Thread by @AmazonAutism

I don’t have a disability. I have misunderstood superpowers.

1/ I am intelligent and capable. I just can’t, in pageant terms, be Miss Congeniality, AND win both the talent and swimsuit, AND answer the question at the end.

#ActuallyAutistic #AutismAwareness

Thread

2/ I am also an amazing actress, I guess, because I masked so well, no one had the slightest clue. So does my autism make me disabled?

I can write code, hear a wrong violin note in a whole orchestra, speak in front of large groups, graduated summa cum laude.

Am I disabled?

3/ I get a LOT more work done at home when I don’t have extra tasks in my way, draining my energies. Why would my employment be judged on my ability to handle noise and flickering lights? My facility with small talk? My ability to decode manager-speak?

4/ I am sure experts would be astonished at how many autistics work in retail, the most grueling environment of them all. Are they disabled? Maybe when their honesty and work ethic are taken advantage of, as they often are.

5/ My preference for clarity over verbal interpretive dance is an ASSET, people. It helps YOU learn to organize your thoughts and make them known without ambiguity. You would think managers would catch on to how much productivity is wasted figuring out what is wanted.

6/ My brain isn’t a sports car which can turn on a dime. It’s an 18 wheeler which needs to work through the gears, but can haul a lot of freight. Don’t consider me “disabled” because I don’t have a sports car. Can I consider you “disabled” because you don’t have an 18 wheeler?

7/ I have emotions. It’s that they are also an 18 wheeler. They have to “work through the gears” instead of tearing off with one stab at the gas pedal. I am INCREDIBLE in an emergency. I once talked a gunman down when everyone else was paralyzed with fear.

Who’s disabled now?

8/ I know many autistics have more challenges than I do, or less. And we have no idea who can do what when so many are hurt by ABA, non-supportive parenting, and other abuses. Are LBTQ+ seen as disabled? Not anymore! Their issues are caused by society’s attitudes.

9/ Likewise, I had the advantage of loving (if puzzled) parents, academic competence so I didn’t get “special” education, and a skill in demand as I came into the work world. My masking is top-notch, and now I have a life-threatening illness because of the lifelong stress.

10/ If someone has challenges that aren’t autism, it still gets described as “autism.” If someone has illnesses because of the stress, it still gets described as “autism.” It’s considered a disability, but STILL I get no job protections or medical help because of it.

11/ My health insurance would not pay for my diagnosis because “nothing can be done.” The US decided I’m not worth “protecting” with the ADA. THE LAW says I’m not disabled.

So stop saying I’m disabled and have a medical condition. Or help me.

You can’t have it both ways.