I pledge . . .

I pledge to uphold the tenets of the Autistic Union. To speak on behalf of ALL autists who can’t speak for themselves. This is my vow: to use my voice as a means for positive change, so that my daughter can grow, learn, be educated, and live right along side yours, and our neurotypical counterparts.

To support organizations that advocate for inclusion, and publicly denounce those who continue to view us as diseased specimens in need of a cure. To use my voice to educate parents of Autistic children so they will learn to embrace and celebrate their children’s neurodivergence, and not keep trying to medicate them into Oblivion.

I will work tirelessly until the day comes when being Autistic is not treated as something to be feared or passed over. Until the day when an autist says they need a quieter workspace or a dimmed light, they aren’t put through the proverbial ringer to get unnecessary documentation from doctors stating its necessity.

Until the day our kids aren’t punished for stimming in class, or needing flexible teaching methods because they learn differently from their NT peers.

These are my words, and they are beyond contestation. I’m not an activist. I’m an Autivist.

— Dallas, Autistic Autivist, US