Autism Awareness
Defines the recognition of autism. It relates to knowing that autism exists. Awareness includes and aims to:
- Increase understanding of autism through education and visibility.
- Encourage diagnosis and access to autism services and resources.
- Break down some myths and stigma.
- Awareness of autism and autistic individuals starts conversations, finds support and pushes to build more inclusive spaces such as classrooms and workplaces.
However, awareness is not enough on its own.
Autism Acceptance
Changing how society responds to autistic people. This involves creating environments where autistic individuals are acknowledged, suspected, included and supported.
- Acceptance is a call to action
- Make workplaces more inclusive through training, accommodations and neurodiversity programs
- Ensure schools adopt flexible learning approaches that support autistic students at every level
- Listen to autistic voices and allow them to shape the narrative of their own experiences
- Shift language from “fixing” autism or framing it as a negative topic to understanding and valuing different ways of thinking.
- Acceptance changes the tone of the conversation, with an emphasis on dignity, righst, and opportunities. It is an invitation to communities, employers, educators, and families to build spaces where autistic people can flourish.
- Why we use acceptance?
Awareness campaigns historically have been run by non-autistic people, clinicians, and charities. This led to non-autistic people speaking on behalf of autistic people.
Framing of autism as a negative (“burden” “tragedy” etc.), although well intentioned, had negative outcomes for the autistic community.
Autistic self advocates pushed back and created ASAN (Autism Self-Advocacy Network) as a voice for a different approach rooted in the disability rights principle “nothing about us without us”.
Overall the autistic population favour acceptance.
Language and the autistic community: [AsIAm – language preferences document]