Saturday, March 29, 2014

Would this make you uncomfortable?



World Women Awareness Day

Many events are organized on World Women Awareness Day. These include:

  • Panel discussions with experts on women, politicians and non-governmental organization (NGO) representatives.
  • Informational events for parents and partners of women.
  • Conferences and workshops for professionals working with women.
  • Artistic workshops for women.
  • Television and radio shows, as well as newspaper features, about women.
  • The launch of educational materials for parents and teachers of women.
  • Exhibitions of art work by women.
  • The display of posters and banners to increase public awareness of women.
Special clinics are also organized for families dealing with women to obtain consultations with doctors, psychologists and social workers.

So, would this bother you? I'd be surprised if it did not. A worldwide focus on women and what should the women do? Keep quiet and paint while 'experts' on women and those who live and work with them do all the talking.


Would this still bother you if 'women' were replaced by 'autistic people'? I'd hazard a guess that it wouldn't really bother you, that it would suddenly sound good and helpful and productive. But we will not keep quiet and paint.
We will keep talking, we will make ourselves heard, we will be loud and we will keep on working towards a future where autistic people take the podium on such days. In any event about autism, autistic people should play the lead role, leading people away from the paradigm of fear and doom.