misspunnypuns:

cardassian-andorian:

so this weekend i went to 2 different autism awareness events. one was a get-together outside a suburban fire station with a bunch of autism organizations repping, two food trucks and a little ball pit. it was nice enough, and you could tell the kids were enjoying it. it was put on by autism speaks, which didn’t thrill me but i didn’t give it much thought. i definitely noticed, though, that most of the parents had on shirts like “i’m an autism parent” or my personal fave, “autism is a beautiful journey that turns mama bears into rock solid grizzlies”. it very much felt like an event FOR the parents and not for the kids.
today, i volunteered at “sensory science day” put on by a local science museum in junction with the autism group from my university. WORLD of difference. it was catered to the kiddos and many of the volunteers were autistic adults. a bunch of the stations were about learning how the autistic brain works and neurodiversity and senses. there were maps marked with the designated “cool down” areas (which had boxes with storybooks and stim toys) and little marks to indicate areas that were “smelly” (like the farm animals exhibit). upstairs they had a gallery of art done by local autistic artists. they had a video on a loop of autistic adults talking about autism.
i respect the first event for doing what it was there to do, but the other one was just a perfect example of what I think autism acceptance events should be.

That one sounds beautiful.