Autistic Pride Day

Autistic Pride Day celebrates the unique strengths and challenges for autistic people every year. Although autism is an expression of neurodiversity, some promoters of autistic pride believe that a large portion of the difficulties they experience are not because they are autistic, but a result of being autistic in a world that does not accommodate them. It is often found through some larger charitable organizations that pity or fear of autism is a tactic often used to gain their donations. Fear of autism then promotes the idea of cure over acceptance and accommodation. Where there is cure talk, there are people selling dangerous, unregulated and sometimes even lethal products disguised as cures or treatments that are being sold to misguided, desperate and vulnerable families. Many proud autistic people and their supporters have been protesting these tactics of fear and cure to promote acceptance within their communities. Autistic Pride Day is now celebrated worldwide every June 18th. Researchers and autistic activists have contributed to a shift in attitudes away from the notion that autism is a deviation from the norm that must be treated or cured, and towards the view that autism is a difference rather than a disability. New Scientist magazine released an article entitled "Autistic and proud" on the first Autistic Pride Day in 2005 that discussed the idea.

Different is Beautiful

Happy Autistic Pride Day