Autism Acceptance Month - 2021

Way back in 2017, I made a post about Autism Awareness Day using the outdated iconography of the puzzle piece on a blue backdrop. I won't take it down because I put it up with all the best intentions, but a retraction is certainly long overdue. I've learned a lot about the Autistic community, my own condition, and the company that initially proposed those symbols, and I can now say that they do not accurately describe the wants and needs of the group of people they claim to advocate. We aren't puzzles, we don't need to be solved, and even if we could, there would never be a single one-size-fits-all solution. All we are asking for is friendship and the occasional outside help.
That's what I think is so attractive about the rainbow infinity logo that actual neurodivergents have put out; it's a spectrum, with a massive variety. No two of us are alike. We all have our own needs and, more importantly, skillsets that give us a right to exist just like anyone else. Most of all, we are here, we aren't going away anytime soon, and it is humanity's responsibility to not leave anyone behind.

Rendered in Photoshop