Autism Awareness Day is April 2, and April is Autism Awareness Month. The day and month are a big deal for Autism Speaks and the Autism Society of America. Normally, these organizations receive a lot of media attention. In response, some autistic-led groups are usually asked for comment and some first-person perspectives on autism.<\/p>\n
COVID-19, the novel coronavirus, has made Autism Awareness a non-event.<\/p>\n
I complained about \u201cAutism Awareness\u201d most Aprils since launching The Autistic Me in 2007. I just don\u2019t like the \u201cawareness\u201d media coverage.<\/p>\n
Now, for the first time in years, I wasn\u2019t asked by a single media outlet for a comment. Nobody emailed me for an autistic insight. There was no spike in blog traffic, and no shares of some of my more controversial postings. Nothing at all.<\/p>\n
Though I\u2019m glad the \u201cinspiration porn\u201d stories aren\u2019t airing nightly on CNN or MSNBC, and that I don\u2019t have to hear one Autism Speaks PSA after another, I\u2019m not thankful for the reason.<\/p>\n
I want the reason there is no Autism Awareness Day that we accept people for who we are. I don\u2019t want to be an autistic writer or autistic teacher or autistic anything else. I look forward to The Autistic Me being an outdated name for this project.<\/p>\n
Right now, COVID-19 news coverage is essential. We need to encourage social distancing. We need people to practice the best possible hygiene. Everything else is secondary to staying alive.<\/p>\n
Be safe. Follow the advice of medical experts. Do what health officials tell you to do.<\/p>\n
Maybe next year I can complain about Autism Awareness again.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Autism Awareness Day is April 2, and April is Autism Awareness Month. The day and month are a big deal for Autism Speaks and the Autism Society of America. Normally, these organizations receive a lot of media attention. In response, some autistic-led groups are usually asked for comment and some…<\/p>\n