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What experience have you had with promoting Autism Acceptance?

ClaritasClaritas New Member, Citizen, Member
What is your experience with advocating for Autism Acceptance? I have my own ideas of what we should aim for, but I will post that much later. For now what to your experience has been, have you noticed anything that works really well?

Comments

  • verityverity Administrator, Citizen
    edited December 2022
    I think the biggest challenges of disability rights is balancing the medical model with the social model and disability vs. ableism, and this is mainly becuase divides the very communities that are seeking awareness. So of course outside of those communities it can be a confusing message. Almost a push pull effect.

    My view is a more pragmatic one. Life isn't one or the other. What I think really works an help is to normalise difference and try can cut across general assumptions.  knowing what to expect isn't always possible or desirable, let the person reveal themselves and be an advocate for themselves.

    It is difficult for me to specifically advocate for you we don't know each other well, and even if you describe yourself well, making assumptions is just a natural tendency we all have. But I can advocate for you to be your own advocate.
  • AmityAmity Administrator, Citizen
    ^Aye agreed, for me the most effective tool to date has been education about the medical model of disability and the social model of disability.
    The historic reasons for their development, their value in their respective fields and the inappropriateness today of the medical model for layman usage.

    Patience and recognition of tiny steps forward in perspective, never seeking perfection from people, never imposing my own beliefs or values, encouraging the change in perspective in a genuine way. If the person doesnt own the change then it has been a futile exercise, this cant be forced.
  • ClaritasClaritas New Member, Citizen, Member
    verity said:
    I think the biggest challenges of disability rights is balancing the medical model with the social model and disability vs. ableism, and this is mainly becuase divides the very communities that are seeking awareness. So of course outside of those communities it can be a confusing message. Almost a push pull effect.

    My view is a more pragmatic one. Life isn't one or the other. What I think really works an help is to normalise difference and try can cut across general assumptions.  knowing what to expect isn't always possible or desirable, let the person reveal themselves and be an advocate for themselves.

    It is difficult for me to specifically advocate for you we don't know each other well, and even if you describe yourself well, making assumptions is just a natural tendency we all have. But I can advocate for you to be your own advocate.
    Amity said:
    ^Aye agreed, for me the most effective tool to date has been education about the medical model of disability and the social model of disability.
    The historic reasons for their development, their value in their respective fields and the inappropriateness today of the medical model for layman usage.

    Patience and recognition of tiny steps forward in perspective, never seeking perfection from people, never imposing my own beliefs or values, encouraging the change in perspective in a genuine way. If the person doesnt own the change then it has been a futile exercise, this cant be forced.
    Interesting, can you expand more on this? Here are my ideas on how to go about achieving Autism Acceptance, what're your thoughts on them and how do they square with your ideas?:

    1. Form in-the-flesh communities: get together in neighborhoods and the like where we're close to each other, we don't have visit each other everyday, agree with everything we think or believe or the like, we just need to be there for each other and be a visible presence to the larger community.
    2. Be fruitful and multiply: I think this is the most important thing we can do to advance the cause of Autism Acceptance, it shows to the non-Autistic community that we're a self-sustaining people.
    3. Be open about being Autistic: Perhaps a challenging but nonetheless important part in our push for Autism Acceptance.
    4. Be involved in the local community to some degree: Probably the most difficult of the efforts, we need to find some way to show that we're a positive presence in the community.
    5. Apply self-advocacy when necessary: Of course there will be times when need to speak up, but I think we should put more effort into the above first so that we have a lot ground to stand on when we do need to speak up.
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