In my posts over the last months I have written on a range of stuff with some recurring themes. One of those themes has been unity. Unity I am talking about here is unity between the key factions or strands of the Autism/Autistic community. This is a really important thing if we are to see human rights upheld for autistic people.
If there is to be a thriving accepted autistic community then there must be unity between autistic adults and autism parents and allies. Unity does not mean blindness to the differences between different groups but an acknowledgement of difference and a commitment to work through it.
There will always be tension between autistic adults and autism parents. The protection and advocacy of each move from different points of genesis. It goes without saying that each will come from a unique position of their own lived experiences or an understanding of the lived experiences of their children. This does not have to be an impasse.
Listening must be done. Genuine listening, listening that has at its core a willingness to change an opinion or belief when convinced by an other, when new information demands that the currently held position can no longer be held. This goes for Autistics and Autism parents alike. To not approach it like this is really not listening but simply hearing.
The opportunity to put my money where my mouth is, as the saying goes, has arisen. I have been privileged to post a couple of guest posts on the Never Less Than Everything blog in recent months, and have teamed up with the owner Tricia to work on a joint project of video and pod casts discussing autism issues. Our collaboration has been very positive and we continue to pursue that project with excitement and passion.
Additionally after much discussion with Tricia we have together to join together Never Less Than Everything and Proud Autistic Living together under the banner of Never Less Than Everything. We hope to bring this blog to be a strong voice of advocacy and support for the autism parent community and the autistic adult community.
This post then serves as an announcement that posts will now be posted over at Never Less Than Everything. This blog will remain here for legacy purpsoses but will not be added to. All posts have in fact been imported to Never Less Than Everything and are available there. I hope you will join us in the journey to unity and autism accaptance and inclusion.
