by Jess Sutton, Autism and Self Advocacy Lead
Today's blog post is brought to you by Jess Sutton. Jess first joined MacIntyre in 2021 as a creator of Easy Read documents, and quickly became involved in other MacIntyre initiatives, including our Diversity Advisory Group, and as co-lead of our Autism Network.
Recently MacIntyre created the new post of Autism and Self-Advocacy Lead, and although there were many excellent candidates, Jess quickly showed that she was the very best fit for this new role.
We congratulate Jess on her promotion. This, to mark Autistic Pride Day is her first blog post in her new role.
Celebrating our lives
The 18th of June is Autistic Pride Day! Today we celebrate our lives as autistic people and show to the world we are unique and amazing individuals. We come as we are, and we are just as valuable and wonderful as anyone else!
Autistic pride is important to me because it is an opportunity for me to say to the world that I don’t want pity, I don’t resent autism. I am proud of who I am, and I don’t wish that I was different. Autism has made me the person I am today, and I am really grateful for that.
Simple accommodations
While we should all be celebrating today, we should also use this as an opportunity for self-advocacy! Many of the issues autistic people face are not symptomatic of autism. Rather, these issues come from society being built in a way that does not accommodate for autistic people. Many if not all of these accommodations are very simple to carry out but currently in most places they are not, despite the fact they would make a world of difference for countless autistic people.
Proud 365 days a year
It is our right to live our lives in a world that is kind to us and accommodates for our needs, just as it does for anyone else. While today is a big day for us all and a great opportunity to make our voices heard, every day of the year is autistic pride. We deserve to be proud of who we are and to be heard 365 days a year.
However, we should remember that while it is important to share our stories with the struggles we face and to cast light on the bad, we should also celebrate autistic joy and the positive experiences autism brings.
So, from me to you, happy Autistic Pride Day! Stay awesome, everyone!
