dheadley @dheadley@learningdisability.social

Autism is a disability.

As long as we are functioning in a neurotypical society where Autistic people face social barriers erected by society, Autism will remain a disability.

The @actuallyautistic community has fought for years for acceptance, to tear down barriers, to eliminate hierarchical structures like functioning labels. Denial of the @disability aspect of Autism is a huge step backwards.

Denial that #Autism falls under the #Disability umbrella is similar to [edit] functioning labels.

You can claim "Autistics are just different", "Autism is a neurotype" but how is that any different than people are born with mobility issues or blind or deaf? These are only "disabilities" because the structure and functioning of society is such that people with these conditions face additional hardships (imposed by society) because of these conditions. How is Autism any different?

Disability is by its nature culturally defined. Autism (as well as ADHD, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, etc.) are disabilities. Creating a false dichotomy between physical disabilities and mental health disabilities serves little value except to impose a functioning-based hierarchy on socially stigmatized groups.

We should seek support and community and solidarity, not to set ourselves apart or "superior" because we're "not like them".

Anti-neurodivergent behavior and terminology is ableist because it attacks the abilities of people with different neurotypes based on societally-imposed stigmas.

I am happy to hear arguments for why Autism shouldn't be considered a disability. I've heard many attempts before and most of them have not been that good. If you (as an individual) choose to identify as disabled or not identify as disabled that is your choice, just as it is the choice of any Deaf person or Blind person or wheelchair user to define themselves as they see fit. But to re-define Autism as not being a disability is an insult to a generation of activists (both within the Autistic community and the larger Disability community) in their fight for justice.

[EDIT] Removed inappropriate and racist analogy to colorism. There is no excuse for racism.

[Addendum] Acknowledging that Autism is a Disability is distinct from claiming that all Autistic people are Disabled.

@forestine @actuallyautistic

I totally relate and discussed this with loads of other Autists on here in just the last few days so you're definitely not alone in doing this 💜

I'm afraid I don't really have advice on how to balance out explaining/over-explaining

Not sure there'd be a way that would work for me personally because my brain would still be convinced I've been misunderstood or mis-perceived regardless (and that cues big angst and rumination for me)

Fwiw, mast' has a 1500 character limit so it feels like it was made just for this over-explaining reality 😁🤓

OK #Mastodon. I've seen several toots on #accessibility for #screenreader users, however, I've not seen one from a screenreader user (as far as I know). I've used ZoomText, Outspoken, JAWS (AKA JFW), Supernova, NVDA (Windows), and VoiceOver (both on Macs and iPhone). I don't have experience with Windows Narrator or TalkBack. I would like to rectify and clarify a few small things.
First off, any awareness of accessibility issues, and endeavours to make things more accessible is great. Keep going!
But…
Blind/low-vision people have been using the internet as long as everyone else. We had to become used to the way people share things, and find workarounds or tell developers what we needed; this latter one has been the main drive to get us here and now. Over the past decade, screen readers have improved dramatically, including more tools, languages, and customisability. However, the basics were already firmly in place around 2000. Sadly, screen readers cost a lot of money at that time. Now, many are free; truly the biggest triumph for accessibility IMHO.
So, what you can do to help screen readers help their users is three simple things.
1. Write well: use punctuation, and avoid things like random capitalisation or * halfway through words.
2. Image description: screen readers with image recognition built-in will only provide a very short description, like: a plant, a painting, a person wearing a hat, etc. It can also deal with text included in the image, as long as the text isn't too creatively presented. So, by all means, go absolutely nuts with detail.
3. Hashtags: this is the most commonly boosted topic I've seen here, so #ThisIsWhatAnAccessibleHashtagLooksLike. The capitalisation ensures it's read correctly, and for some long hashtags without caps, I've known screen readers to give up and just start spelling the whole damn thing out, which is slow and painful.
That's really all. Thanks for reading! 😘

This #Microsoft article gives an excellent overview of their internal practices for securing #OneDrive, from the #PrincipleOfLeastPriviledge and #ZeroStandingPrivileges for employees to #PhysicalSecurity and #GeoRedundancy considerations for data centres. A good read for infosec students, I think! https://support.microsoft.com/office/how-onedrive-safeguards-your-data-in-the-cloud-23c6ea94-3608-48d7-8bf0-80e142edd1e1

@CarrieHall1001 @actuallyautistic
The Rainbow Infinity sign is used by #autistic people - it may be general for neurodivergence.

About at my wits end.

#Disability Fediverse, have any of you managed to get a thing notarized when you can't leave the house? How did you do it?

Boosts appreciated 🖖🏾✨

Hello fellow lovers of #Genealogy

There's a corner of #Mastodon here for like-minded #Genealogists; amateur and professional.

https://genealysis.social/about

We're a great bunch. You don't need to join the server to participate, but you are welcome to if you wish.

Don't forget to use the #Genealogy hashtag in your own posts. Someone could pick it up and help out/comment/join in your journey.

Genealogy for everyone. Have fun.

#FamilyResearch #FamilyHistory #geneadons #Ancestry

@Jonesywritenow @actuallyautistic
Oh, and another article (I promise I'll stop now!) with a link to her book from a fellow #Australian on her late diagnosis of #autism:
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2022/aug/21/i-was-different-not-broken-how-my-autism-diagnosis-changed-my-life?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

@ashleyspencer @actuallyautistic I have to wear glasses for 2 reasons:

1. Diabetes kills your eyesight. I still currently have 20/20 vision, but only just.
2. I have Irlen Lenses, they are part of the reason that I can survive a full time job without being overwhelmed all the time. (https://irlen.com)

One of the things we can do to help the Fediverse grow and improve trust and transparency is verify the connections between our accounts here and our websites.

https://docs.joinmastodon.org/user/profile/#verification #Genealogy #GenealogyBlogger #Blogging #Verification #TwitterMigration

@Cynni @actuallyautistic I don’t remember not being able to read. I probably wore out my library card. Fortunately I had parents who also loved to read. I did hear “Put the book down!” during family gatherings because it was “rude”. And school was sometimes impossible because of censorship of reading material. I read at least two books at a time and have a third on audio. My mother is from Quebec so I am reading Louise Penny and a biography of King Charles III.

@thedanielsgenealogy Hi Dan and thanks for spreading the word - planning a follow-up to talk Masto connectivity soon but may take some time.

Quick word for anyone accessing the above - TsoHost who hosts my site is experiencing a datacentre issue right now, so the entire site for The Parchment Rustler is down until TsoHost gets that fixed. Please do check back all if you were trying to catch my article. Thanks! #TechWoes #TechFail #ServerOutage

Which of my #ActuallyAutistic followers want to build community and meet their fellow #Autistic comrades to learn and grow together?

I am leading FIVE new groups starting over the next few weeks and I'd love for you to join.

Each week we will focus on different topics which change depending on the group and what everyone’s focus is at a given time. Some of the topics include:

How to Identify & Manage Emotions - Unmasking Strategies - Focusing on Your Strengths - Coping Tools, Executive Dysfunction - Pathological Demand Avoidance - Late Diagnoses & Finding Your Autistic Self - Coming to Terms with Your Diagnosis - Managing Day-to-Day Life

There is a suggested participation fee but NO ONE is turned down due to finances. If the suggested fee will pose a hardship to you, please contact me directly and we will make arrangements.

For dates and times: https://www.theautisticcoach.com/autistic-group-coaching

For testimonials from past participants: https://www.theautisticcoach.com/testimonials-autistic-life-coaching

#Autism #Autistic #AutisticAdults #Neurodiversity #Neurodivergent

@retronautickz @actuallyautistic @rabia_elizabeth

I am nowadays operating from the assumption that my autism craves clear systems and effective routine and my ADHD craves spontaneous, (slightly) chaotic or surprising things. My job is to find a balance that is good enough for both "sides", which is not always easy. Then again, when my flowing from one mode into the other works well, it is pretty amazing!

As a #Genealogist I have always enjoyed the discovery of ancestral names, dates and places. But it was the family stories that brought my ancestors to life for me as a kid and anchored my lifelong interest in the field. I so wish I could travel back and sit on the porch of my ancestors home and hear the stories that have been lost to time #Geneadons Do you relate?

Hey #Geneadons what is the most unique given name of one of your ancestors you have found in your #Genealogy research over the years?