08-10-2007, 03:41 PM
Hi,
I know this could be a little 'controversial'.
I personally do not consider myself to be 'sick' and therefore don't want to be cured. I think that being an aspie simply makes me a different kind of human from an NT and I have just as much right to be here as they do.
In the same way that I don't think the fact that I am mixed race needs to be cured - such an idea would be ridiculous and insulting!
If there was a cure and someone really really wanted it, as long as they were in full posession of the facts, I wouldn't stop them because if I want people to respect my opinions and decisions, I have to also respect theirs. I would still think it was a bit of a shame though.
And also, what do people actually mean by a cure? It seems that in the case of ASDs, 'cure' simply means 'make Neuro-typical' - as though being made neuro-typical is something specail and so much better than being aspie.
I was speaking to David Morris, the Senior Advisor on Disability to Ken Livingstone, and he said that negative and prejudiced attitudes to disability simply stem from the neuro-typical and non-disabled being arrogant. They think that just because there are more of them, they must be 'right' and therefore they assume that anyone who isn't NT and / or non-disabled must, naturally want to be 'cured' and restored to the 'correct' neuro-typical state.
They seem quite resistant to allowing people with any kind of difference or 'disability' to have acceptance as people in their own right.
One thing that has really perplexed me is the amount of aspies I have come across who not only want to be cured but are also against those who support the autistic pride movement - as I said above, I accept that people have different opinions, but if I am able to accept and respect the fact that some people might want to be 'cured', then surely they should accept the fact that I DON'T want to be cured and that I want equality.
But the pro-cure people that I have come across seem really anti-autistic pride and want to impose a cure on ALL people with ASDs and I don't understand this. Why can't we at least have an 'agree to disagree' policy, or a 'live and let live' policy?
Things that I particularly have difficulty understanding are:
1) Why do people who are pro-cure and who hate being an aspie or autie come to websites which they know are communities for people with ASDs who have accepted, or at least are trying to accept themselves for who they are - and say mean things and criticise the people there? Why would you come to an online community just to be mean? I don't understand this.
Especially when it is done by someone with an ASD. Surely if they hate people with ASDs they must hate themselves???? I really don't understand.
2) Why do pro-cure people either over emphasize the difficulties that aspies have (and imply that we will never achieve anything and will be in institutions for our entire lives and will never have any friends or feelings other than being utterly miserable) or comepletely dismiss the difficulties we can have? There have been a few people who have said that everyone with AS or autism can and should work full time - well actually some of us can't. I can only work part-time because of health reasons, but I CAN work, and I do the best I can. Some people I know with ASDs can't work - and generally this is because employers would not be willing to make sufficient adjustments to accommodate them, so they are MADE unemployable, rather than actually being unemployable.
And some people simply are not able to work because of the difficulties they experience or for health reasons - and this should be okay too because it is not anyone's fault.
There have been people who have said to me that they think people with ASDs just need a 'kick up the backside' and to 'pull themselves together' and 'just try harder' etc. Someone even said that you could 'choose' to 'unlearn' asperger syndrome. For goodness' sake!!!
And also they fail to acknowledge that there is prejudice and discrimination. I experience this on an almost dialy basis as the public transport system where I live is pretty unfriendly if you are an aspie and the attitude of staff and passengers is appalling and very offensive.
What they don't appreciate is that we live in a world designed by NTs for NTs. So obviously people with ASDs are going to have problems because they are trying to function in a world that is not designed to accommodate them at all!
I believe that people with ASDs are DISABLED BY SOCIETY. If society was less prejudiced and more inclusive, autism and AS would not be anywhere near as disabling as they our in our current world.
I know this could be a little 'controversial'.
I personally do not consider myself to be 'sick' and therefore don't want to be cured. I think that being an aspie simply makes me a different kind of human from an NT and I have just as much right to be here as they do.
In the same way that I don't think the fact that I am mixed race needs to be cured - such an idea would be ridiculous and insulting!
If there was a cure and someone really really wanted it, as long as they were in full posession of the facts, I wouldn't stop them because if I want people to respect my opinions and decisions, I have to also respect theirs. I would still think it was a bit of a shame though.
And also, what do people actually mean by a cure? It seems that in the case of ASDs, 'cure' simply means 'make Neuro-typical' - as though being made neuro-typical is something specail and so much better than being aspie.
I was speaking to David Morris, the Senior Advisor on Disability to Ken Livingstone, and he said that negative and prejudiced attitudes to disability simply stem from the neuro-typical and non-disabled being arrogant. They think that just because there are more of them, they must be 'right' and therefore they assume that anyone who isn't NT and / or non-disabled must, naturally want to be 'cured' and restored to the 'correct' neuro-typical state.
They seem quite resistant to allowing people with any kind of difference or 'disability' to have acceptance as people in their own right.
One thing that has really perplexed me is the amount of aspies I have come across who not only want to be cured but are also against those who support the autistic pride movement - as I said above, I accept that people have different opinions, but if I am able to accept and respect the fact that some people might want to be 'cured', then surely they should accept the fact that I DON'T want to be cured and that I want equality.
But the pro-cure people that I have come across seem really anti-autistic pride and want to impose a cure on ALL people with ASDs and I don't understand this. Why can't we at least have an 'agree to disagree' policy, or a 'live and let live' policy?
Things that I particularly have difficulty understanding are:
1) Why do people who are pro-cure and who hate being an aspie or autie come to websites which they know are communities for people with ASDs who have accepted, or at least are trying to accept themselves for who they are - and say mean things and criticise the people there? Why would you come to an online community just to be mean? I don't understand this.
Especially when it is done by someone with an ASD. Surely if they hate people with ASDs they must hate themselves???? I really don't understand.
2) Why do pro-cure people either over emphasize the difficulties that aspies have (and imply that we will never achieve anything and will be in institutions for our entire lives and will never have any friends or feelings other than being utterly miserable) or comepletely dismiss the difficulties we can have? There have been a few people who have said that everyone with AS or autism can and should work full time - well actually some of us can't. I can only work part-time because of health reasons, but I CAN work, and I do the best I can. Some people I know with ASDs can't work - and generally this is because employers would not be willing to make sufficient adjustments to accommodate them, so they are MADE unemployable, rather than actually being unemployable.
And some people simply are not able to work because of the difficulties they experience or for health reasons - and this should be okay too because it is not anyone's fault.
There have been people who have said to me that they think people with ASDs just need a 'kick up the backside' and to 'pull themselves together' and 'just try harder' etc. Someone even said that you could 'choose' to 'unlearn' asperger syndrome. For goodness' sake!!!
And also they fail to acknowledge that there is prejudice and discrimination. I experience this on an almost dialy basis as the public transport system where I live is pretty unfriendly if you are an aspie and the attitude of staff and passengers is appalling and very offensive.
What they don't appreciate is that we live in a world designed by NTs for NTs. So obviously people with ASDs are going to have problems because they are trying to function in a world that is not designed to accommodate them at all!
I believe that people with ASDs are DISABLED BY SOCIETY. If society was less prejudiced and more inclusive, autism and AS would not be anywhere near as disabling as they our in our current world.
