Last updated on November 26, 2023
As I mentioned in a recent podcast, I’m trying to engage more online and, once the pandemic passes, I hope to return to public speaking. (Virtual appearances are always an option, if your organization would like to hear my perspectives.)
Some autistics are actively engaged in activism, with large numbers of social media followers.
For years I wanted to focus on my other interests. I still care a lot about those interests. However, I realize that if I am not a self-advocate and an advocate for others, then nothing will change.
My autistic traits disadvantaged me in school and at work. I blamed myself and I kept wanting to change. Year after year, I kept chasing my various goals and ambitions, only to be tripped up on The Autistic Me.
Nothing I have accomplished has been done alone. Susan, my wife, and many others have helped me when failure was imminent. Too often, failure proved unavoidable.
But, I never turned to other autistics for support or advocacy.
I am only loosely part of the “autistic community” in that I am a blogger an podcaster. I’m not close to any autistic individuals, though many are acquaintances. As I’ve written before, I’m not close to many people, so it shouldn’t be surprising that I’ve rarely aligned myself with autistics.
Unfortunately, I haven’t felt comfortable among autistics, online or in person. I feel alien among classmates and coworkers; I also feel alien among autistics.
The Autistic Me Podcast has connected me more directly with other autistics. Those connections suggest to me that I can and should try to collaborate with more individuals in the autistic community.
I always fear rejection. Curiously enough, I fear rejection by the autistic community, too.
Disagreements in the autism community are heated. I’ve watched as online communities quickly turn on a person outside the orthodoxy. It’s clear that I am often outside the orthodoxy.
Susan and I, as foster-adopt parents, had to follow the policies and procedures of various agencies. We received training on various therapeutic parenting techniques. Some (most) were absurd or potentially harmful. Others approaches seem potentially beneficial. Any discussion of therapies and parenting will offend someone.
Parenting also leads me to consider what the world is like versus how I wish it to be. I’m old, and jaded. At 52, I have to function in the now, not how things might be in 25 years when in my late 70s.
Our girls have to survive now, too. They need to get through school as it is, while my wife and I do our best to advocate for changes in education.
The blog and podcast let me engage with others from the outside. It is often safer on the outside, or on the edge. I prefer to stand in a corner and observe people in a room. I’m the same online. Watching and listening, you can learn a lot.
Since 2007, The Autistic Me has built a loyal blog readership and social media following. I launched The Autistic Me Podcast in 2018 to reach a larger audience. Episodes now appear on every major streaming and podcast service.
In the last few weeks, the podcast has reached nearly 23,000 people. I realize that’s a small audience for a podcast, yet it is the largest audience I’m likely to have as an autism advocate.
The Autistic Me Podcast features Neurodiverse individuals speaking about their experiences and their identities including and beyond autism. Episodes focus on our voices, our experiences, and our identities as individuals. The Autistic Me blog and podcast address the needs of all Neurodiverse individuals. As the father of two young Neurodiverse daughters, I understand we
must discuss the lived experiences and needs of all ages and all abilities.
It is going to take a lot of effort to reach out to other autistics, yet I need them as collaborators. I cannot make the podcast a success without their help. I admit that I need a community. We all do.
The Autistic Me:
- Blog: https://www.tameri.com/autisticme/
- Podcast: https://autisticme.libsyn.com/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/autisticme/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/autisticme
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/CSWyatt
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/autisticme