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The difference between Autistic masking and Autistic shielding
“Autistic shielding appreciates that there is no such thing as invisible differences or disabilities – simply that people do not care enough to educate themselves and really see other people. Shielding is projecting the most intense, strange and wonderful things about yourself – waving our freak flags high for all to see. “
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What is Autistic shielding?
Autistic shielding is leaning into your neurological differences and behaviours. It is embracing neuro-anarchy: being who you are, doing what you do and bollocks if others don’t like it. Shielding for me is being aggressively Autistic and Attention Hyperactive and doing my OCD rituals and behaviours with no shame. Shielding is liberation; protecting myself by…
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The price of ‘functioning’
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Schools Bill MP letter / email template
I have created this template for people to use in whatever way you think will be helpful, including sharing with your local MP. Don’t know your MP? Find them here. Dear _____ I have some major concerns over the proposed Schools Bill, as the bill shall: 1. Make it more difficult for home educators to…
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The Schools Bill – making education harder for Disabled children
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The trouble with puzzle pieces
Historically the Autistic community have been represented by primary coloured puzzle pieces. Although this symbol can be interpreted many ways there are inherent problems with it. It was first used to represent ‘childhood schizophrenia’, the first modern label of what we now know to be autism. The primary colours were used to show that it…
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Why youth work gives me Autistic joy
As a Neurodivergent and Disabled youth worker I learn so much from the Disabled kids I work with. I realised I was Autistic after doing home visits and writing kids paperwork which could have come straight from my own childhood – the anxiety, the need for sensory input, the inability to be quiet or sit…
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“It’s only words” – yes, but words hold so much power!
Recently I engaged in a study about language around Autistic experience and it made me feel so emotional. When asked about words I really disliked, I replied: Impairment,Deficit,Disorder,Burden,Abnormal,Lack of,Challenges,Difficulty in, These words are disgusting! They make us Autistic people out to be problematic, weird and unsupportable. And these words are consistently seen in research and…
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Alt text and screen readers
Lots of different people use screen readers to translate and process text and images on screens (mostly visually impaired and blind people but also dyslexic people. I use one as I have trouble reading long text on screens). Emojis Many of these screen readers can translate emojis, but some older ones cannot. There can also…
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Spectrum 10K – the boycott continues
Since its announcement in August 2021 thousands of us Autistic people have raised major concerns around the ethical considerations (or lack thereof) of the Spectrum 10K study. If you’re unaware of the study and it’s aims please see the immense amount of resources created by the Boycott Spectrum 10K via aucademy here. Due to the…