Matt Young was trying to make me understand.
Remember that picture of the hearing on abortion and all the people on the panel were men? he asked.
Oh, yeah. Where were the women? I remember thinking when I saw that picture of a U.S. House hearing several weeks ago. It didnt feel good. But Youngs point wasnt about abortion, it was about how, too often, people with autism are left out of societys response to autism spectrum disorder.
Young is the co-leader of the Autistic Self Advocacy Networks Washington chapter, which raised a ruckus last week over some ads created for Seattle Childrens Research Institute that appeared on some Metro buses. Next to the photo of a child were the words: Lets wipe out cancer, diabetes and autism in his lifetime.
Young, who has autism, viewed the ad as an affront to his identity. ASAN is an organization run by and for autistic people. Among its many aims is to engage the community about issues of inclusion and respect for neurodiversity.
Cure someone of cancer or diabetes, and the person remains mostly unchanged, Young said. But wipe out the autism, and the person would be fundamentally different.
That, right there, was an interesting moment for me, the neurotypical mother of a 16-year-old with autism. Honestly, the initial diagnosis brought grief. Autism was my adversary and my son, its victim.
But over time, my view has become more nuanced. I never would choose autism for my son, whose condition severely limits his ability to communicate and, therefore, our ability to know him.
But, heres the important part: The boy I love would not be that boy without autism. He would be somebody different.
Seattle Childrens responded quickly, taking the ads down and posting a statement on Facebook: We are sorry for the hurt and anger these ads have caused that was never (the ads) intent.
Excerpt from:
Childrens hospital bus ads expose a dialogue about autism