We need to talk about toxic ableism in Jewish communal organizations, synagogues, and learning institutions.

We need to talk about leaders looking the other way & actively denying its existence at best or justifying it at worst. Much of what we see in our community is performative and with a focus on “awareness” and sometimes “acceptance”.

Disabled people don’t need your awareness or acceptance anymore than an abled person needs it. We are humans. Like you. Stop treating us like we are less.

Like many #ActuallyAutistic comrades, I was subjected to ABA as a child. The damage it inflicted on me, my sense of self, and my day-to-day behavior is still very much felt today. ABA instilled in me that I was bad, that I was small, that I was a burden, not good enough🧵🧶 Of course one doesn't need to go thru formal ABA to have these feelings. Those who became self aware or dx later in life have also gone thru behavioral modification, simply via a different process and using different tools. The methods different, the results the same.

There is a lot of talk here about "self dx" in adults. Autism isn't a dx. It's a neurotype. A psychiatrist or psychologist can certainly help you RECOGNIZE that you are #ActuallyAutistic, but ultimately, it's something that a person understands and recognizes in themselves. 1/4 If any medical professional can "diagnose" it, it's neurologists using brain scans (and that's still a BIG if and in early stages). Yet, the "official dx" criteria rule those out. Self awareness IS LEGITIMATE. It's nearly impossible for most adults to get an adult dx 2/4