It took another decade, and the advent of blogging, before pro-neurodiversity sites burst onto the Internet in large numbers.  Some of these sites had modest aims, looking to dispel the worst of the prejudices by simply showing the public that autistics could indeed write coherent articles and have intelligent conversations.  Others had more ambitious goals, posting specific, in-depth criticisms of society’s attitudes toward autistics and setting forth a detailed civil rights agenda.  Most fell somewhere in the middle.

How much progress has our society made, since then, toward acceptance of its autistic citizens?  While many are still without jobs, we’re seeing more efforts to enforce antidiscrimination laws and to include autistic applicants in diversity hiring programs.  Although the schools still have a long way to go, they’re slowly learning how to educate our children in respectful and inclusive ways.  There’s not nearly as much of the ugly rhetoric that was commonplace just a few years ago.  As with other minority groups that have become integrated into mainstream society, just seeing autistic people on a regular basis — both in online venues and in schools, workplaces, and neighborhoods — has brought about more understanding, while showing up ignorant prejudices for what they really are.

Because so many beneficial changes have taken place in recent years, some neurodiversity sites already are outdated.  Aspergian Pride, which was created in 2004 to highlight stories about the accomplishments and positive qualities of autistic people, has become an antiquated reminder of a time when many otherwise reasonable folks thought there weren’t any to be found.  Accordingly, the blog is now being closed, although the site will stay up for historical purposes.  Many thanks to all who have contributed their time, energy, and wisdom to bring us this far.

On the blog, she writes that she is committed to improving quality of life for individuals on the autistic spectrum–including herself. Her posts highlight issues of importance to the autistic community, encourage input from self-advocates, and seek to make a positive difference in the lives of autistic citizens.

The Aspergian Pride website will stay up, and I plan to continue writing blog entries to highlight the accomplishments of individuals within our community. Best wishes and happy holidays to all.

Bonnie

A student at George Mason University who majors in film and video, Alex often speaks and writes about neurodiversity and explains why he finds the concept of recovery from autism to be offensive. He was featured in a Chicago Tribune online article discussing why many autistics find the concept of cure objectionable.

Check out Alex’s hilarious April 1 blog post: Wrong Planet Acquires Autism Speaks.

Some of Bev’s posts are written in a dialogue style, as if she were having a conversation with an acquaintance and explaining why she speaks and behaves in certain ways. Her matter-of-fact explanations, written in basic terms to which most people can relate, go a long way toward demystifying autistic traits.

In addition, she is an outstanding graphic artist, has a great sense of humor, and often illustrates her posts with wickedly funny cartoons that show the absurdity of today’s prejudices against the autistic minority population. One of her cartoons was featured in an article in Slate Magazine not long ago.

Bev did not know anything about autism until she was an adult, and she writes frankly about her past self-image as a misfit and her struggles with depression and alcoholism. She chose to identify herself with the autistic community, she says, because she wants to see “a time when I don’t need to ‘take pride’ in who I am, because there is no stigma attached to begin with.”

Discovering her Aspergian identity motivated Bev to go back to school and enroll in a social work program, which she will complete in December. She plans to go on to graduate school and to study the needs of the autistic population, promoting fair and objective thinking from an autistic viewpoint. Best wishes for your new career, Bev!

Site information update, November 2008: The forum is now closed.