Why We Celebrate Autism Acceptance Rather Than Autism Awareness
- Amy Duffy-Barnes
- 16 minutes ago
- 3 min read
April is often recognized as Autism Awareness Month, but at Heartstone Guidance Center, we choose to focus on Autism Acceptance. While awareness was once an important first step in acknowledging the existence of autistic people, it is no longer enough. Understanding and Acceptance are the next crucial steps in building a world that truly supports and values autistic individuals.
Moving Beyond Awareness
Awareness campaigns have historically focused on highlighting autism as a challenge to overcome, often emphasizing deficits rather than strengths. While it’s important to understand the challenges autistic individuals face, awareness alone often leads to stigma, pity, and a focus on “curing” autism rather than embracing neurodiversity. Autism is a disability and a neurotype, people need to make space for that.
The Problem with Autism Awareness Campaigns
One of the key issues with awareness campaigns is that they often misrepresent what autism actually is. Historically, autism awareness has been driven by organizations like Autism Speaks, which has perpetuated harmful narratives. Their notorious "I Am Autism" video portrayed autism as a devastating and fearsome presence that ruins lives, which deeply hurt the autistic community. You can watch the video here to understand why it was met with such strong backlash.
Moreover, the push to link autism with vaccines—despite being thoroughly discredited—has fueled misinformation and stigma. This narrative not only harms autistic individuals by suggesting that autism is a tragedy but also perpetuates the harmful idea that autism needs to be "cured" (looking at you RFK and your brainworm, Autism Speaks and ABA people). Autistic people are not broken; we are neurodivergent, and our brains function differently. Trying to eradicate our neurotype is akin to denying our very existence.
Addressing the Real Issues: Understanding and Acceptance
Awareness campaigns also often fail to address the unique challenges faced by autistic adults. The adult autistic population is frequently overlooked, and our needs are rarely addressed or accommodated. As an oppressed and marginalized group, we need a shift from awareness to understanding and acceptance. This means recognizing that autistic adults exist, have diverse needs, and deserve accommodations and respect just as much as autistic children.
Acceptance must go beyond basic awareness. It requires respecting autistic communication styles, sensory differences, and the need for support. It means making spaces inclusive, valuing autistic perspectives, and actively working against stigma. Instead of focusing on "fixing" autism, society should focus on accommodating autistic people and affirming our right to exist as we are.
Why Acceptance Matters
Acceptance is rooted in the belief that autistic people are valuable, just as they are. It challenges the idea that autism is something to be fixed and instead emphasizes the importance of making the world more inclusive. Autism acceptance means advocating for accommodations, respecting sensory needs, and embracing autistic ways of communicating and experiencing the world. Acceptance is understanding autism is a disability and a neurotype and accepting it as each.
Celebrating Neurodiversity
At Heartstone Guidance Center, we take a strengths-based, neurodiversity-affirming approach. We believe that every autistic person has unique perspectives and talents that deserve to be celebrated. Instead of focusing on deficits, we acknowledge challenges (no gaslighting or invalidation) and we highlight creativity, resilience, and the diverse ways autistic people find to enjoy their lives and contribute and connect to society.
What You Can Do
Educate Yourself: Learn from autistic voices and understand the importance of acceptance and understanding. Understand the differences in autistic vs allistic communication.
Don't Force Us to Mask to be Accepted: If we aren't or can't mask well enough, you will have an uncanny valley feeling around us. Please accept the discomfort as us being different but not dangerous or inferior.
Don't Make Assumptions: Don't try to guess what we are inferring or feeling. Our facial expressions, tones, body postures are different from yours, so you probably wont' guess right. We are also probably not inferring anything, most of us are pretty direct (not rude, direct). Don't try to find hidden meaning or ambiguity in our speech.
Challenge Stereotypes: Reject myths that portray autism as solely a tragedy or a burden.
Support Inclusivity: Advocate for policies and practices that accommodate and support autistic people in schools, workplaces, and communities.
Listen to the Autistic Community: Quit speaking over are voices, telling us what we need or trying to force us to act neurotypical (talking to you ABA people).
Accept us Being the Way we Need to Be: Don't be surprised when we bring an advocate to medical appointments, don't bully us for being different, no giving us side eye when we stim in public, give us space when we shut down, etc.
Join us this month—and every month—in celebrating autism acceptance. Let’s move beyond mere awareness and actively embrace neurodiversity with open minds and hearts.