Dear Autism Speaks.....

I am an Autistic adult, and i matter.

I was born this way, i will die this way.

Being Autistic does not make me bad,

does not make me a monster.

I have a personality, thank you.

I have a sense of humor too, thank you.

I also have compassion and empathy, and i cry

just as you do.

I am not a burden, i am not the ruination of

anyone's family or anyone's lives.

I am not a research subject

I am not a tsunami.

Just because i can type and think and talk

does not mean my Autism is high functioning

and just because somone is non-verbal

does not make them anymore deaf to

what goes on around them

they can still hear, are still well aware of 

everything

and this includes all that you say in front of them

so if you talk about them as if they are a burden

call them names such as retarded and stupid

and complain that you cannot go out to eat, shop, do this or that

or make remarks to the effect that they will never do this or that

remember, they can still hear and understand what you are saying

Knock it off....just freaking knock it off already!!

Stop hating us and fearing us and get to KNOW us

let us speak when we want to speak and blog

and vlog and tell our stories

listen when we go to our nation's capitol to 

protest your hate and intolerance of us

all we want is to be included, accepted, and loved

as the wonderful awesome human beings we are

whether someone is low or high functioning

we ALL deserve to be treated with the same respect and dignity

that you want.

Thank you.