Once called “Autism Awareness Month,” April is now the month of Autism Acceptance. But why did the name change? And what does “Autism Acceptance” mean?
Well, the short version is: we are now aware of autism. It has become a widely talked about and highly studied condition, and ever since autistic adults and children have been supported in speaking out about their experience with being autistic, we don’t have to wonder about what it is anymore, we can just ask.
On top of that, the corporation that coined the term “Autism Awareness” (Autism Speaks) is not very well-liked among the autistic community, seeing as they don’t seem to be interested in actually listening to autistic voices about what they want, need, or even find important. Therefore, there has been a lot of backlash against the group, including the phrase “Autism Awareness,” their puzzle piece insignia, and their color of choice– blue.
To be honest, I’ve always found it ironic that a corporation that calls itself “Autism Speaks” would be so adamant about closing their ears to voices that are actually autistic. And autistic voices are loudly and clearly saying, “thank you for being aware of us. We would now like your acceptance.” So out of respect, we will no longer be “lighting it up blue for autism awareness” and will “wear red instead” on the official Autism Acceptance Day (which is tomorrow, April 2nd).
What does accepting autism mean?
Put very simply, everyone wants to be accepted for who they are. They don’t want to be told they have to change to fit a certain mold or fill a certain expectation. This is doubly so for those who have autism and have been told their whole life that they must act more neurotypical in order to fit in and succeed in life. They are told that they must show proper eye contact, that they must keep their stimming to a minimum, that they must smile in a picture or be polite, and many other things that they either do in order to cope or don’t do because it is extremely uncomfortable. Too long have autistic voices been saying “please accept our differences simply as differences and not as flaws,” and too long has it been falling upon deaf ears.
The good news is that slowly, the tides are turning. Thanks to social media sharing sites like YouTube and TikTok, autistic people are able to get their own voices out to the general public more than ever and people are starting to understand. There is still a long way to go yet, but there is a definite light at the end of the tunnel.
Over this upcoming month, I would like to go more in-depth about autism and the people who have it in an attempt to do my part to influence others about the idea of Autism Acceptance.
