April is known as Autism Awareness Month, including April 2 as World Autism Awareness Day (link). In listening to many within the Autism community - there is a call for media to move from using awareness to “acceptance” this year to foster change and inclusivity for those affected by autism – read more about it from the Autism Society here. Information on What is Autism is linked here.
People of all identities around the world live, go to school and go to work with the neurodiversity that Autism brings to a world, often with struggle and difficulty. UMBC's students, faculty, staff, and visitors have this neurodiversity as well. While many learn and work well with best practices and accessible design, students (both undergraduate and graduate), as well as faculty and staff who experience disability with a diagnosed health condition (which includes autism) may seek accommodations through Student Disability Services (link) for academic programs, as well as work-related accommodations via Accessibility & Disability Services.
UMBC is not unique with inclusion, accessibility and accommodation of people with autism on the job- some employers have specialized programs including Freddie Mac (link), Microsoft (link), as well as Ernst & Young, in addition to requesting job accommodations generally. Symone, an adult with autism, was interviewed by Ask a Manager’s Alison Green about her work experience at a majority-autistic company (link) and reviews several modifications to the hiring process that provide disability-friendly solutions for Autistic job seekers.
Other Autistic adults share their stories:
- Cynthia, a Latina adult woman living with autism, interviewed on the podcast Terrible, Thanks for Asking. Transcript link here.
- Hari Srinivasan: A Boy Like Me, Disability Visibility Project
- Drayden, a black child with autism, was subjected to racialized bias with his parent, Dana within the health care system TTFA interview with Dana.
- Timotheus "T.J." Gordon, Jr. #BlackAutisticJoy in ADA 30 via Disability Visibility Project
- Hannah Gadsby’s Three Contradictions. Or Not.
- Temple Grandin shares that The World Needs All Kinds of Minds (link)
- Ethan Lisi shares What It's Really Like to Have Autism
- Rosie King shares How Autism Freed Her to Be Herself
- Faith Jegede Cole shares What She Has Learned From Her Autistic Brothers
Research on Autism is ongoing, such as what Wendy Chung explains here (link), however, like most people. those who have been diagnosed or identify as Autistic* are seeking dignity, understanding, respect and inclusion within their families, schools, workplace and community - not a "cure". Take a journey with Steve Silberman to learn of The Forgotten History of Autism. He went on to write NeuroTribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity - the future is inclusive of Autism Women & Non-Binary Network and the voices within All The Weight of Our Dreams: On Living with Racialized Autism.
For more reading - there are many, many books (memoirs, non-fiction and fiction) by Actually Autistic authors (link). Most recently the 28 essays within Sincerely, Your Autistic Child share insight for parents and those who love Autistic children from those with lived experience.
Additional Autism-focused media include: Everything's Going to Be Okay, Please Stand By, My Name is Khan, Temple Grandin, The Imitation Game, A Brilliant Young Mind, Rain Man, Ocean Heaven, The Lighthouse of Orcas, Marathon, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, Atypical, Autism in Love, The Horse Boy, as well as Life, Animated. Many are available through UMBC's library and public library options.
*The Autistic community is not a monolith - it's important to respect how people individually self-identify.