It's been an interesting month, and it's been a while since I updated. But I'm up late, can't sleep, and my back pain is particularly brutal at the moment, so I figured I'd take the time to let everyone know what's going on.
Autistics Speaking Day was November 1st. It was our second annual ASDay, and more successful than the last. The permanent ASDay page got more likes, and although we had fewer people who clicked "attending" on the event page this year, we had a significant increase in the number of people who created videos, blog posts, pictures, poems, and other works for ASDay. Last year we had 80; this year we had over 100. Corina and I are very pleased with the results. I wish I'd had more time to devote to promoting it, but as I'll explain in more depth later I've been ridiculously busy this year and I let it go more than I should have. We have links to all of the posts on our blog, including an article in the Guardian. I even made my brother jealous when I found out Stephen Fry tweeted about ASDay, which led to several more people becoming interested in it and me basically freezing for several minutes going, "Stephen Fry knows who I am. Stephen Fry knows who I am," and talking about it to anyone who would listen.
All in all, was a good day, but after it was over I had a drink to calm my nerves and slept for 14 hours. I'm sure I mentioned this before, but it's extremely stressful running an event like ASDay, and the "YES, I DID SOMETHING AWESOME" feeling comes along with feeling overwhelmed and overworked. I think it will be easier for me next year when I'm out of school. I'm really glad I had the opportunity to work with Corina and with all of the people who participated in ASDay. I know it meant a lot to a lot of people, and I think we all deserve a huge round of applause for our work. It will never cease to amaze me what happened last year, and now that I'm here looking back at Kathryn Bjornstad in 2010 I see that ASDay changed my life for the better. It was the first time I really participated in the autistic community, and it was a launching point for me to begin working with ASAN on their communication team, which has put me more in touch with the needs of our community. I feel like I'm making a difference in the world, and I'm doing things I never thought were possible before. I went from seeing myself as an unemployed student with an inferiority complex to seeing myself as an activist. I'm not famous, I'm not all that impressive, I'm not charismatic or anything like that, but I'm still capable of having some kind of an effect on the world.
Corina and I have seen our work pay off. Most of you have probably already heard, but ASAN is having an anniversary fundraiser later this week. When I heard about it I wanted to go but did not think I would be able to. Then I found out that Corina and I were receiving an award for our work on ASDay and I would get to go to the fundraiser in Washington, D.C. to receive it. I am both shocked and extremely excited about this, and I'm grateful to Ari and the others at ASAN for giving me this opportunity. This will be my first time meeting Corina, who changed my life when she first typed out the phrase "Autistics Speaking Day." We work really well together and I consider her a friend, but I've never spoken to her before. I've never met any of my other advocate friends in person before, and I'll be meeting a lot of them this week, including Ari Ne'eman, Melody Latimer, Lydia Brown, Emily Titon, Savannah Logsdon-Breakstone, and possibly others I haven't heard from yet. (Please let me know in the comments if you'll be in D.C. for the fundraiser--I'd love to meet you.)
Trying to attend the fundraiser has created even more work for me, including something you all will hopefully see at the event itself. It's been hard trying to plan the trip while I'm so busy myself. We had to arrange our flights and find a hotel room for both myself and Sean, who I would not be able to travel without since I will melt into a ball of oversensitive mush as soon as the plane's engines start making noise, and I rely on Sean's help a lot, especially in stressful situations. I also had to find clothes suitable for a formal event when I realized the dress I had planned to wear doesn't fit.
It's just been a stressful semester in general for me. I'm taking 16 credit hours at the moment, when I've only been able to survive taking 12 at a time before. At the end of this semester I will be done with school and I'll get the degree I was going through all this pressure for. I'm writing my senior thesis on the history of the autism rights and neurodiversity movements while trying to keep up with work and the rest of my course work. I don't have much time to myself anymore. I normally need to relax for as much time as I spend working in order to retain my sanity, and it has been sadly impossible to do that between everything that's been going on. I've been experiencing more meltdowns and more panic attacks and started taking medication for my anxiety. The stress is causing my muscles to tense, and tense muscles make my back more likely to hurt, and the pain creates an even lower tolerance for stress. I turned 23 a few days ago, and my only wish for my birthday was that I could spend the whole evening letting my back unclench and watching Sean play Fallout: New Vegas. I'm thinking about my upcoming wedding that's only three months away. I'm thinking about the student loans I'll have to start paying off and the terrifying amount of money I spent on my education. I'm thinking about the fact that my house is in desperate need of a cleaning and that it's been a while since my last cortisone injection and I can feel it. I have two papers due while I'm in Washington D.C., one of which is 30 pages and I haven't had time to start on either.
I'm really lucky to be working with people as understanding as the folks at ASAN, who are working with me to make my work load easier. A great deal of my stress is my own fault for not letting them know earlier that I was struggling. I hope once I'm less stressed out that I'll be of more use to them.
I hope I don't sound too depressed or negative. I know everything is going to turn out okay. The thing I want everyone to understand is that my life is a heterogeneous mix of happiness and stress right now. I'm extremely happy with the way my life is going. A year ago I had no idea what my future was going to look like, but now a huge part of the image is clear and the future is very nearly my present. In a few months I will be a college graduate, be married, my resume will have an impressive-looking award and an actual degree to make it prettier, and hopefully I'll be increasing my work at ASAN. But what that means is that my life is changing extremely rapidly, and sometimes that makes things look a little ugly. I see the light at the end of the tunnel, but what I need right now is more sleep, a good massage, and a soak in a hot tub. Well, at the very least I can work on the first one as soon as I post this, and I'll wait until the others become possible. I'm looking forward to the event in D.C. and hopefully it will be a nice little vacation for me. Wish me luck!
Showing posts with label Autistics Speaking Day. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Autistics Speaking Day. Show all posts
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Saturday, August 20, 2011
New Blog for Autistics Speaking Day
Don't worry; I'm not abandoning this one! I wanted to create a blog where Corina and I (maybe along with some other people) could update people on Autistics Speaking Day. Also, Autistics Speaking Day 2011 now has a Facebook event page. I hope we will have another success.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Reflections on Autistics Speaking Day
About two weeks ago I posted an open event on Facebook called "Autistics Speaking Day." I was a bit pleased with myself for inviting so many people, but I realistically expected maybe 20 people to RSVP yes. I remember thinking how cool it would be if I got the guest list up to 100.
Not only did it exceed by expectations, but I got nearly 500 people RSVPing yes, and over 80 blogs participated. I was exhausted trying to keep up with moderating the pages and responding to messages about it constantly. I got to see my name written in newspapers in countries I've never been to, and people I respect a lot actually noticed what I did, and many of them even went on to thank me for it. That to me is incredible.
I don't want to sound like I think it's nothing because I worked my ass off trying to keep things going, but the success we had on Monday was not my doing. Over 1500 people were invited to the event, and I only had about 400 in my Facebook friends list when we started. Lots of people were inviting friends and posting links.
But this was all sort of lifechanging to me because at the same time as I realize that I didn't do anything too incredible, something I did that I thought of as insignificant wound up causing this huge explosion of productivity. I am still trying to wrap my mind around that, because I'm so used to being ignored and being an outcast. This wasn't what I had in mind when I decided I was going to try to help Corina post about ASDay (and by the way, I hadn't even talked to her before because I'd been a huge fan of her blog but friends like her seemed out of my league). I am really glad it happened this way because I'd been having doubts about whether anything I ever tried to do would make a difference, and now I think that it can. If enough people get ahold of an idea like Corina's, it can go to extraordinary places. I am really happy that I was able to be a part of this, and it really has changed my life and the way I look at things.
I know a lot of you probably saw me posting on this and thought, "Who the hell is this chick?" You'd probably never heard of me before late October of this year, and that's because I stayed quiet and out of the way. I posted briefly on WrongPlanet but didn't keep up there, and that was under a pseudonym. I'd sort of gotten involved with some of the Facebook groups for autism, but I was a fairly occasional poster. So I wasn't putting myself out there a whole lot, but I've been watching you guys for a long time. I've grown to care about a lot of you. I just did it silently because I thought I had nothing much to add. And then I did have something to add, and I made this blog, but I got embarrassed quickly from posting messages no one would ever read, so I didn't post between July and October.
When everyone started interacting with me, because of my activity with the Facebook event, I was kind of shocked. It was kind of like you guys had all been celebrities before and I was just the fan looking in from the outside, and all the sudden people wanted to talk to me. And that was so awesome to me that it was almost like talking to movie stars. At that point I became obsessed with my own involvement in things, the way I had become so obsessed with Victorian England and Egyptology, and it was all I did for several days. I'm not going to lie, it felt pretty awesome. I suddenly had a soapbox to stand on and I was given the opportunity to pull other people up on the soapbox with me.
I didn't really have much of a chance to put my own thoughts out there because I was so focused on everything else I had to do. I don't think my post probably got noticed for anything other than the huge freaking list of names of the participants. It wasn't like it was spectacular, and I don't think I got that many people who were interested in my writing specifically. That's probably good because praise tends to go to my head. It also gave me a better opportunity to listen to what other people had to say, and they say it way better than I could.
I was really uncomfortable when I realized I wasn't going to agree with everyone who was participating. I was afraid of curebies and antivaxers taking over. I've seen a couple autistic people I liked get carried off by the organizations run by these people, and I was worried that I would be seen as a sell-out. Then I realized that I couldn't silence any voices just because I disagreed with them--after all, I got into an argument with one blogger and I had decided that wasn't a good reason to exclude him before the argument was even started. But the event was supposed to be about raising awareness and I realized that the people who I disagreed with were working towards that goal in this instance. Where their goals are the same, not only am I obligated to work with them but it's the right thing to do. It's not about being fake or giving up, because I'm still really strongly pro-vax and anti-cure, but the event wasn't being fought over those issues, and they weren't relevant. The people I worried about surprised me a lot by posting some really positive things. So we can disagree on other occasions but this wasn't the time or place for it. I think it forced me to be more mature than I had been about it, but it was surprising to see that change happening without it otherwise influencing my opinions on vaccination or cures for autism. That one day the message wasn't all about me. It was about everyone, and letting everyone speak for themselves.
It seems like I might be good at this--or maybe I just got lucky and can use the contacts I've made to help me in the future. What I'm saying is that I want to try to do this again. Not just Autistics Speaking Day year 2. That's been decided already. Honestly, I want to do more events, and more advocacy, maybe even in my own area. I have seen what trying can do and it was way, way more than I anticipated, so I'm going to try again. I'm only 21 and I sure as hell don't know everything, so I'm probably going to trip a lot on the way, but seeing this happen is going to make it a lot harder for me to just sit back and watch again.
So...where do I start?
Not only did it exceed by expectations, but I got nearly 500 people RSVPing yes, and over 80 blogs participated. I was exhausted trying to keep up with moderating the pages and responding to messages about it constantly. I got to see my name written in newspapers in countries I've never been to, and people I respect a lot actually noticed what I did, and many of them even went on to thank me for it. That to me is incredible.
I don't want to sound like I think it's nothing because I worked my ass off trying to keep things going, but the success we had on Monday was not my doing. Over 1500 people were invited to the event, and I only had about 400 in my Facebook friends list when we started. Lots of people were inviting friends and posting links.
But this was all sort of lifechanging to me because at the same time as I realize that I didn't do anything too incredible, something I did that I thought of as insignificant wound up causing this huge explosion of productivity. I am still trying to wrap my mind around that, because I'm so used to being ignored and being an outcast. This wasn't what I had in mind when I decided I was going to try to help Corina post about ASDay (and by the way, I hadn't even talked to her before because I'd been a huge fan of her blog but friends like her seemed out of my league). I am really glad it happened this way because I'd been having doubts about whether anything I ever tried to do would make a difference, and now I think that it can. If enough people get ahold of an idea like Corina's, it can go to extraordinary places. I am really happy that I was able to be a part of this, and it really has changed my life and the way I look at things.
I know a lot of you probably saw me posting on this and thought, "Who the hell is this chick?" You'd probably never heard of me before late October of this year, and that's because I stayed quiet and out of the way. I posted briefly on WrongPlanet but didn't keep up there, and that was under a pseudonym. I'd sort of gotten involved with some of the Facebook groups for autism, but I was a fairly occasional poster. So I wasn't putting myself out there a whole lot, but I've been watching you guys for a long time. I've grown to care about a lot of you. I just did it silently because I thought I had nothing much to add. And then I did have something to add, and I made this blog, but I got embarrassed quickly from posting messages no one would ever read, so I didn't post between July and October.
When everyone started interacting with me, because of my activity with the Facebook event, I was kind of shocked. It was kind of like you guys had all been celebrities before and I was just the fan looking in from the outside, and all the sudden people wanted to talk to me. And that was so awesome to me that it was almost like talking to movie stars. At that point I became obsessed with my own involvement in things, the way I had become so obsessed with Victorian England and Egyptology, and it was all I did for several days. I'm not going to lie, it felt pretty awesome. I suddenly had a soapbox to stand on and I was given the opportunity to pull other people up on the soapbox with me.
I didn't really have much of a chance to put my own thoughts out there because I was so focused on everything else I had to do. I don't think my post probably got noticed for anything other than the huge freaking list of names of the participants. It wasn't like it was spectacular, and I don't think I got that many people who were interested in my writing specifically. That's probably good because praise tends to go to my head. It also gave me a better opportunity to listen to what other people had to say, and they say it way better than I could.
I was really uncomfortable when I realized I wasn't going to agree with everyone who was participating. I was afraid of curebies and antivaxers taking over. I've seen a couple autistic people I liked get carried off by the organizations run by these people, and I was worried that I would be seen as a sell-out. Then I realized that I couldn't silence any voices just because I disagreed with them--after all, I got into an argument with one blogger and I had decided that wasn't a good reason to exclude him before the argument was even started. But the event was supposed to be about raising awareness and I realized that the people who I disagreed with were working towards that goal in this instance. Where their goals are the same, not only am I obligated to work with them but it's the right thing to do. It's not about being fake or giving up, because I'm still really strongly pro-vax and anti-cure, but the event wasn't being fought over those issues, and they weren't relevant. The people I worried about surprised me a lot by posting some really positive things. So we can disagree on other occasions but this wasn't the time or place for it. I think it forced me to be more mature than I had been about it, but it was surprising to see that change happening without it otherwise influencing my opinions on vaccination or cures for autism. That one day the message wasn't all about me. It was about everyone, and letting everyone speak for themselves.
It seems like I might be good at this--or maybe I just got lucky and can use the contacts I've made to help me in the future. What I'm saying is that I want to try to do this again. Not just Autistics Speaking Day year 2. That's been decided already. Honestly, I want to do more events, and more advocacy, maybe even in my own area. I have seen what trying can do and it was way, way more than I anticipated, so I'm going to try again. I'm only 21 and I sure as hell don't know everything, so I'm probably going to trip a lot on the way, but seeing this happen is going to make it a lot harder for me to just sit back and watch again.
So...where do I start?
Monday, November 1, 2010
Autistics Speaking Day is today
This has been one of the most stressful, most exciting, and most rewarding weeks of my life.
I made my blog this summer when I was home alone all day and off school, and I thought I had something to say. I didn't touch it for a few months, but when I decided to start getting involved, things just sort of fell into place.
It started with making a few friends on Blogspot. I was happy to have a few people listening to what I had to say, and I didn't expect for many people to notice anything I had to say.
Then I was inspired to create a Facebook event for an event Corina had suggested. Yesterday 365 people were participating. Today I found there are over 450, plus people who don't have Facebook accounts who have e-mailed me their blog posts.
The support has been overwhelming, and I've made a lot of friends and a couple of enemies along the way. I was obsessed with this event, staying up sleeplessly to moderate posts and disputes, trying to respond to each participant individually, getting together lists of participants and blog posts, keeping up with news posts on the subject...and it all paid off. Today is already a success, and by my clock it's only 2:00 PM.
I'll spend today glued to my computer, trying to share as many stories with as many people as I can. A lot of people have thanked me for what I'm doing, but I'm just a person who put a Facebook page up. You have all made this possible, and you have helped bring Autistics Speaking Day to more people. Thank you for helping me do this. You are all amazing. And this is really evidence of how important the Internet is to autistic people, and how foolish it would be to think that turning off Facebook would help non-autistic people understand what it's like to be us. We're here today to use the Internet to tell non-autistic people who we are and what autism is.
Thank you and I hope you enjoy Autistics Speaking Day. I'll be glued to my computer all day. I'm sending out lists of blogs and participants. If you want to write a post, send me a link and the name you want to use (your own or a pen name) so I can share it. I'll update the list periodically through the day and I'll try to get to them all.
34. John Elder Robinson posts his support here. http://www.facebook.com/JohnElderRobison
38. Julian Edward Frost posts on his own experience with autism. http://autismjungle.wordpress.com/2010/11/01/autistics-spoke-and-you-listened/
50. Maddy Keene on her experience with autism/Asperger’s. http://mmkeene.deviantart.com/journal/35987525/
75. Zachary Lassiter on why many autistic people won’t be participating in Communication Shutdown. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HwgbMTmR3I
76. I missed Nick Walker's post before, but here it is now. http://nickykaa.com/2010/11/an-autistic-speaking/
77. Also missed Jo's blog post here about the difficulties she has encountered raising a son with Asperger's. http://mumtoj.wordpress.com/2010/10/27/an-explanation/
78. Wendy on alt med, food allergies, and other things. http://raisingbutterfly.blogspot.com/
79. Spectrummy Mummy on her experiences with Autistics Speaking Day. http://spectrummymummy.wordpress.com/2010/11/02/an-ongoing-dialogue/
I made my blog this summer when I was home alone all day and off school, and I thought I had something to say. I didn't touch it for a few months, but when I decided to start getting involved, things just sort of fell into place.
It started with making a few friends on Blogspot. I was happy to have a few people listening to what I had to say, and I didn't expect for many people to notice anything I had to say.
Then I was inspired to create a Facebook event for an event Corina had suggested. Yesterday 365 people were participating. Today I found there are over 450, plus people who don't have Facebook accounts who have e-mailed me their blog posts.
The support has been overwhelming, and I've made a lot of friends and a couple of enemies along the way. I was obsessed with this event, staying up sleeplessly to moderate posts and disputes, trying to respond to each participant individually, getting together lists of participants and blog posts, keeping up with news posts on the subject...and it all paid off. Today is already a success, and by my clock it's only 2:00 PM.
I'll spend today glued to my computer, trying to share as many stories with as many people as I can. A lot of people have thanked me for what I'm doing, but I'm just a person who put a Facebook page up. You have all made this possible, and you have helped bring Autistics Speaking Day to more people. Thank you for helping me do this. You are all amazing. And this is really evidence of how important the Internet is to autistic people, and how foolish it would be to think that turning off Facebook would help non-autistic people understand what it's like to be us. We're here today to use the Internet to tell non-autistic people who we are and what autism is.
Thank you and I hope you enjoy Autistics Speaking Day. I'll be glued to my computer all day. I'm sending out lists of blogs and participants. If you want to write a post, send me a link and the name you want to use (your own or a pen name) so I can share it. I'll update the list periodically through the day and I'll try to get to them all.
The participants:
1. Action for Autism’s Mike Stanton explains why Communication Shutdown is offensive, and what it is like when autistic people shut down in real life. http://actionforautism.co.uk/2010/11/01/today-is-autistics-speaking-day/
2. Alexander Cheezem writes an awesome open letter to Buzz Aldrin. http://aspieperspective.blogspot.com/2010/11/open-letter-to-buzz-aldrin.html
3. Allecto on dispelling myths about autism. http://allecto.tumblr.com/post/1456668266/autisticsspeaking
4. Alysia Krasnow Butler on her own son’s autism diagnosis and her friend’s son’s recent unexpected diagnosis. A beautiful post. http://trydefyinggravity.wordpress.com/2010/10/31/voices-carry/
5. Amanda Forest Vivian on problems with the kinds of things non-autistics are trying to “fix” in autistic people. This is really awesome and you should read it if you’re not familiar with the concepts of “ableism” and why it’s not necessary or even beneficial to “pass” for non-autistic. http://adeepercountry.blogspot.com/2010/11/autistics-speaking-day-post.html
6. Ari Ne’eman from the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network on Communication Shutdown and Autistics Speaking Day. http://www.autisticadvocacy.org/modules/smartsection/item.php?itemid=122
7. AS Parenting has an awesome article on autism (including nonverbal autism) and advocacy. http://www.asparenting.com/2010/11/01/asd-autistics-speaking-day/
8. ASD Mommy-I don’t know this blogger’s name, but it is a good post. http://asdmommy.wordpress.com/2010/11/01/i-will-not-be-silent/
9. A.S.S.G.O. (AS Support Group Online)’s post for Autistics Speaking Day. http://www.assupportgrouponline.org/apps/blog/show/5212238-supporting-autistics-speaking-day
10. Bev from Asperger Square 8 on communications and other things. http://aspergersquare8.blogspot.com/2010/11/squawk.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blogspot%2FZooX+%28Asperger+Square+8%29
11. Brigy Staples on the double standards people use with autistic people. http://speakingon.wordpress.com/2010/11/01/autistics-speaking-day/
12. Britt Kravets on social interaction and acceptance for the whole spectrum. http://blackbird3398.wordpress.com/2010/11/01/autistics-speaking/
13. Clay on Autistics Speaking Day; also contains Ari Ne’eman’s post. http://cometscorner-clay.blogspot.com/2010/11/ari-neeman-on-autistics-speaking-day.html
14. Codeman busting myths about autism. http://aut.zone38.net/2010/11/01/speaking-up-for-autism/
15. The Coffee Klatch on their Twitter event, which you should totally check out if you have Twitter. http://thecoffeeklatchblog.blogspot.com/
16. Corabelle Li Crol on the power of the Internet and autistic people. http://aspiegirlworld.blogspot.com/2010/11/autistics-speaking-day-post.html
17. Corina Becker’s guest blog on things she knows as an autistic person, and her post on her own blog for Autistics Speaking Day. http://blogs.plos.org/neurotribes/2010/10/31/corina-becker-communication-shutdown-for-autism-awareness-no-thanks/ http://nostereotypeshere.blogspot.com/2010/11/autistic-speaking-out-loud.html
18. Craig Thompson posted a video about autism and communication. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wEO2oJ-qKc
19. Cripchick (Stacy Milbern) on the dangers of donating to non-profit autism organizations that are all about profit and do nothing for autistic people. http://blog.cripchick.com/archives/8612
20. Danillion on the Internet and autism. http://dannilion.com/2010/11/autistics-speaking-day-autism-communication-and-the-internet/
21. Darcy Reed is an autistic writer who writes beautiful poetry. http://spectrumhouseart.com/5Darcy1.html
22. Ed Ised had posted some things that I don’t quite agree with but his voice deserves to be heard as much as anyone’s. http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%253A%252F%252Fdiversityrules.typepad.com%252Fmy_weblog%252F2010%252F11%252Fowning-ideas-and-selling-autism-awareness.html&h=2ff90&ref=nf
23. Elaine Caul on awareness. http://one-autistic-in-ireland.blogspot.com/2010/11/but-you-look-normal.html
23. Elaine Caul on awareness. http://one-autistic-in-ireland.blogspot.com/2010/11/but-you-look-normal.html
24. Elspeth Thorne on growing up with autism. http://ysabet.thorne.id.au/2010/10/on-growing-up-as-alien-robot-among.html
25. Emily on autism and bullying. http://daisymayfattypants.blogspot.com/2010/11/autism-and-bulling.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blogspot%2FZgJi+%28A+life+less+ordinary%3F%29
26. Estee Klar on the dangers of trying to normalize autistic people with medication. http://www.esteeklar.com/2010/11/01/what-are-the-lies-we-believe/
27. Gavin Bollard on why a day of silence doesn’t work. http://life-with-aspergers.blogspot.com/2010/11/day-of-silence.html
28. Gaynell on the harm that society has allowed to be done to autistic people, particularly on physical abuse and restraint. This is an important issue in the community right now. http://wildflowersforjade.blogspot.com/2010/11/autistics-speaking-day-autism-mom.html
29. Gerry Lockhart on ASDay. http://www.asandtheirpartners.org/as-resources/16-interesting-articles/333-autistics-speaking-day.html
30. Heather Sedlock on her autistic son’s life. http://heatherbabes.autisable.com/734878474/thom-part-2/
31. Ian on his experiences with autism. http://youhaventmetyourselfyet.blogspot.com/
32. Jennefer explains what she would like people to know about her three-year-old autistic son, referred to here as HRH. http://www.thekingandeye.com/2010/11/communications-shutdown-day-for-autism.html
33. Jill with some general info on autism and ASDay. http://bookish-nerd.livejournal.com/13273.html
34. John Elder Robinson posts his support here. http://www.facebook.com/JohnElderRobison
35. John Scot Thorburn on how autistic voices should be heard. http://colorvalues.blogspot.com/2010/11/autistics-speaking-day.html
36. Julia on needing to talk. http://flashbackdreamsequence.blogspot.com/2010/11/we-need-to-talk.html
37. Julia Charlotte’s Anatomy of an Autistic. http://www.facebook.com/notes/julia-charlotte/anatomy-of-an-autistic/464893465232
38. Julian Edward Frost posts on his own experience with autism. http://autismjungle.wordpress.com/2010/11/01/autistics-spoke-and-you-listened/
39. Karen Baum writes her first blog post on Autistics Speaking Day, for which I am honored. http://theautisticstepmom.blogspot.com/2010/11/autistics-speaking-day.html
40. Karin has written several posts for today, which can be viewed here: http://bewaretheaspie.blogspot.com/
41. Kassiane on what she can tell you and explain about living with autism, and being on your autistic kid’s side. http://timetolisten.blogspot.com/2010/11/inaugural-post-autistics-speak-day.html and http://timetolisten.blogspot.com/2010/11/im-on-your-kid.html
42. Kathleen on autistic people and communication. http://autismherd.blogspot.com/2010/11/autistic-people-communicate.html
43. Kathryn Bjornstad writes about Autistics Speaking Day and shares a list of participants. http://autistickat.blogspot.com/2010/11/autistics-speaking-day-is-today.html
44. Kerry Cohen on her autistic son, who she has written a memoir about. http://www.kerry-cohen.com/musings.html
45. Kevin Healey shares the voices of autistic people. http://www.kevinhealey.net/?p=1056
46. Kim Wombles on supporting autistic people instead of shutting down. http://kwomblescountering.blogspot.com/2010/10/supporting-autistics-whoever-they-are.html
47. Leah Jane on how the Internet made it possible for her autism club to pull off a successful event. http://quixoticautistic.blogspot.com/2010/11/autistics-speaking-day.html and on the aftermath of ASDay http://quixoticautistic.blogspot.com/2010/11/aftermath.html
48. Lindsay on listening to disabled people. http://autistscorner.blogspot.com/2010/11/stop-look-and-listen-its-autistics.html
49. Luna Lightning on her own experiences with autism and life in general. http://spin-infinity.blogspot.com/2010/11/introduction.html
50. Maddy Keene on her experience with autism/Asperger’s. http://mmkeene.deviantart.com/journal/35987525/
51. Matt Friedman explains how social media has helped him and why autistics must speak for themselves. http://dudeimanaspie.blogspot.com/2010/11/autistics-speaking-day-path-to.html
52. Maya Brown-Zimmerman on battles with the early intervention system. http://marfmom.com/archives/2656
53. Melissa Fields on not feeling welcome in the non-autistic world. http://iamautistic---thisismylife.blogspot.com/2010/10/autistic-i-am.html
54. Nicole Nicholson shares an awesome poem with us for Autistics Speaking Day. She is also sharing other poems, so check them out. http://ravenswingpoetry.com/2010/11/01/wwp-poem-26-back-door-blues/#more-2517
55. Ole Ferme L'Oeil on the wide range of people in the autism spectrum; also includes some awesome links to other important blog posts that you should check out. http://humainsvolants.blogspot.com/2010/11/autistics-speaking-day-jour-de-parole.html
56. Pamela Harvey on the use of silence. http://thestampedenvelope.blogspot.com/2010/11/using-silence.html
57. Paula C. Durbin-Westby shares her e-mail to Buzz Aldrin about Communication Shutdown and Autistics Speaking Day. http://paulacdurbinwestbyautisticblog.blogspot.com/2010/10/facebook-message-to-buzz-aldrin.html
58. Rachel Cohen-Rottenberg on empathy and communication. http://www.journeyswithautism.com/2010/11/01/speaking-my-mind-and-heart/
59. Sandy challenges the idea that verbal communication is the best form of communication. http://www.aspieteacher.com/2010/11/press-pound-for-more-options/
60. Sarah Schneider on Autistics Speaking Day. http://www.kitaiskasandwich.com/2010/10/31/autistics-speaking-day-november/ and http://bit.ly/dkFBp4
61. Savannah posts poems about her experiences with autism. http://crackedmirrorinshalott.wordpress.com/2010/11/01/poem-articulate/
62. Scottish Mum on why Communication Shutdown is not for her. http://scottishmum.com/?p=85
63. Shanti writes about her life, selective mutism, and her obsessions. http://latedx.wordpress.com/2010/10/31/celebrating-autism/
64. Shelly Valladolid on autistic special interests and their validity. I don’t know a better way to put it; it’s a short but good post. http://stillfabulous.blogspot.com/2010/11/fab-speaks.html
65. Socrates from the New Republic on Autistics Speaking Day. http://the-newrepublic.blogspot.com/2010/11/autistics-speaking-day.html
65. Socrates from the New Republic on Autistics Speaking Day. http://the-newrepublic.blogspot.com/2010/11/autistics-speaking-day.html
66. Stuart Duncan on breakdowns in communication. http://www.stuartduncan.name/autism-communication/communication-breaking-it-down/
67. Sunday Stillwell writes an informative post on Autistics Speaking Day. http://www.extremeparenthood.com/2010/11/autism-shoutout-loud-and-proud.html
68. Sullivan from Left Brain/Right Brain will be returning to Facebook today. http://leftbrainrightbrain.co.uk/2010/11/catch-me-on-facebook-november-1/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+LeftBrain%2FrightBrain+%28Left+Brain%2FRight+Brain%29
and here http://leftbrainrightbrain.co.uk/2010/11/autistics-spoke-and-you-listened/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+LeftBrain%2FrightBrain+%28Left+Brain%2FRight+Brain%29
69. TMBMT on the pain of growing up undiagnosed. http://tmbmt.livejournal.com/26305.html
70. Tony Belcastro writes about what autism is like for him and how it has affected his life. http://elsmystery.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=section&layout=blog&id=3&Itemid=43
71. Toxicology Doc on communication. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idszVltvc3Y
72. Unstrange Mind on what you would have to do to really understand how her autism affects her. Hint: it’s not turning off your computer. http://unstrangemind.wordpress.com/2010/11/01/will-turning-off-your-computer-for-one-day-teach-you-what-its-like-to-be-autistic/
73. The Untoward Lady on autism and love. http://vibratingsquare.blogspot.com/2010/11/reclaiming-love.html
74. Vector’s post for ASDay. http://thautcast.com/drupal5/content/voices-autistics-speaking-day-alex-olinkiewicz
75. Zachary Lassiter on why many autistic people won’t be participating in Communication Shutdown. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HwgbMTmR3I
76. I missed Nick Walker's post before, but here it is now. http://nickykaa.com/2010/11/an-autistic-speaking/
77. Also missed Jo's blog post here about the difficulties she has encountered raising a son with Asperger's. http://mumtoj.wordpress.com/2010/10/27/an-explanation/
78. Wendy on alt med, food allergies, and other things. http://raisingbutterfly.blogspot.com/
79. Spectrummy Mummy on her experiences with Autistics Speaking Day. http://spectrummymummy.wordpress.com/2010/11/02/an-ongoing-dialogue/
80. Elesia Ashkenazy's ASDay post. http://aspitude.blogspot.com/2010/11/autistics-speaking-day-2010.html
The Media:
There are some other lists here.
Other:
If you are participating, I’ve receieved a message from Joel Manzer that participants can submit their posts to Autisable and they’ll be happy to highlight them on the first page. Autisable is here. http://www.autisable.com/
And although they didn’t write a post for Autistics Speaking Day, I think it’s really important that everyone check out Families Aginst Restraint and Seclusion. http://familiesagainstrestraintandseclusion.blogspot.com/ Check out the video here. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QyTfOnPLnSM&has_verified=1
Again, the event page on Facebook is here. http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=140107279369668#!/event.php?eid=140107279369668 And in case you didn’t get the message, we now have a permanent page for Autistics Speaking Day. Like here if you would like to participate again next year. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Autistics-Speaking-Day/162932960394619?ref=mf Thank you all so much for participating, and I wish you all an awesome Autistics Speaking Day.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
More on Autistics Speaking Day
So all things considered, my Autistics Speaking Day event on Facebook is going pretty well. For those who didn't read my last post, this wasn't my idea, but I decided to try to publicize it by getting it on Facebook where people could spread it to all their friends. It's been pretty damn successful. Only 73 are attending so far, but at the moment of this writing I have 8 blogs participating and we have been written about in the Examiner. My mother is so proud. I'm hoping to go further with this and I'm hoping news will spread to more people.
If you know anyone who might be interested, let them know what's going on. If you have Facebook, RSVP to the event and invite your friends. If you would like to participate, message me on Facebook, e-mail me at kmbjornstad@gmail.com, or comment here. I need your name (whatever you want me to put on the page; real names not necessary if you don't want to give it out) and the URL to your blog or website. When everyone posts on November 1st, I will message everyone attending the event with links to all the blog posts.
If you have something to say to the world about your life as an autistic person/person with autism, this is your chance. Please join us and participate, and speak out on November 1st. Shutting down Facebook for a day won't teach anyone a thing about autism, but blogging and letting at least a few more people know what we're thinking might have some sort of effect. Thank you in advance for your participation and/or support.
If you know anyone who might be interested, let them know what's going on. If you have Facebook, RSVP to the event and invite your friends. If you would like to participate, message me on Facebook, e-mail me at kmbjornstad@gmail.com, or comment here. I need your name (whatever you want me to put on the page; real names not necessary if you don't want to give it out) and the URL to your blog or website. When everyone posts on November 1st, I will message everyone attending the event with links to all the blog posts.
If you have something to say to the world about your life as an autistic person/person with autism, this is your chance. Please join us and participate, and speak out on November 1st. Shutting down Facebook for a day won't teach anyone a thing about autism, but blogging and letting at least a few more people know what we're thinking might have some sort of effect. Thank you in advance for your participation and/or support.
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