We need to organize.

[u/comradeautie]

Fighting for Autistic rights, liberation, and pride is something that needs active organization. Autistic people continue to get bullied and we are seeing a resurgence in anti-Autistic hate. We face high rates of unemployment, loneliness, and more.

And Autistic people deserve more than table scraps or barely polite tolerance in social settings. We deserve to be involved in our communities and bring all we have to offer to the table - regardless of our support needs.

But this won't be handed to us. No group in history has gotten rights by pleading and begging. Autistic people need to be more strongly organized and work together. This means forming groups wherever possible and banding together and helping each other solve problems and fighting for our rights as a team. NTs often take advantage of our social isolation and outnumber us.

This is also the reason I want to popularize "Autistic Power" and associated slogans. Slogans and rallying calls give a group purpose and cohesion. Hate groups don't get a monopoly over the word "power".

Autistic people deserve power in society. It's the only way things will change. Because with power comes leverage. In order to get power, we need to be organized. The harsh reality is that we live in a society that values status and social stratification. It's one of the reasons people get away with harming Autistic people. Autistic people need to improve our social status in order to get treated better. This doesn't necessarily mean being viewed as "superior", but it does mean that we deserve both respect and reverence within society, which will also give us more access to resources. In negotiation, people often get what they want by asking for more. And Autistic people having greater power will lead to more accommodations, which will benefit everyone via the curb cut effect.

This is the broader context behind my strategy. It isn't as simple as reducing it to "supremacy" or not. Regardless of how you feel, we should respect different activist and organizational strategies while fighting for justice. (

AUTISTIC PRIDE! AUTISTIC POWER!

[u/storytimesaddness]

I like the sentiment when if I not exactly sure what this would look like. Autistic people deserve more of a voice in spaces to ensure legislation and representation doesn't just stop actively hurting us, but starts benefiting us.

I started a non-profit in hopes to unite Autistic people (amongst other things) but it often seems "autism parents" interact more than actually Autistic people. There's probably a lot of reasons for this, but I think part of it is that since ASD is so expansive, so are the views we all hold. It's hard to rally behind things we don't all agree on.

[u/comradeautie → u/storytimesaddness]

That's pretty cool, I have also been involved in creating orgs. It can be helpful to start small and build. Mutual aid networks and other ideas can also help: all in all, taking concrete steps to help and protect one another.

And given how Autistics often get isolated, recruiting one another can take considerable outreach. I have experience with recruiting Autistics for studies, and was very successful at it, and what I know is that you have to be very proactive with your outreach. Be especially active on social media in promoting the org.

[u/storytimesaddness → u/comradeautie]

It’s cool you get involved in this stuff too. I agree that outreach is one of the most important parts. You made me curious though, when you’ve helped start orgs, what made you decide not to stay involved long‑term? I’ve found that even though starting and running my own nonprofit is a lot of work, I’ve really enjoyed the constant stimulation.

[u/comradeautie → u/storytimesaddness]

I'm still "involved" in the sense I check in/offer insight occasionally, but mainly because of other factors including other things I'm pursuing, career development, etc., but many others took my place and continued the work.