#red for autism acceptance

[clownrecess]

Self indulgent unapologetically autistic stimboard!

(To help get you through the upcoming month of April)

With themes of red, gold/yellow, and stimming!

Credits:

X X X

X ♾ X

X X X

[itsaspectrumcomic]

Every month is autism month for me!

[ID: A comic titled "April is Autism Acceptance Month!"

The narrator, a light skinned person with brown hair, says "You might see some places "lighting it up blue" or sharing puzzle piece imagery this month, but a lot of autistic people prefer to avoid that due to its association with Autism Speaks." Within the speech bubble is a blue puzzle piece with a red cross next to it. The narrator continues, "Autism Speaks sees autism as a disease that needs to be cured and eradicated, which it isn't. So to avoid that, we generally prefer RED instead!" The words "red instead" are shown on the narrator's shirt.

The narrator continues, "or the golden infinity symbol: (it's gold because au is the symbol for gold in the periodic table." There are illustrations of a gold infinity symbol and the periodic table symbol for gold, made to say "autism", next to the text.

Text continues "Not every autistic person celebrates autism acceptance month which is fine! It's optional :)

At the bottom, the narrator wears a red shirt with the gold infinity symbol on it and says "whether you celebrate or not, I hope you have a lovely month." End ID]

Thank you @teatual for the description!

[paperboy-pb]

🔴 SMALL UPDATE REGARDING THIS! Keep reading for a sec, will ya?

Sorry to flood our pages with an even longer post. I'll try to be quick!

Just correcting some SLIGHT misinformation, but even then, I need help verifying something & Google isn't giving me the answer I need. Autism Speaks, apparently, actually DID release an apology for I Am Autism. I see a lot of people saying they didn't, but it does exist now if you do some digging.

It's... ehh? It could be a lot worse. They mostly take accountability. But they also semi-excuse it as saying they have a "deeper understanding of Autism now"; implying/admitting that they, as an ORGANIZATION, did not have a deep understanding of Autism as a condition even after 4 years of operation...?

They also claim that they are working with Autistic employees, again? And it's been a while since any have publicly walked out on them. But it's not clear how many are on board exactly. Which, in a way, is fair, as no one really has to disclose their disability to an employer or the public for any reason. But do with that information what you will. Just know that working in tandem with the community you aim to serve is vital, and that other Autistics have bailed on them for justified reasons even in the 2010s; I'm kind of surprised they don't have a PUBLIC team of Autistic people specifically employed to overlook everything. That's what I would do if I led this.

Don't get anxious now, though. I'm not warming up to Autism Speaks anytime soon, and these further facts are why.

1: This ad was NEVER "a product of its time," as it was considered offensive even upon release. That's literally why it was pulled & swept under the rug in the first place a few weeks later. Even for 2009, it was deplorable! This isn't comparable to, say, animated cartoons being racist in the 1900s, especially seeing as Autism Speaks were the professionals here. The people with researchers "educating" & spreading awareness for the public. I'll always shit on Disney, but at least it WASN'T their literal *job* to help a minority group back then, now was it? Autism Speaks, though? That's their whole purpose.

2: (See above.) IMDB says that it was was never meant to be distributed publicly. Which I find shady given that

I 100% saw the beginning part of this ad as a small child. Because, upon seeing it re-uploaded to YouTube again at 13 (early 2017,) I recognized the visuals immediately. While it WAS actually shown in my state (NYC,) my family had no business attending the event mentioned. So it couldn't have been there. If it *didn't* air on TV, then I likely saw it floating around on YouTube. Thankfully, I didn't actually retain any of the statements that were made and forgot most of it. But if I (a VERY young Autistic elementary schooler at the time) could've accessed it, I'm sure other children did, too.

Disability Scoop claimed in TWO articles written shortly after it debuted (2009) that it was on Autism Speaks' YouTube channel. Meaning that it WAS, indeed, publicly distributed, IE: uploaded by the company. It's also cited as having been on their website.

And now, 3: Again, I've paid close attention to Autism Speaks as a brand since 2017, even when Sia first mentioned her movie (which released in 2021; yeah, I learned about that back then, I was DEEP in the rabbit hole.) And yet I've never seen this apology. You'd think they'd push it more to the forefront if they took it so seriously, no? Especially they've been getting heat for I Am Autism SINCE 2009.

Something tells me this wasn't posted until AFTER 2020. OVER A DECADE OF TIME. There's no date on this article & I cannot find one. But can somebody PLEASE let me know if they can verify and/or find out when this apology was published? While it's better late than never, there is NO REASON it should've taken that long other than damage control now that the Autistic community has risen up.

Any help is appreciated. Please let me know what you find.

The fact that I even need to say this astounds me.

I understand times change, but 2005-12 was not the fucking dark ages. Let alone some other offenses they've gathered up past that. People knew better. It wasn't okay then OR now. If Autism Speaks was SO dedicated to providing resources, maybe they should've focused their material more on that than fear-mongering. Or at least owned up to it with their whole chest w/ an apology & promise to be better. But you know. Corporate's gonna corporate. 😐

[existennialmemes]

Reminders for Autistic "Awareness" Month

Beware the Autistics. We live among you. We look like you. We could be your friends, your family, your neighbors, your coworkers. We could even be you.

The Average Autistic is 18 feet tall, has purple skin, and has 2 watt lasers for eyes, however many of us may mask our appearance with Occult Rituals

The Big Light is Bad!! Turn off The Big Light!!! Except for when it's Good. Turn on the Big Light!!

We are not Moths. I don't know who told you that but they're lying.

[chinelacanta]

at risk of losing his ‘red haired’ title from how green jealousy makes him

[mitamicah]

*boops you* >:3

Yes, this is what I see everytime the little paws comes up on my screen x'D

[loxli]

It’s Autism acceptance month again! So here’s a Chu Wanning with his lovely red haitang and golden willow vine

[autiebiographical]

We're coming up to Autism Acceptance Month!

Remember! Don't light it up blue!

Let's #LightItUpGold or #RedInstead

You can check out my shop for this shirt and many other autism themed items designed by yours truly at https://www.autiebiographical.com/store

[artsyaech]

responses i've gotten when i tell people i'm autistic

"everyone's on the spectrum" if that were true, the world wouldn't be so difficult for us to live in.

"no, you're not" wow, i went through a lengthy diagnostic process when i could've just asked you! /sarc

"you're nothing like *insert 2-8-year-old boy this person knows*" hmmm, i wonder why. it's almost as if i'm not a 2-8-year-old boy. you're nothing like my allistic nephew!

*proceeds to re-enact a stereotype of autism in front of me, rocking back and forth and making noises* honestly, the fact that this has happened to me TWO SEPERATE times by TWO SEPERATE people is ludicrous to me. so you're saying that autistic people that act somewhat like that (not exactly, because they're portraying a stereotype) are inferior? of course that's what they're saying! and, in turn, they either think i'm faking it or that i'm inherently inferior...

"you're not that autistic" elaborate on that, please. so just because i'm not completely non-verbal and try my best to mask because i'm afraid of being bullied or harassed in public, that means i'm "less autistic". the fact that i've gotten this one more times than i can count. this one is so minimizing to the real and difficult experience i face every single day, but alright, i guess.

"do you have asperger's?" i was technically diagnosed with that at the age of twelve, but i feel like this question is essentially saying "oh, you seem 'high functioning', which, in turn, means you have a disorder not as 'severe' as 'real autism'" i won't even get into the problems with the term asperger's syndrome, i'll let you google that one...

"have you seen rain man?" no, and i don't want to.

"autism is not a disability, it's a different ability" i will bite you.

"oh, i see..." (in a condescending tone) what

responses i wish i got more often:

"oh, alright" simple, you can ask follow-up questions if you want to, but a simple acknowledgement in a sincere tone is enough for me, personally. because then we can keep talking about our interests.

"okay, how can i accommodate you / do you have any needs that i can make sure you meet?" never get this one, but, damn, i wish i did.

"oh, cool, can you tell me more about that?" my friends call me autism squared for a reason, i have a special interest in autism, so asking me non-rude questions is always a plus.

yeah, this was a rant, but whatever lol. just don't be a dick towards autistic people

[chelledoggo]

I am NOT a puzzle to be "solved." I am NOT a problem to be "eradicated." I am NOT a sickness to be "cured." I AM an extraordinary being. I AM created in the image of the divine. I AM exactly who I am meant to be. I AM... infinite.

Happy Autism Acceptance Month! ♾ ❤

#RedInstead version:

[trainerethan]

Thinking red would naturally run hot and that + video game logic helped keep him from freezing when he lived on mt silver but now that he is in a regular temperature environment he hates hot days and summer in general. He was fighting for his life in alola. But during winter he's that random guy you see who's wearing a t shirt with no jacket in the middle of December in -45°C. Which green finds hilarious but also was extremely concerned the first few times he saw red rawdogging the freezing cold weather especially when he saw him on mt. silver like that. He makes red properly dress for winter if it's really cold but let's red do whatever he wants in summer.

[boingodigitalart]

Happy Autism Awareness day and Autism Acceptance Month 2024!!!!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[shark-gummies]

yall add ur comfort characters

I’ll go first-

(a few of these things are not like the rest..)

[autisticcharactershowdown]

BRACKET 3, QUARTERFINALS, ROUND 2

[clownrecess]

(tw for ableism)

I want to talk about a more negative part of being an AAC user, that being the embarrassment and anxiety I experience from it.

AAC is extremely useful for me, and I feel empowered by it. However, I also feel anxiety and embarrassment sometimes. Not because of being an AAC user, but because of how society treats me being an AAC user.

Personally, I have experienced embarrassment around using AAC in different situations. For example, I have felt self-conscious about using my device in public places such as restaurants, shops, or crowded events. I have also felt embarrassed when people stare at me or ask questions about my device, which can make me feel like a spectacle.

Another source of embarrassment for AAC users can be the feeling of being judged or misunderstood by others. People might think that we are less intelligent or capable because we use AAC instead of oral speech, which isn't true at all, being nonspeaking does not mean I am nonthinking.

[dominicdelagol2]

Planning to try out Auctober again this October! Feel free to join in and draw for each prompt! List of prompts and their context below:

1: Red Instead - Instead of the blue puzzle piece as displayed by Autism $peaks, we light it up red instead!

2: Special Interests - Anything you love the most in your life!

3: Music - Music is always nice to listen to, especially video game music!

4: Comfort Food - Food is yummy. Fast food is even yummier because why wouldn't it be?

5: Stim / Verbal Stims - Stims include making mouth noises and waving your arms back and forth for comfort!

6: Stim Toys - Fidget cubes, spinners, squeezable toys, etc. -- they can be fun to use!

7: Sensory Euphoria - Some things can make you most happy, whether it's eating chicken with queso dip, seeing a light-filed city during night time, store candles with a good food-like smell, you name it!

8: Hyperfixation - One particular thing you're focused on so much! It can be the periodic table, a video game series, painting, anything you can think of!

9: Info Dumping - Wanna know what one thing is? Then you'll wanna be ready for a detailed explanation going at least 200-pages long!

10: Neurotypical Expectations - Neurotypicals expect an awful lot from autistic people. For all we know, some random guy might expect you to know how to build an aircraft carrier! Of course, that's just me haha

11: Jobs...? Where? - Obviously, there are TONS of open jobs available, but whatever jobs ARE open, workers and its managers expect you to work, and work, and work, and work, and work, and work...without considering your overall health at all, nor giving you a long-enough break to help you catch your breath physically and mentally.

12: The Outside World - Outside is scary. No matter how safe you are, there's a tiny chance something bad or worse will happen. Society can even expect you to be "normal".

13: Social Anxiety - It's hard enough making friends, let alone be an extrovert. Chances are, one could have sociophobia!

14: Self-Advocacy - Nothing about us without us! Seriously, neurotypical adults have talked about autism and didn't include autistics in the conversation. (got that from one of my Auctober 2023 drawings)

15: Self-Care - Self-care is important! Make sure to brush your teeth, eat and drink healthy, exercise and whatnot!

16: LGBTQIA+ - Autistic people are more likely to be LGBTQIA+!

17: Rainbow Infinity - Rainbows are a whole spectrum of colors! Same with the autistic spectrum--all sorts of different experiences!

18: Au-DHD - ADHD, but "A" is replaced with "Au" as in aurum, which is Gold in Latin. ADHD can mean one is hyperactive!

19: Too Much Energy - The energy builds up too fast and you just have to exercise to tone it down! Of course, the energy could vary, sometimes being suddenly energetic when you just need to sleep.

20: Out-of-Nowhere Info/Fact - Say you're doing a simple job like vacuuming. All you have to do is move the vacuum on the floor as you hold the handle, thus cleaning the floor. Simple, yes? Well, surprise -- some guy sucker punches you with random information such as "Hey buddy! Vacuums use more electricity when you turn the vacuum on and off rather than letting it stay on!" (I've actually been told that one time, and the info sounding unconfirmed to me, it just left me in a long mental stasis of confusion) Like, when did anyone ask for a detailed fact about something that's SUPPOSED TO BE SIMPLE? I don't have time to comprehend an entire page of info, I just like to keep things SIMPLE as you neurotypicals tell me to my face.

21: School Experience - Experience can include elementary school, middle school, high school, college -- You can explain a particular event or two during any of these time periods!

22: Routine - A little something every day or now and then to stay consistent! Daily tasks can included 3 meals a day, staying productive or such!

23: Unmasking - Unmasking is not easy. Defending yourself from the unpredictable world, trying to blend in with society -- it's exhausting! Let the autistic community just be what they wish to be already.

24: Autistic Viewpoint - How do you view the world as an autistic?

25: America (Derogatory) - This one might not need an introduction -- America, the "Land of the Free" and the "Land of Opportunities", sure likes to screw us all over! Police are too paranoid, justice is a load of baloney, daily gun violence anywhere and everywhere, dangerous bigots normalizing the R-slur, then you have big and popular figures here smearing the autistic community into a negative light...and the list of bad things never stops growing! A very cruel country, like not even cartoon villains are this mean-spirited! How is the autistic community supposed to exist in peace when the USA is basically nothing but trouble? Happy 4th of July, I guess...

26: Comfort Media/Games - A TV show or video game is always nice to play and keep calm when times get tough out there!

27: Fancy Wording - A series of five-dollar words can arrive rather than a simple "yes" or "not" to suffice. Sometimes, fancy words such as Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis can be fun to learn about!

28: Gold - Gold is part of the periodic table, atomic number 79! Light it up gold instead of blue for Autism Acceptance! 'Au' as in Aurum, and autism!

29: Neurodivergent Community - There's all sorts of Neurodivergent people worth seeing! They all have different experiences!

30: Autistic Pride - Autistic and proud!

31: FREE SPACE -- Explain any topic you wish!