Every year in early April you may begin to see social media posts and campaigns about Autism awareness and autism acceptance. Many Autistic people reject the idea of autism awareness, and advocate for autism acceptance instead. Advocates argue that “awareness” can be harmful because it emphasizes differences and is often used to promote organizations who research ways to cure autism or make autistic people more “normal.” Autism acceptance on the other hand celebrates the contributions of Autistic individuals. If you want to celebrate Autism Acceptance month here are some great ways to do that:
Learn more about Autism from #ActuallyAutistic people. Welcome to the Autistic Community is a great place to start.
Learn more about neurodiversity -- the idea that our whole world is enriched by having lots of different kinds of people with lots of different ways of thinking, feeling and being in it.
Diversify your social media with Autistic people. Here are some great ones to start with:
Steer clear of asks for donations or shares from organizations using the puzzle piece, and calls to “light it up blue” This campaign comes from an organization which Autistic people recognize as harmful, and who primarily promote treatments and research meant to cure or normalize autistic people.
If you want to amplify the voices of autistic advocates or support Autism advocacy consider sharing posts by and making a donation to the Autistic Self Advocacy Network or Autistic Women and Nonbinary Network instead.
Happy Autism *acceptance* month!
Looking Glass Counseling has made a donation to Autistic People of Color Fund as part of our monthly giving program.
Miriam Zizook, LCSW Miriam is a licensed certified social worker with a master’s degree in social work from Boston College. Her style is friendly, pragmatic, and goal oriented. She believes everyone has the right to emotional health, and that no two paths toward wellbeing look alike. From her work as a designer and maker, Miriam uses creative troubleshooting as she helps clients identify and achieve the change they are hoping for. She invests in the outcomes her clients seek and actively facilitates a process to leverage strengths, insights, and possibilities towards those outcomes.
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