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Tania 🇿🇦 AutisticStrategies.net Profile picture
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13 Apr, 8 tweets, 3 min read
It's been more than 5 years since this happened, and still there are schools in the USA and in other countries that won't allow nonspeaking autistic children the support they need to participate in class, even if their parents pay the aides themselves.
autisticadvocacy.org/2016/05/a-voic…
During those 5 years, several nonspeaking activists emerged who were once reliant on pointing to a letterboard, but who now communicate by typing independently, either from time to time or all the time.

Canadian Damon Kirsebom is one of them.

tania.co.za/reframing-seve…
Damon is a nonspeaking communication and education rights advocate.

Unlike the US, Canada has ratified the #CRPD. But that still doesn't mean that its provisions have been carried through and that autistic people now all have the support they need.

Other activists and autistic-led organisations in Canada collectively and independently battle to prevent the opponents of communication rights from expanding their grip.
"Opponents of communication rights"? Yep, that's a thing. And it's not unique to the US and Canada.

So, who ARE these people who oppose communication? Who'd want to fight against nonspeaking people, for goodness' sake?
Well, of course they wouldn't phrase it that way. They would say that they are in favour of communication. And to get away with saying this whilst STOPPING communication, they define what valid communication is, on their terms.
Because if nonspeaking autistic people start communicating en masse, they threaten a multibillion dollar global...

...imperial...

...cult.
So, this is like one of those RPGs where you have to choose sides: are you with the Imperial Cult, or with the Communication Revolution?

Once you've chosen a side, an adventure awaits.

Just... it's not a game.

Choose a side.

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More from @ekverstania

Tania 🇿🇦 AutisticStrategies.net Profile picture
15 Apr
Campaign starts TODAY: #AllowAACinTherapy. It's aimed at doctors, psychologists and other clinical professionals, and at the institutions that empower them to disempower disabled people. I have seriously had enough of this nonsense from them.
Doctors do this regularly to one of my friends who is mostly nonspeaking.

A psychologist did it to me when I at a time that I lost speech frequently.

Professionals should #AllowAACinTherapy. #CommunicationFIRST, not 'speech first'. They must stop violating the #CRPD.
People with communication disabilities should not be expected to make appointments using a telephone. You should not have to register as a Deaf person to be allowed to use AAC.

#AllowAACinTherapy

un.org/development/de…
Read 14 tweets
Tania 🇿🇦 AutisticStrategies.net Profile picture
15 Apr
When they speak about disabled children having "challenging behaviour", what does "challenging" mean? Why do they use THAT word? (Not a sarcastic question.) Do they believe that the child is "challenging" them like a drunk person in a bar challenges another guy to fight? Or what?
Or are they projecting the challenges (difficulties) they have in understanding or coping with a child's behaviour onto the child? Like "I'm out of money and it's a challenging situation to be in." So, the OTHER person, not the child, is the one feeling like it's a "challenge"?
There's a webinar coming up with a bunch of 'autism experts', about dealing with autistic children. A bevy of white guys presenting, incl. an autistic vet; and one brown man... And on the TOP of the list of topics is "challenging behaviour".
Read 46 tweets
Tania 🇿🇦 AutisticStrategies.net Profile picture
14 Apr
The aforegoing conversation below: is this an example of the "social skills" that autistic people supposedly don't have?

Because to me it looks like most of the population are so low on skills that they think a dirty hack is a social skill.
Some social skills could be explicitly taught so that people don't have to take so long to figure them out. Like this--this could be explicitly taught:

From my perspective, respect is a LOT more important than politeness. Politeness should stem from respect. And there are many times, I understand, that it is needed to just save your life, regardless of respect. It's used to de-escalate, and that's OK.
But...
Read 4 tweets
Tania 🇿🇦 AutisticStrategies.net Profile picture
13 Apr
I don't know why so many people are laughing at this. Oh yes, wait, I think I may know... It's because they're not autistic, and they don't know how to deal with someone who is trying her level best to make a rational case for something, because logic isn't important to them.
It's like Mr Thompson, who led the marching band at my school. I told him I wanted to be in the band. He laughed and said I can't be in the band. I asked why. He said, as though I was asking a ridiculous thing, "Girls can't be in the band." I asked why. HE WOULD NOT TELL ME.
But sure, AUTISTIC people are the ones with the broken brains. 🙄

The desire for logical, reasonable explanations is met with laughter by the Holy Wholesome Norrrmal People. Because logic is a deficit... or something.
Read 22 tweets
Tania 🇿🇦 AutisticStrategies.net Profile picture
30 Mar
With appropriate therapy, most nonspeaking autistic people would be able to communicate using words. Depending on the extent of the disability, their ultimate mode(s) of communication could include pointing to a letterboard, typing, signing, partial speech, and other means.
So why DON'T most nonspeaking autistic people communicate in clear sentences like the one you're reading right now? I'm going to tell you one of the main reasons, and it's horrible.
In a country like the US, it's not because of lack of funding.

The government already funds therapy for autistic children.

There are schools.

There are even therapists who come to your home.

If you don't want them to, the court may order it anyway. neuroclastic.com/2019/07/03/mot…
Read 48 tweets
Tania 🇿🇦 AutisticStrategies.net Profile picture
29 Mar
This is the start of my 2021 #AutismAwarenessMonth thread. I hope I'll have the stamina to complete it before the end of April.

You may be wondering why I am not saying #AutismAcceptanceMonth, and that brings me to a content warning... Abstract art in blue, grey and purple, with the letters A U
I'm going to talk a lot about ableism and ableist abuse.

There are also good parts to this story, events that have happened since the last #AutismAwareness Month, events that hold promise for our future. 😊

But we'll begin our tale on a grim day in history: 11 February 2005. 😑
What happened on 11 February 2005?
Read 4 tweets

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