Teen nonspeaker Anantha Krishnamurthy compares the treatment of progressive science during the Renaissance era to modern autism science— and it hits hard.
“People fail disabled folk when they refuse to accept all ways of being human. In a more perfect world agency would be respected, disability rights honored, and brave hearts exalted. I and others have wisdom for a deprived and hostile world. Skilled allies wanted.”
Nick Barry, a young nonspeaking advocate, writes about how the privacy and autonomy of nonspeakers is often violated by those around them, how it feels, and how to do better.
“If I am trying to make eye contact, words go out the window. They make no sense. Ditto if there’s a lot of background noise, or if I’m busily trying to type out a response on my AAC.”
Nonspeaking advocate Ben Breaux writes a letter to young autistics explaining the journey to communication.
Nonspeaking youth Rumi Ottus spells out a striking poem about the life unlocked by having access to communicate via letterboard.
As a nonspeaker, Trevor Byrd internalized the religious dogma he heard his whole life in silent dedication. As he got older, his values conflicted with his rigid observance of Catholic canon. The support he received from his mom helped him to keep his faith and be true to his values.
Hecklers from Drexel University showed up to the Penn State conference to harass the nonspeaking presenters, then they published a slanderous article claiming most presenters were not really autistic.
A list of resources for those seeking to learn more about Autism, from the inside-out.
Tejas Rao Sankar challenges schools and society to invest in the autonomy of autistic people and not to deny nonspeakers the right to participate in the IEP process.
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