Yes we DO need diversity!

Websters Definition of Diversity: 1. The state or fact of being diverse. Difference. Unlikeness. 2. Variety. Multiformity. 3. A point of difference.

Social diversity is the existence of multiple cultures and types of people in any given area.

Throughout history people of many beliefs, lifestyles, creeds, ethnic backgrounds, religions, disability and more have staked their claim to human rights the same as any man. This has been backed and enforced by the Constitution of the United States of America, similar constitutions of other countries and laws around the world.

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." Constitution of The United States of America (Thomas Jefferson).

See that quote? I has come to mean so much more than the paragraph you see in the Constitution. I means social acceptance without being shunned or judged. It means not being discriminated against for status of race, color, religion, sex, HANDICAP, familial status, or national origin. Yes, I capitalized that word on purpose.

I means having equal opportunities at good housing, employment, education, and medical care (insurance too).

It's why hate crimes are considered particularly heinous in nature.

Sadly, in the autism community the term is being horribly misused and misunderstood. I have been told and shown that, supposedly, you cannot be accepting of the search for an autism "cure" in any fashion and be for diversity at the same time. This is 100% in error. I can believe what ever I want to and telling me that I "can't" is wrong. The Constitution and Law say it's wrong. Let's take a look at why the two subjects should have just about nothing to do with each other.

Concern's against "diversity":

1: I found a comment at a blog I will not publicize that stated, "Neurodiversity is just a way for lazy people to get on disability." The very wording of such a statement is bigoted against the disabled and highly discriminatory. It proves that diversity and acceptance really are important. If one rude person on the internet is willing to publish such a horrible thought, how many more ignorant people are out there in housing, workforce, or the medical field who will discriminate because an autistic person happens to be on disability as well? It's supposed to be wrong to hold an entire community to task for the lies of an individual. If someone is frauding the system, that's on them as a person. It's not on the whole community of race, creed, sex, etc.

2: A cure is a better idea because then no one would need diversity: Again, faulty logic. This ignores the very fact that there is no cure and there are varied forms of autism. It ignores the fact that there are people out there right now, who deserve acceptance and the same rights as the rest of us, whether you look for a cure or not. It's like some of the activists for a "cure" expect people of the autism community to just suck it up and get over it. It's like they expect autistic people to put their lives on hold (medical costs, education and all) and wait for the golden miracle cure. Because with that cure, all problems would be solved.

If you want to find a "cure", go ahead, that is your right. Stop bashing people who just want to be accepted like the Constitution says they should.

And now... for the other side, just to be fair. Concerns against a "cure".

1: That it will be forced on autistic people to change them: I've said it before and I will say it again: That would be illegal. Also, again, there is no cure. That makes fearing a "cure" at this time akin to fearing the boogeyman.

2: That babies will be aborted: Fact, babies are already being aborted. This cannot and will not have that much of a change on those numbers. How do I know this? Take other medical conditions into account. Down Syndrome; I personally know just as many parents who knew they were having a child with Down Syndrome and didn't abort as any who said they did. For any of these situations there are people of all kinds and beliefs. This makes the abortion concern another empty fear. If you want to be against abortion, then go out and do so. Abortion is real, a "cure" is not. Work with something that is real. You'll get a lot more out of it.

3: People will be told not to have babies or start families if they have autism. That is discriminatory and should be reported if any social worker says this to you. No one has the right to tell you if you can have kids. Naturally, there are situations where a person is unfit to have children in the first place. That's different. But, if you are fit, and there's every chance you are, report any worker who says that to you. Report any nurse too. It's discrimination, simple as that.

For people who actually believe that load of tripe about avoiding having children if you autism, I have this: You need to do some research and get an education. If you want to save the world from medical conditions or "types" of people, there are plenty of deadly lifestyles and diseases you can take up arms against. Maybe you could help against crime or drug addiction? You know, things that are actually KILLING people. How about standing against spousal and child abuse? Just a thought.

Diversity is needed, it stands with historical evidence into the dark ages. It has nothing to do with seeking a cure. Mixing them just creates uneducated fear.

So, one more time: A "cure" has nothing to do with the fact that all people deserve acceptance and understanding. ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.

Autism Controversy: The Cure

In this series of my blog articles I am going to talk about the most controversial points in autism. These are points that divide us and cause us to attack each other with abandon, especially on the internet. Not just the internet though, as it has gone as far as picketing and lawsuits. But what does all that really achieve?

People of the autistic society can be very dramatic and overly driven people. That's an important first point to understand. We suffer from tunnel vision when we set our sights on a topic and what we feel about that topic. We can be driven into a "let's get'em" mentality with our over developed sense of justice and what wrongs us personally. To that note, we are famous for over internalizing situations to a point that taking offense is all too easy. As a disclaimer, I'm not saying that every single person with autism is like this, but I am saying it's quite common. We are also very driven by our senses that have us off balance much of the time.

As you can see by the title, the first area of controversy that I'm going to discuss is the ever aggravating "cure". This one may be the biggest area of autism controversy every. It's incited huge divisions of our community to go against each other with as much mudslinging, malicious ads, picketing, and hate as any religion or politics could hope to show. Now I'm going to make a very general statement that both sides may not care for: This is wrong on all sides. Now I'll impart the reasons why.

1: There is no cure: We spend a lot of time getting very bent out of shape over something that doesn't exist. Whether it's because we "want" a cure as some do or because we don't want one forced on us. What this comes down to is the argument of even looking for a cure. Half of the community takes great internalized offense at this while the other is labeled as "curbies" (a hate term, people, think about it). All of it is fueled by fear and mistrust. The bottom line, however, is that a cure simply does not exist. As it is, I don't see one happening in our lifetime or maybe even ever at all. We need to stop internalizing the seeking of a cure as a threat and consider the people who are looking and the life stories of the people that want one. I would love to "cure" some of the issues that I deal with as an autistic person and don't believe I would be lost at all. Having my senses more leveled out would be nice so that the sun doesn't give me migraines and some sounds don't bring me to my knees, think about that. On the other side, those who want to cure "Autism" as they don't tell you what areas they are trying to cure, need to be more specific to help calm the waters here. Curing autism is not a threat, cannot be forced on anyone and as of now, doesn't even exist.

Like the Unicorn, just not real.

2: It's invasive: Both sides feel invaded by the other. Another point to think about carefully. Why do you think that is? Take a family with a 13 year old boy who cannot talk, dress himself, feed himself or otherwise care for himself at all. Put them at a "cure" rally and have a non-cure type approach and lecture them for trying to "cure" their son. That's wrong. First of all, no one has the right to condemn anyone or any family for their medical choices.

If you do this and don't know them personally, don't know what they are dealing with, don't know how they feel or what any of their struggles are, you are out of line. Same goes with anyone lecturing you that you should cure yourself. You simply don't have enough facts to make a judgment. Also, just because someone wants to "cure" themselves or a family member for what ever reason... it doesn't mean they want to cure everyone. Yes, it's folly for organizations to talk like they have acceptance of everyone when they don't, but that's the psychology of an organization for you. You're better off ignoring it.

Put those together and what you get is a colossal waste of time and energy for us all. What the autism community needs is more moral support and acceptance, not infighting that will ensure nothing gets done for anyone. As of me writing this article, our government is on the brink of a shutdown thanks to a room full of politicians with the exact same problem. Is that where we want to go?

So here is what we need to do;

1: Stop worrying about the scientists who aren't just looking for "cures" but trying to understand how it works for the sake of everyone (educational).

2: Stop fighting.

3: Remember that NO ONE can force you to take any cure and just because someone else wants their (very different form of...) autism to be "cured" or "adjusted", doesn't mean anything will be directed at you.

4: Allow other families the freedom to make their own choices for themselves without all the excess judgment. If you don't like their decisions, just leave them alone. That's no matter what "side" you are on.

5: Remember there is NO cure. All that can be treated or "cured" are the comorbid side issues that can come along with autism. As it is, how many of those are there? Go try and count them.. good luck. That's why autism as a whole cannot be cured. Many of them are seriously debilitating. Those are the real targets, not you.

Next time: Andrew Wakefield and Vaccines.