WBA Blog: Getting the Truth Out About Autism

The Autism Society of America, an organization primarily of non-autistic people, has promoted a campaign called "Getting the Word Out."

Since I believe that autistic people should do as much for themselves and each other as possible, I prefer to focus on what autistic people themselves have to say about themselves, how they experience the world and what their values are.

From Getting the Truth Out, a site that criticizes the Autism Society of America:

My appearance and life are political in nature whether I like it or not. I often wish I could spend my time entirely around people who don't have those two opposing views. People who just saw me. As roughly who I am. Without exaggerating the similarities or differences. Without awkward discomfort. Without rushing to prove they "understood that stuff all along" to mask the fact that they didn't. And saw neither horrible empty tragedy shell for my appearance nor amazing genius for my typing. Nor the ghost of who they wish or imagine I was or would have been.

I've met people like that. But Getting the Word Out ensures that it will be harder and harder for any autistic person to meet people like that. Because they have more money and power and credibility in the eyes of many. They will be believed. Our voices will be lost and denied. All of us.

The Autism Society of America uses images of people like me in a political way. They say that as long as people like me can't talk back we must submit to being portrayed their way. And "helped" their way. They will be our voice, they say. The voice of the voiceless. If one of us can talk back in a way they'll acknowledge (as something other than bad behavior), they claim they represent the rest who can't. They talk about us and treat us as a group and yet insist that we should only talk about ourselves as isolated individuals. If all you get out of this is the emotional story of an isolated individual devoid of political context, you've missed the point.

Go check out Getting the Truth Out; it may surprise you several times.

In addition, here is a set of links to sites by autistic people for autistic people, courtesy of the author of Getting the Truth Out.