $10,000 in just nineteen days. It’s now at $11,390. The overwhelming and fast (!) response indicates a clear need and strong desire for the projects envisioned by LHP. Additional funding will go to these projects:
Benchmark 1: $15,000 "About us, without us"
"About us, without us" is a video about the Autistic community and our place in the conversation around eugenics and the prevention of autism.
Benchmark 2: $20,000 "Welcome to the Autistic community"
-With these funds, we can rush website development and have the Loud Hands project website complete, fully accessible, and ready to launch on April 2, 2012--Autism Acceptance Day (original Autism Acceptance Day is April 1, and now has been extended to April 1-2.)
-Use the website to commence the development of materials tailored to all ages and abilities explaining autism and welcoming the autistic person to the community.
-Initially, this will take the form of a letter drive, blog carnival, and pamphlet-design competition, with ongoing further refinement and eventual publication of materials.
Benchmark 3: $25,000: Connecting to Community Together
To begin, we will produce a DVD incorporating video and written content from across the history of the Autistic community, establishing our historical context. Then, to explore the state of the movement today, we will use the funds raised to establish a Conference Scholarship fund for Autistic self-advocates to use to attend Autistic and disability rights related conferences and events connecting to the larger theme of disability culture. Scholarship recipients will participate in a second video documenting Autistic community and culture.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
In Defense of the Paper I Did NOT Copy from the Encyclopedia 39 Years Ago
This one is just for fun.
“Required length for paper was 20 pages! You must have copied word for word from these books! Your paragraphs were much too long. Ex. P 4- has only one paragraph. Your print is difficult to read after over 100 pages. A- “
And so, yet again, I was assumed to have been copying my material word for word.
I’m looking at a paper I wrote on dogs when I was in 8th grade. I was trying to write the definitive paper on dogs, with every single thing known about dogs. I also tried this in the 3rd grade and recall writing 76 pages before tiring. When I got up to “show and tell” my paper before my 3rd grade peers, my teacher cut me off (of course! She had to!) but she also shamed me in front of my classmates by saying I had plagiarized the encyclopedia.
I feel that I need to defend both my 8th grade and my 3rd grade paper! Partly this is because, when I read those comments, even 39 years later (more in the case of 3rd grade), it still hurts! Ouch! How could she say that?! I found myself feeling a bit upset all over again. My teacher, to be fair, could not have possibly known that 1) I was not quite copying 2) I was not trying to cheat 3) I had read that book, or section of it, so many times, it was almost like they were my words, and 4) I was not old enough or educated enough yet to really put things completely in my own words, especially things that were way beyond my chronological grade level.
The 8th grade paper was not quite twice as long as the 3rd grade one, coming in at an impressive (to me) 132 pages. Fast forward a decade or so: The college professor who said he’d accept my 17-page (typed, probably single-spaced) paper instead of the 5-pager assigned only if every single word mattered (it did) had no idea what he’d have been in for if he had been my 8th grade teacher instead!
Back when I went to 3rd, 8th, and my first 4 years of undergrad school, one had to write everything by hand. Even when I went to college the first time, 1979-1984, the standard procedure was to turn in a handwritten paper after making a copy of it on some sort of copy machine, I forget what.
In reviewing my copious and meticulous 8th-grade writing (one teacher said “You don’t write, you draw!" like that was some sort of problem!), I see that although I did not copy word-for-word, I paraphrased in a way that both indicates that I wanted to put in everything about dogs one could put in, which meant sticking rather closely to the extant material so as not to leave any fact unrecorded, and also that I did try to put it into my own words as much as possible. At times this meant really confusing pronouns within a (too long) paragraph. The source material would not have mixed “he,” “it,” and “they” interchangeably, which shows that I was attempting to put things into my own words.
For example, I wrote things like: “The Japanese Spaniel looks somewhat like the English Spaniels, only its nose doesn’t turn up as much…They probably didn’t originate in Japan, but in China. He is very aloof with strangers and often snarls when approached.” (Hey, kind of like me at times! [I meant that metaphorically; I don’t actually snarl at people. Really!])
In some places, the words are just WAY too familiar, which means they are probably either copied verbatim or written mostly from memory from a book that I read over and over and over and over and….
What I was not trying to do was cheat. What I was trying to do was show the breadth and depth of my knowledge, and ensure that people would want to read my paper and not need to resort to things like other books or the encyclopedia! I also wanted to show off my fancy, curlicued handwriting.
I was also learning a lot- vocabulary, sentence structure, and more and more dog facts!
Did I mention that my fascination with dogs dated back at least to when I was 18 months old? My mother says that when I was that age, when I would see a dog, I’d bark. A lot. I was fairly convinced as a youngster that I could somehow “crack the code” and be able to talk with dogs directly, and even made up a “”dog language,” which I tried to teach to my dog, as well as trying to bark realistically, so that I could learn his language, too.
I have the dog language written down still. The dog language is recorded in one of the twelve “Rover” volumes that I wrote in 1st and 2nd grade. I must have been hyperlexically in love with the idea of encyclopedias in general, because from the first book, I gave them volume numbers: “Rover Vol. 1” and also wrote things like “Printed in 1966.” Vol. 11 is dated “2nd grade” but I’m not sure if Vol. 12 was much later. In almost every one of the volumes, which are all about 5-10 pages long, with writing and drawings of dogs and girls, my printing style changes completely so that only a handwriting expert could tell that they were written by the same child- maybe. I need to scan these all in and put them online somewhere safe, because the paper is so old and yellowed and falling apart. Then my dear reader will see what I mean about the handwriting.
I got into this tonight because I have started reading the 12 “Rover” volumes to my son. At one point he turned to me incredulously and said “When did you have TIME to write all this?” I said “After school. I went to a full day of school and then came home and wrote. It did not take all that long, we didn’t have tons of homework, and I couldn’t NOT write it.” (My secret agenda is to see if I can inspire him to do a lot more writing than he is doing currently, even if he does not produce twelve 5-10 page “volumes” in the next year.)
I hope that any teachers that read this will think twice before accusing a child, especially a younger child, of “just copying” or plagiarizing. While, in essence, that is what the child might be doing, a teacher might also try to ascertain the reasons for the child’s prolific output, and I don’t mean “Little Professor Syndrome.” I mean things like: “Why are you interested in dogs?” “Why is it important to you to write that much about them?” “How could you say this in a bit different language?” (For that one, do recall that a child like me did know the meanings of those words and did not want to use “easy words” so that I could use the words I thought were really interesting.)
I think that’s all.
Oh yeah. One final thing I really must say: “I did NOT copy the encyclopedia word for word! I didn’t!”
“Required length for paper was 20 pages! You must have copied word for word from these books! Your paragraphs were much too long. Ex. P 4- has only one paragraph. Your print is difficult to read after over 100 pages. A- “
And so, yet again, I was assumed to have been copying my material word for word.
I’m looking at a paper I wrote on dogs when I was in 8th grade. I was trying to write the definitive paper on dogs, with every single thing known about dogs. I also tried this in the 3rd grade and recall writing 76 pages before tiring. When I got up to “show and tell” my paper before my 3rd grade peers, my teacher cut me off (of course! She had to!) but she also shamed me in front of my classmates by saying I had plagiarized the encyclopedia.
I feel that I need to defend both my 8th grade and my 3rd grade paper! Partly this is because, when I read those comments, even 39 years later (more in the case of 3rd grade), it still hurts! Ouch! How could she say that?! I found myself feeling a bit upset all over again. My teacher, to be fair, could not have possibly known that 1) I was not quite copying 2) I was not trying to cheat 3) I had read that book, or section of it, so many times, it was almost like they were my words, and 4) I was not old enough or educated enough yet to really put things completely in my own words, especially things that were way beyond my chronological grade level.
The 8th grade paper was not quite twice as long as the 3rd grade one, coming in at an impressive (to me) 132 pages. Fast forward a decade or so: The college professor who said he’d accept my 17-page (typed, probably single-spaced) paper instead of the 5-pager assigned only if every single word mattered (it did) had no idea what he’d have been in for if he had been my 8th grade teacher instead!
Back when I went to 3rd, 8th, and my first 4 years of undergrad school, one had to write everything by hand. Even when I went to college the first time, 1979-1984, the standard procedure was to turn in a handwritten paper after making a copy of it on some sort of copy machine, I forget what.
In reviewing my copious and meticulous 8th-grade writing (one teacher said “You don’t write, you draw!" like that was some sort of problem!), I see that although I did not copy word-for-word, I paraphrased in a way that both indicates that I wanted to put in everything about dogs one could put in, which meant sticking rather closely to the extant material so as not to leave any fact unrecorded, and also that I did try to put it into my own words as much as possible. At times this meant really confusing pronouns within a (too long) paragraph. The source material would not have mixed “he,” “it,” and “they” interchangeably, which shows that I was attempting to put things into my own words.
For example, I wrote things like: “The Japanese Spaniel looks somewhat like the English Spaniels, only its nose doesn’t turn up as much…They probably didn’t originate in Japan, but in China. He is very aloof with strangers and often snarls when approached.” (Hey, kind of like me at times! [I meant that metaphorically; I don’t actually snarl at people. Really!])
In some places, the words are just WAY too familiar, which means they are probably either copied verbatim or written mostly from memory from a book that I read over and over and over and over and….
What I was not trying to do was cheat. What I was trying to do was show the breadth and depth of my knowledge, and ensure that people would want to read my paper and not need to resort to things like other books or the encyclopedia! I also wanted to show off my fancy, curlicued handwriting.
I was also learning a lot- vocabulary, sentence structure, and more and more dog facts!
Did I mention that my fascination with dogs dated back at least to when I was 18 months old? My mother says that when I was that age, when I would see a dog, I’d bark. A lot. I was fairly convinced as a youngster that I could somehow “crack the code” and be able to talk with dogs directly, and even made up a “”dog language,” which I tried to teach to my dog, as well as trying to bark realistically, so that I could learn his language, too.
I have the dog language written down still. The dog language is recorded in one of the twelve “Rover” volumes that I wrote in 1st and 2nd grade. I must have been hyperlexically in love with the idea of encyclopedias in general, because from the first book, I gave them volume numbers: “Rover Vol. 1” and also wrote things like “Printed in 1966.” Vol. 11 is dated “2nd grade” but I’m not sure if Vol. 12 was much later. In almost every one of the volumes, which are all about 5-10 pages long, with writing and drawings of dogs and girls, my printing style changes completely so that only a handwriting expert could tell that they were written by the same child- maybe. I need to scan these all in and put them online somewhere safe, because the paper is so old and yellowed and falling apart. Then my dear reader will see what I mean about the handwriting.
I got into this tonight because I have started reading the 12 “Rover” volumes to my son. At one point he turned to me incredulously and said “When did you have TIME to write all this?” I said “After school. I went to a full day of school and then came home and wrote. It did not take all that long, we didn’t have tons of homework, and I couldn’t NOT write it.” (My secret agenda is to see if I can inspire him to do a lot more writing than he is doing currently, even if he does not produce twelve 5-10 page “volumes” in the next year.)
I hope that any teachers that read this will think twice before accusing a child, especially a younger child, of “just copying” or plagiarizing. While, in essence, that is what the child might be doing, a teacher might also try to ascertain the reasons for the child’s prolific output, and I don’t mean “Little Professor Syndrome.” I mean things like: “Why are you interested in dogs?” “Why is it important to you to write that much about them?” “How could you say this in a bit different language?” (For that one, do recall that a child like me did know the meanings of those words and did not want to use “easy words” so that I could use the words I thought were really interesting.)
I think that’s all.
Oh yeah. One final thing I really must say: “I did NOT copy the encyclopedia word for word! I didn’t!”
Monday, January 23, 2012
DSM5 Changes to Autism/Asperger's
It’s really anybody’s guess as to how the changes to the autism section of the DSM5 will play out.
While some people have been concerned about Asperger’s and autism being folded into one autism category, new concerns have arisen about eliminating Asperger’s altogether by means of narrow, restrictive criteria that will cut out part of the autism spectrum.
My view is that changes have been needed. I am in favor of using one term- autism- rather than persisting in trying to tweak an Asperger’s diagnosis to me “not quite autism,” with all the attendant consequences and stereotypes that affect the political, social, and access to services and supports arenas.
Worse would be a change that throws people with what is currently called “Asperger’s” into a supports and services void, with the suggestion that “they are just eccentric and could act normal if they wanted to.” Autistics do not need that kind of change and neither do our family members or society at large.
Debate has raged in the media, online groups, Facebook, and private conversations. Some people are, rightly, concerned that they or their loved ones could be “diagnosed off the spectrum.” Others think it’s all a bunch of hype.
The reason I say it’s anybody’s guess as to what will happen is that diagnosis, barring some sort of biological/genetic marker/brain scan, or the like, remains subjective. If you go to see Fred Volkmar, unless you have fairly pronounced, observable characteristics, you won’t get a diagnosis. Other people who have the authority (and hopefully the knowledge) to “pronounce you diagnosed” will be more lenient and interpret the guidelines broadly. Still in existence are all the tools such as the ADOS, parental and self-reports, and other ways of determining whether or not one is on the autism spectrum. One important determinant of autism that has not been taken seriously or mentioned in the current media debate is self-diagnosis, which I strongly support as a useful tool that can lead to self-knowledge, to an “official” diagnosis, to a sense of one’s place in the world.
The changes can be viewed here:
http://www.dsm5.org/ProposedRevision/Pages/proposedrevision.aspx?rid=94
Debate pro and con, media articles, and so forth- a smattering from thAutcast’s page, as I am too busy being an Autistic mom to go look for everything:
http://www.thautcast.com/drupal5/content/dsm-5-pandemonium-updates-and-worthwhile-reading
While some people have been concerned about Asperger’s and autism being folded into one autism category, new concerns have arisen about eliminating Asperger’s altogether by means of narrow, restrictive criteria that will cut out part of the autism spectrum.
My view is that changes have been needed. I am in favor of using one term- autism- rather than persisting in trying to tweak an Asperger’s diagnosis to me “not quite autism,” with all the attendant consequences and stereotypes that affect the political, social, and access to services and supports arenas.
Worse would be a change that throws people with what is currently called “Asperger’s” into a supports and services void, with the suggestion that “they are just eccentric and could act normal if they wanted to.” Autistics do not need that kind of change and neither do our family members or society at large.
Debate has raged in the media, online groups, Facebook, and private conversations. Some people are, rightly, concerned that they or their loved ones could be “diagnosed off the spectrum.” Others think it’s all a bunch of hype.
The reason I say it’s anybody’s guess as to what will happen is that diagnosis, barring some sort of biological/genetic marker/brain scan, or the like, remains subjective. If you go to see Fred Volkmar, unless you have fairly pronounced, observable characteristics, you won’t get a diagnosis. Other people who have the authority (and hopefully the knowledge) to “pronounce you diagnosed” will be more lenient and interpret the guidelines broadly. Still in existence are all the tools such as the ADOS, parental and self-reports, and other ways of determining whether or not one is on the autism spectrum. One important determinant of autism that has not been taken seriously or mentioned in the current media debate is self-diagnosis, which I strongly support as a useful tool that can lead to self-knowledge, to an “official” diagnosis, to a sense of one’s place in the world.
The changes can be viewed here:
http://www.dsm5.org/ProposedRevision/Pages/proposedrevision.aspx?rid=94
Debate pro and con, media articles, and so forth- a smattering from thAutcast’s page, as I am too busy being an Autistic mom to go look for everything:
http://www.thautcast.com/drupal5/content/dsm-5-pandemonium-updates-and-worthwhile-reading
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Autism Acceptance Day 2012
http://autismacceptanceday.blogspot.com/2012/01/autism-acceptance-day-2012.html>
It's almost time for the second annual Autism Acceptance Day. I have not written a nice, long, blog post about Autism Acceptance Day, mostly because I am tired. Landon Bryce says I write with "deadly brevity and accuracy:" http://thautcast.com/drupal5/content/50-inspiring-autistic-people-2011-parents. I love that, but it's because I HAVE to write with deadly brevity, since I don't always have time for longer musings, and, if I am going to be brief, it had better be deadly accurate!
Speaking of being tired, this is a beautifully-written account, by Lydia Brown, of another sort of tiredness: http://www.shiftjournal.com/2012/01/13/tired/
Part of what motivates me to continue promoting Autism Acceptance Day is what Julia Bascom calls The Obsessive Joy of Autism: http://www.shiftjournal.com/2011/11/30/the-obsessive-joy-of-autism/ Autism really is not all about “devastating disorder” language and alarming statistics. People who write about autism in that way miss the subtleties, and also miss the fact that it is a person they are talking/writing about. Not as in “person-first language,” which I don’t use (for details see http://autistichoya.blogspot.com/2011/08/significance-of-semantics-person-first.html )
I’ll add to this when I get a chance, but it will be over at the Autism Acceptance Day blog site: http://autismacceptanceday.blogspot.com/.
Obviously, I am using my skills at brevity to compile a cool list of great writings that fall under the category of Autism Acceptance. I will be adding more ASAP. Feel free to send me links you’d like to see here. If you see your blog or site linked here and do NOT want it listed, please contact me at pdurbinwestby @ gmail . com
It's almost time for the second annual Autism Acceptance Day. I have not written a nice, long, blog post about Autism Acceptance Day, mostly because I am tired. Landon Bryce says I write with "deadly brevity and accuracy:" http://thautcast.com/drupal5/content/50-inspiring-autistic-people-2011-parents. I love that, but it's because I HAVE to write with deadly brevity, since I don't always have time for longer musings, and, if I am going to be brief, it had better be deadly accurate!
Speaking of being tired, this is a beautifully-written account, by Lydia Brown, of another sort of tiredness: http://www.shiftjournal.com/2012/01/13/tired/
Part of what motivates me to continue promoting Autism Acceptance Day is what Julia Bascom calls The Obsessive Joy of Autism: http://www.shiftjournal.com/2011/11/30/the-obsessive-joy-of-autism/ Autism really is not all about “devastating disorder” language and alarming statistics. People who write about autism in that way miss the subtleties, and also miss the fact that it is a person they are talking/writing about. Not as in “person-first language,” which I don’t use (for details see http://autistichoya.blogspot.com/2011/08/significance-of-semantics-person-first.html )
I’ll add to this when I get a chance, but it will be over at the Autism Acceptance Day blog site: http://autismacceptanceday.blogspot.com/.
Obviously, I am using my skills at brevity to compile a cool list of great writings that fall under the category of Autism Acceptance. I will be adding more ASAP. Feel free to send me links you’d like to see here. If you see your blog or site linked here and do NOT want it listed, please contact me at pdurbinwestby @ gmail . com
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Autistics Who Dare to Write about the Entire Autism Spectrum
Given the insistence in some quarters that "high functioning" (e.g., person who takes 6 hours to fill out HIPAA release forms) Autistics do not have anything of value to say to parents about their Autistic children, part of me is going "Why bother?!" about the current thing I am writing, which is partly about Autistic kids, and, no, I am not sticking to “my side of the spectrum.” But I realize that this needs to be written, by me and by other people on the autism spectrum. When I finish it–read it or not. It will be there for you if you want it.
It is amazing to me that anyone would not want to read something that might provide insight on Autistic children because it is being written by the “wrong sort” of Autistic. Non-autistics who write, research, lecture, etc. about autism rarely get called out for straying outside their area of personal expertise, which would, if the same logic was used on them, eliminate most research on autism, since it's not being written by someone who has personal experience with it.
(More to follow, after I get some parenting stuff done...)
It is amazing to me that anyone would not want to read something that might provide insight on Autistic children because it is being written by the “wrong sort” of Autistic. Non-autistics who write, research, lecture, etc. about autism rarely get called out for straying outside their area of personal expertise, which would, if the same logic was used on them, eliminate most research on autism, since it's not being written by someone who has personal experience with it.
(More to follow, after I get some parenting stuff done...)
Monday, January 2, 2012
Another Article on the "Parents vs. Autistics"
http://susansenator.com/blog/2012/01/the-parents-vs-the-autistics/
I notice that the "self-advocate/parent divide" tends to show up when people (mostly non-disabled parents) want "self-advocates" (disability rights activists who have disabilities) to shut up about whatever it is that is getting in the (non-disabled) parents' way. Because Autistic disability rights activists spend a LOT of time and effort working for similar and often the SAME goals as non-disabled parents (and disabled, including Autistic parents, like myself), I can't really buy the whole "divide" idea, nor can I buy the idea that "high-functioning" Autistics have no clue about what "real autism" is like. We can probably FEEL something closer to whatever it is you think we don't understand about autism, than you as a non-disabled parent can, although you do OF COURSE know your own child better than we do.
The problem is that (some) parent advocates tend to not recognize, and maybe don’t know about, the activism done by Autistic and disabled activists that really will benefit their situation and their children/family members because they are so focused on our assertion that neurodiversity (including but not limited to autism) is a natural part of the human experience. Our focus on the social aspects of disability seem counterproductive to some people, who want “the autism” to go away, since, let’s face it, the social model is only going to be effective if people and institutions who cause social difficulties change, and that really is not likely to happen fast enough to benefit people with significant disabilities. Then there is the fear that if we are legitimized, it will take the focus, and precious resources, away from their own families. I think this is not likely to come to pass- I can’t get services at all, for example, due to not appearing “autistic enough”. I do have some services, which I have to pay for out of pocket, and which I am not sure I can continue from month to month, given the limits on my financial resources.
When our efforts to work for ALL people with disabilities is dismissed, or not recognized, parents are left thinking that we just make noises about “difference being good” and that we do not understand difficulties they face. People seem to think that, or give the impression of thinking that, life on the “high end” of the spectrum is a piece of cake, at least comparatively. A random smattering of blogs written by Autistic (and therefore assumed to be “high functioning” people will give the lie to the idea that are lives are just different, not difficult, and certainly not disabled.
People in general tend to think that no one can know what they are going through, and this is true to some extent of everyone. When Autistics’ purported “lack of empathy” is flung in our faces as a reason we “couldn’t possibly understand,” remember: Some of us are parents (who are also routinely delegitimized and dismissed), some of us are parents of children who do have significant disabilities, and, since we actually do have empathy, we are the ideal allies, not the “enemy.”
http://thinkingautismguide.blogspot.com/2011/09/self-advocateparent-dialogues-day-ten.html
I notice that the "self-advocate/parent divide" tends to show up when people (mostly non-disabled parents) want "self-advocates" (disability rights activists who have disabilities) to shut up about whatever it is that is getting in the (non-disabled) parents' way. Because Autistic disability rights activists spend a LOT of time and effort working for similar and often the SAME goals as non-disabled parents (and disabled, including Autistic parents, like myself), I can't really buy the whole "divide" idea, nor can I buy the idea that "high-functioning" Autistics have no clue about what "real autism" is like. We can probably FEEL something closer to whatever it is you think we don't understand about autism, than you as a non-disabled parent can, although you do OF COURSE know your own child better than we do.
The problem is that (some) parent advocates tend to not recognize, and maybe don’t know about, the activism done by Autistic and disabled activists that really will benefit their situation and their children/family members because they are so focused on our assertion that neurodiversity (including but not limited to autism) is a natural part of the human experience. Our focus on the social aspects of disability seem counterproductive to some people, who want “the autism” to go away, since, let’s face it, the social model is only going to be effective if people and institutions who cause social difficulties change, and that really is not likely to happen fast enough to benefit people with significant disabilities. Then there is the fear that if we are legitimized, it will take the focus, and precious resources, away from their own families. I think this is not likely to come to pass- I can’t get services at all, for example, due to not appearing “autistic enough”. I do have some services, which I have to pay for out of pocket, and which I am not sure I can continue from month to month, given the limits on my financial resources.
When our efforts to work for ALL people with disabilities is dismissed, or not recognized, parents are left thinking that we just make noises about “difference being good” and that we do not understand difficulties they face. People seem to think that, or give the impression of thinking that, life on the “high end” of the spectrum is a piece of cake, at least comparatively. A random smattering of blogs written by Autistic (and therefore assumed to be “high functioning” people will give the lie to the idea that are lives are just different, not difficult, and certainly not disabled.
People in general tend to think that no one can know what they are going through, and this is true to some extent of everyone. When Autistics’ purported “lack of empathy” is flung in our faces as a reason we “couldn’t possibly understand,” remember: Some of us are parents (who are also routinely delegitimized and dismissed), some of us are parents of children who do have significant disabilities, and, since we actually do have empathy, we are the ideal allies, not the “enemy.”
http://thinkingautismguide.blogspot.com/2011/09/self-advocateparent-dialogues-day-ten.html
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Autistic Parents on ThAutcast's List of 50 Inspiring Autistic People of 2011
http://thautcast.com/drupal5/content/50-inspiring-autistic-people-2011-parents
Links to writings and video by Tina Jones, Melody Latimer, Paula C. Durbin-Westby, Gavin Bollard. I admire many Autistic parents; glad we made it onto Landon Bryce's short list, and hope to hear from many more over the course of 2012.
Links to writings and video by Tina Jones, Melody Latimer, Paula C. Durbin-Westby, Gavin Bollard. I admire many Autistic parents; glad we made it onto Landon Bryce's short list, and hope to hear from many more over the course of 2012.
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