If we let this theory about 'aesthetic injury' to doctors gain literally any traction, disabled people (among many, many others) are screwed.

https://twitter.com/LEBassett/status/1692213446861893660

Like, there are a lot of words my medical team might use to describe my medication reconciliation, but I don't think "delight" is one of them. Oh well! I still need medical care!

Probably going to regret tweeting this:

My disabilities impact memory and speech. Before I do interviews, panels, etc I request *questions in advance. * It's a critical accommodation for me. It may seem counterintuitive, but it supports authentic + flexible communication. (1/x) Over the years, I've requested this accommodation from dozens of journalists. Virtually no one has batted an eye. No one has called into question my expertise or authority bc of this accommodation.

But closed captioning to support auditory processing, that's too far? (2/x)

On #WorldDownSyndromeDay I am thinking about all the people with Down Syndrome I know and everything they have added to our world. My understanding of #neurodiversity and disability rights is richer and sharper because of them. Going to add some works to this thread. "Letter To A Baby Who Was Thrown From A Bridge" was written by a woman with Down Syndrome, and we share it every Day of Mourning. It's one of the most powerful pieces of disability rights writing I've read. mouthmag.com/bridgebaby.htm

It's been a hard...timespan. But this week our community has done some incredible things, even in the face of all the awful the world can throw at us. Inspired by @AuroralAutistic's 🧵, I want to highlight 5 examples of Autistic Excellence that are getting me through today. (1/6) This piece by @slooterman about guardianship. “There’s this double standard where, if you’re perceived as having a disability, your preferences are subsumed by what’s in your, quote, best interest. That’s just not how humans function.”(2/6)
newrepublic.com/article/161344…

This is very, very good. Gonna make a thread with some quotes and thoughts. theatlantic.com/magazine/archi… "The decisions parents make after prenatal testing are private and individual ones. But when the decisions so overwhelmingly swing one way—to abort—it does seem to reflect something more: an entire society’s judgment about the lives of people with Down syndrome." (2/?)

Hi cross-disability twitter! I deeply appreciate the solidarity y’all are showing the autistic community right now. I want to ask you to engage with this beyond just “they cast a non-disabled actor!” Here’s why: 1/10 (1): Nonspeaking people are some of the most marginalized folks in our community. Nonspeaking actors exist, but it is incredibly rare for them to be hired, even compared to other disabled actors. This has real consequences for them, and makes them invisible. 2/10

So, this study shows that autistic toddlers may (small sample size, needs replication, etc) have brains where sensory networks are more connected than the brains of NT toddlers. I want to talk about how these findings are presented. (1/7) spectrumnews.org/news/sensory-n… The autistic toddlers’ brains have more connections in sensory networks. They are "overconnected." God forbid we ever have a neutral or even positive difference. If there were less, we’d be “underconnected.” The right amount of connections is the number the NT brain makes. (2/7)

I keep coming back to this amazing thread from @slooterman about this. I want to add a couple things. People really underestimate:

(1) the reality of the *industry,* including many disability-oriented nonprofits, pushing PWD here. (1/n)

https://twitter.com/slooterman/status/1276169982620155910

(2) The role of many nondisabled people in supporting and feeding that industry, even if they aren't aware of it, and of pushing the young PWD in their lives in that direction. (2/n)

The Biden disability plan is up. It is solid. There is some exciting stuff. It's much more moderate than the Castro, Warren, or Sanders plans. #CripTheVote joebiden.com/disabilities/ Exciting stuff:
--Lots of stuff the agencies can do regardless of Congress
--Including addressing guardianship!
--A White House Domestic Policy Council member focused on disability (this sounds boring but is really important and we've been asking for it for years #CripTheVote

Mel's blog was one of the first things I found when I was googling "autism" at 15 years old, scared and not knowing what was going on with me or what kind of future I would be allowed to have. (1/4)

https://twitter.com/myceliorum/status/1249144979227901952

Mel's writings showed me that I would be okay, that there was a whole world of people like me out there, that we were worth defending and celebrating. I am struggling to find the words to describe the impact Mel had on my life. (2/4)

You still haven't apologized for "Autism Every Day," where a leader in your organization talked about fantasizing about killing her daughter while her daughter was in the room. You haven't apologized for Suzanne Wright's op-ed comparing autism to domestic violence. (1/2)

https://twitter.com/autismspeaks/status/1227287409022291968

You haven't acknowledged, apologized, or in any way taken responsibility for the huge role that your organization, specifically, has played in directly increasing stigma and fear of autistic people through years of PSAs and damaging rhetoric. (2/3)

https://twitter.com/autismspeaks/status/1227287409022291968

This is a really strong disability plan. It isn't perfect--no plan has been--and it definitely has its quirks, but it's incredibly ambitious, and I'd definitely put it in the top 2. (1/4)

https://twitter.com/BernieSanders/status/1223233420995760128

It's been really great to see a virtuous cycle this campaign with candidates essentially competing to have the best disability plan. Things no one would commit to 6 months ago are now standard. (2/4)

At the #ASANgala, I ask people to remind me who they are because I don't recognize their faces. I twist and untwist and twist and untwist the beads around my wrist, and I rock back and forth in my seat through most of the program. (1/8) I carry a script in 16 pt font anytime I have to speak into the microphone. My DSP is always at my side, reminding me to drink water or sit down or take a break, teasing me that I've already introduced him to the same person 4 years in a row so I don't need to do it a 5th. (2/8)

I have held off on saying something publicly about this for a long time. I have retweeted things but not said my own thing. I am going to now. (1/6) .@theAspergianCom should change its name. The future of self-advocacy, neurodiversity, and autism acceptance does not, never has, and never will, lie in passionately defending the word Asperger's. (2/6)