Today is World Autism Awareness Day. People are supposed to light stuff up blue. That is supposed to somehow show respect, sort of like thoughts and prayers, you know? Symbolic and sort of sweet but also ridiculous in the face of reality which is mostly profound disrespect. We are enigmas. We are brilliant, too. We are also sometimes in extreme suffering from our hyper-sensitivity.
Many people, as I’ve said before, pity me but do not credit my intelligence because they really do not believe in facilitated communication. Either that, or they are simply afraid of me. I’m not sure which it is. I think I’m interesting enough to talk to. The real problem sometimes I think, is that people take my autistic behaviors personally.
So many times friends have visited and I did something I always do, which is to cover my ears and run around a lot. Often, people then ask my folks, is it something I did to set her off? and they just explain, no, it isn’t you, it’s what Darcy does. It is a shame more folks don’t understand.
My parents feel bad when they taught me facilitated communication that they didn’t educate our extended family better in many ways. Their misunderstanding or underestimation of me is not their fault. People only believe what they can see and what they see is me in the corner covering my ears.
Today is the day the buildings turn blue or some red because even the autistics can’t agree which color: the cause color, or the acceptance color. I say, both. It’s insane to argue. The truth remains that the highest respect action of all is to listen to us, and if we don’t have a means to communicate to try and find one for us, so then you can listen.
The experts just want your money. It is sickening. It’s become big business. This is not the day for blame or shame or gain or fame. This is the day to finally acknowledge autistics as the multi-dimensional beings we are. You can’t fix us, don’t freaking try. I’m what I am. Just listen and love if you can. I do.
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