When Do Autistic People Count? An Open Letter to Maggie Gallagher

Dear Ms. Gallagher, I am terrified. I recently read your article on Yahoo news - titled "When Science Doesn't Count".  It is the latest in a choking wave of hatred towards the Autistic community that has overflowed since the Newton massacre last Friday.  I am tired.  In fact, I am exhausted.  But your article inspired such fear in me that I knew I had to respond. Autism is...

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Praying for Time: The Sandy Hook Shootings, Mental Illness, and Ableism

I sit across the table, discussing the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings with people I love, people I respect, people who I trust.  I know I'm treading on thin ice, but it's like a car wreck, I can't stop, can't look away.  And then the ice cracks, oh god, here it comes, it always boils down to this.  With smug conviction she says: "We need to keep guns out of the hands of the...

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Boldly Going Nowhere: An Open Letter to William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy and Sir Patrick Stewart

Dear William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, and Sir Patrick Stewart, Star Trek was created out of a simple vision - a vision of an Earth that has advanced beyond hatred, prejudice, greed and war.  To that end, an organization like Autism Speaks, that seeks to destroy an entire population of people, does not seem to fit in with that vision.  And yet it was with great disappointment that I heard...

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Its Not Your Fault - International Day of Persons with Disabilities

Today is the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.  The theme this year is "Removing barriers to create an inclusive and accessible society for all".  There are innumerable barriers I could talk about, from physical barriers like lack of access, to societal barriers, to medical and legal barriers .  But I feel like no matter which of these barriers I choose, I'm only talking...

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DISABLED FRIENDS IN NYC NEED HELP DURING THE BLACKOUT!!!!!!!!

My friend Alejandra lives with her significant other, Nick, in Lower Manhattan on Duane Street.  Nick relies on a ventilator to breathe (i.e:  he will die without a ventilator).  With the power out due to Hurricane Sandy, they are relying on a backup battery that is charging across the street at the fire station.  They need people to go to the fire station, pick up the battery...

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Your Words Have a Face. And That Face Is Me.

I am a cripple. When I say this in common conversation, it usually elicits gasps and a swarm of people rushing to reassure me that of course I'm not a cripple!  Oh, no, no, no, not me!  I'm just different, you know?  Certainly not crippled. I don't know why people are so quick to tell...

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The Definition of Fun

You say you wish you had a scooter.  You say it looks like fun.  And yes, it can be fun, zooming around campus at a grand 4.5 miles per hour, the wind in my hair, unencumbered by my legs.  But after awhile, it stops being fun. It stops being fun when a kid who’s texting and walking literally falls in your lap, nearly tipping your scooter, and doesn’t even have the decency to...

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An Open Letter to Nancy Grace

Dear Nancy, I am deeply disturbed by your gross ignorance and ableism on an episode of your show, which aired August 7th, 2012.  The episode in question examined the murder of 22 year old Gabriel Philby-Zetsche.  Philby, who had cerebral palsy, was found dead in the apartment he shared with his mother on July 30th, with stab and bludgeon wounds to his head, face, and chest. On...

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"Have you tried counseling?" The Stigma Against Psychiatric Medication

When you first begin having mental health problems, everyone leaps to recommend counseling.  People rush to send you recommendations for therapists, caring professors include the link and phone number for the on-campus counseling center in their syllabi. No one ever tells you what to do when the counseling doesn’t work.  When you end up crying uncontrollably during and after each...

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The Trifecta of Spoons

I’m sure you all know by now of my deep, undying love of the Spoon Theory by Christine Miserando.  In recent months and years, I’ve expanded my own, personal definition and application of the spoon theory to include three parts:physical spoons, cognitive spoons, and emotional spoons. Physical spoons: Physical spoons are the spoons used for physical tasks - walking, standing, writing,...

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On Gratefulness and the 22nd Anniversary of the ADA

22 years ago, the law that feeds my existence was signed into law.  Two years later, I would be born, and therefore would spend my entire life under the protection of that law; the law which allows me to go to school, use public transportation, go shopping, and generally live my life to the fullest.  I am happy that I have never had to suffer in the dark days pre-ADA.  I am proud...

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Being Disabled in Public

So I mentioned in a previous post that I had the privilege of attending a national vigil for people with disabilities who have been murdered by parents or caregivers, back in March.  What I didn't mention was the adventure that ensued after the vigil.  My friend Lydia, of Autistic Hoya, escorted me around DC because I had absolutely no idea where I was going.  On the way back from...

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Sign my petition demanding that Urban Dictionary remove their ableist definition of CEREBRAL LOLSY and implement a policy of removal for all prejudcial content on the site!!

Urban Dictionary's definition of CEREBRAL LOLSY is cruel, bigoted, and misguided.  Please sign my petition and share with all your friends and networks...

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Help! (I Need Somebody, But You Do Too)

Today, my friend Savannah posted something on her blog, about how she has trouble spelling, remembering numbers, etc.  And she mentioned that she embraces that she needs a copy-editor for some projects.  I commented on her post when she posted it to Facebook, saying that I'd be happy to help if she ever needs a copy-editor.   She thanked me. There's a little twist to this story,...

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Just because it's ableist, doesn't mean it's bad.

I see the word ableism getting flung around a lot lately.  Most of the time, it’s justified ableism.  But people toss it at others like a knife.  Like a weapon.  Like it’s a word that’s meant to hurt.  And then the recipients, the one who are being informed of their ableism, get offended and very hurt, because the connotation associated with all these -isms is that they’re...

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