Elizabeth Barrette (ysabetwordsmith) wrote,
Elizabeth Barrette
ysabetwordsmith
  • Mood: busy

How to Be a Better Ally

When you're trying to a support a group of people that you don't directly belong to, and some organization that purports to support that group is quite unpopular with the people who actually have that trait, then it's helpful to believe them and cut your ties to that organization. If you care why the organization is aggravating the people it claims to help, by all means do some research to find out why. But trust your trait-having friends to know when someone is trying to screw them.

In this case, it's about April as Autism Awareness Month, and the organization Autism Speaks -- which despite its name is not by autistic people but by neurotypical people who work with or are related to people on the spectrum. Really not the same thing at all. Actual neurovariant people have all kinds of beef with AS and a little digging will turn up their explanations of why. Don't pester them about it, lots of them are tired of repeating that conversation.


Want to be a better ally for people with all kinds of different wetware? Try this ...

* Here are some resources. I started with the best clinical descriptions I could find, but according to my neurovariant fans, those tend to suck. So I collected as many as I could find that are from people on the spectrum talking about their own experiences. Worlds of difference. Believe the trait-having people over the ones studying them from outside.

* Read and write about characters on the spectrum. Ask for them during prompt calls this month -- lots of people get on [community profile] crowdfunding and host events where you can request stories, poems, etc. Here's my science fiction series An Army of One: The Autistic Secession in Space. Some of those poems were inspired by fans who are on the spectrum or know someone who is, sharing some of their experiences. Another option is the TV show Arthur, which introduced a character with Asperger's syndrome. Does anyone else have entertainment examples to add that aren't already on my list?

* Respect the fact that other cultures and worldviews are just as valid as your own. Instead of demanding that other people always adapt to your wishes, see what you can do to accommodate theirs. Ideally, friends compensate for each other's strengths and weaknesses. Here are some tips on how to be friends with an autistic person.

* Keep some fidgets and sensory toys available.  For adults they are marketed as office toys.  Knitting, crochet, sewing, and other crafts offer socially acceptable ways to stim, or moving meditation as some people like to call it.  Remember, it used to be the norm that everyone had lapwork to do while talking.  Having something safe to twiddle with helps most people relax.
Tags: activism, holiday, how to, networking
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  • 3 comments
fayanora

fayanora

April 2 2015, 01:47:58 UTC 6 years ago Edited:  April 2 2015, 01:49:21 UTC

Commenting because you didn't include any of those beefs.

Autism $peaks is not a charity, it is a hate group. They're trying to "cure" something that isn't a disease, they use their money to pay for lawyers to DEFEND people who MURDER THEIR AUTISTIC KIDS, they espouse the view that autism is caused by vaccines, and some of their "treatments" for autism have killed people. Almost none of their money goes to actually helping autistic people.
ysabetwordsmith

*sigh*

ysabetwordsmith

April 2 2015, 01:52:04 UTC 6 years ago

Almost none of anybody's money goes to actually helping autistic people. Some people see it as a problem to be "cured." Some people just see it as part of the natural variation demonstrated by a healthy species, with a different set of pros and cons than neurotypical people have. Once you cut out the comorbid conditions that some but not all autistic people have, it's the culture clash that causes almost all the trouble. And we all know how contextual abuse can cause comorbid conditions like depression, anxiety, and any stress-triggered physical problem -- because that's what happens to trans or queer folks too. 0_o

It would be really great to have more resources for adults living with autism, to help them compensate for the differences between their needs and what society makes readily available.
ankewehner

Re: *sigh*

ankewehner

April 2 2015, 05:19:34 UTC 6 years ago

Almost none of anybody's money goes to actually helping autistic people.
I don't understand what you're trying to say here. There's a big difference between Joe Random Person not spending money to help autistic people and an organisation that purports to help autistic people spending hardly any money to do what they claim it exists for...