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If you are a professional who has been trained to use person first language, and then autistic people tell you to use identify first instead, please don't dig in your heels.
I get it, you've had this shit drilled in your head. But you need to listen, apologise, learn 1/
I get it, you've had this shit drilled in your head. But you need to listen, apologise, learn 1/
And yes, some of those autistic people may shout at you. And some of them will be more polite and try to explain. One response is not more valid than the other. I know that having your fundamentals questioned is jarring, but truly caring about us requires listening to us 2/
Don't get defensive. Don't explain yourself. Don't say 'but I was taught'. We know. I can assure you, we know what you have been taught. But we are real people, not examples in a textbook. Your education has not had our input, where it should have. We ARE educating you NOW 3/
And remember that the disabled community is not a monolith. Even the neurodivergent community is not a monolith. Do not use disabled people who have fought for PFL for their specific disability as a stick to beat autistic people with 4/
You talk about not wanting to label us, that that's the reason you eschew the word 'autistic', but then you go right ahead and treat all disabled people as a monolith. As if our wants and needs are all the same. As if you know best 5/
That is not respecting our humanity. Respecting us is about so much more than PFL.
It's about opening your minds.
Listening, learning, allowing yourself to be educated in the most important way.
Take the criticism, apologise, move on with those lessons in mind 6/
It's about opening your minds.
Listening, learning, allowing yourself to be educated in the most important way.
Take the criticism, apologise, move on with those lessons in mind 6/
Yes, some autistic people may prefer to be called a 'person with autism' than described as 'autistic'. As I said, we aren't a monolith.
But when the majority says they prefer 'autistic', you must use that as your default and amend upon individual request 7/
But when the majority says they prefer 'autistic', you must use that as your default and amend upon individual request 7/
And whatever lessons you were taught in a classroom, remember this: the most important lessons about us are the lessons you get from us. And we desperately need you to listen /End
