04/02/2025
Today, I would like to share some important things I have come to learn over the past few years:
1. It's about autism acceptance, not just awareness - acceptance embraces autistic people as they are, it doesn't ask them to mask their symptoms in order to "fit in".
2. On that note, the autistic community generally rejects the puzzle piece as a symbol because it implies the need to "fit in" with those who are not autistic. Currently, the rainbow or gold infinity symbol is more widely accepted since autism is a fluctuating spectrum that each individual experiences differently.
3. The organization known as Autism Speaks is responsible for the "light it up blue" campaign that you may hear about today. The Canadian chapter of this organization was shut down recently for outdated and harmful practices (again, forcing the idea of "fitting in"). Autism acceptance should not be dependent on autism identification.
I have learned so much about autism in the past few years, and so much about our language and understanding regarding autism has changed since I was a kid.
If you haven't recently taken some time to educate yourself on autism, I highly recommend it.
