Today, the Sad Things come first, because March 1 was the official Day of Mourning for disabled people who are killed by their caregivers. Vigils were held in many cities, mostly in the US but also in a variety of other countries.
- For those of you not sure what happens at a disability day of mourning vigil, here is a detailed description of one from Vancouver
- A eulogy by Ari Ne’eman
- Kerima Cevik on the role social media plays in this violence
- Zoe Gross on copycat crimes
- ASAN has an Anti-Filicide Toolkit here
- Lisa D., who maintains the Autism Memorial LJ, has opened a Memorial Annex as a side project – this lists other disabled crime victims she comes across in her autism-related research.
With recent measles outbreaks in the US and Canada, there has been even more talk about vaccines than usual.
- It’s pretty well established that vaccines do not cause autism, but here is The Belle Jar with a critique of why just saying “vaccines do not cause autism” and stopping there can be ableist
- And Chavisory with a critique of The Belle Jar’s critique
April is coming up, and in many places April is Autism Awareness Month. Here is a post by Kerima Cevik about reclaiming the month from Autism Speaks
Some posts on the benefits (and pitfalls) of diagnostic labels:
- by Nightingale of Samarkand
- by Emily Morson
Some stuff about stories and media:
- A.C. Buchanan on why autistic authors should do research when writing their own autistic characters
- Luna Lindsey in defense of “Benny & Joon“
In “what is it like to be autistic” news:
- The Aspie Antiquarian on rigid thinking in adults
- Feminist Aspie on translating phrases
- Lynne Soraya on grief and loss
Misc:
- Real Social Skills on ABA
- Autistic Valentines
- Lydia Brown on institutions
- Autism Science By An Autistic Scientist! Autistic people are often said to be bad at interpreting body language. But by giving the autistic subjects clearer instructions, Dr. James Cusack made most of their apparent deficits at this task go away.