Although there are some people in the autism and autistic communities who do not associate autism with disability, there are others who do.
Autism is heterogeneous, and for some autistic people, aspects of their autism experience are disabling.
Anti-disability narrative, efforts to distance autism from disability, and perpetuating use of the term disability in a pejorative manner, can have unintended and undesirable consequences for some people. It can:
- Lead to others minimizing or invalidating the experience and needs of those who identify with that aspect of their autism experience.
- Create barriers to accessing supports or services for those with disabilities.
- Build unproductive or problematic stigma around disability.
- Shame those who identify with disability, which has other implications for health and wellbeing.
For others who either by legal or medical definitions or based on their own experiences do identify with autism as a disability, it’s important we respect, validate, and support them and their autism experience, even if it’s not reflective of others’. Similarly, those who have different experiences deserve the same respect and validation.
A label of disability affords certain rights and protections to people who need them. A great deal of time and effort has been invested in improving rights and protections for people with disabilities, and it would be sad to create additional barriers or strip autistic people who share those needs of those rights and protections.
There is no shame in disability. Let’s not make it a bad word.
Brandon Herscovitch, Ph.D., LABA, BCBA-D
Partners Behavioral Health can help with your clinical and business standards, compliance, and outcomes. We can help you scale an ethical ABA practice you’re proud about.
