April and Accommodations: Don’t Make Me Make Eye Contact!
Asking for eye contact saps Ira Eidle’s energy. Trust him, he is engaged in a conversation even if he looks distracted.
April Accommodations
Understanding How Routines Can Help Autistic People
There are dangers to assuming autistic people need routines, without understanding why. Routines imposed by other people are likely to do more harm than good.
April and Accommodations: Stop Talking to Me Like I’m a Child!
I would really appreciate it if people would listen to me carefully before they start treating me like a child. I am a capable and interesting person, with enough agency, preparation, and knowledge to contribute a lot to my relationship with them.
Filmmaker Tré Wilson’s Pandemic Respite From Autistic Masking
I guess there’s not many spaces where I feel safe to be myself without great repercussions. If I’m not dealing with racism, it’s homophobia, and if I’m not dealing with that it’s ableism.
April and Accommodations: I Ask Questions Because I Can’t Read Your Mind!
Please do not get mad at me when I ask for clarification. I am not challenging you, I want to understand what you are trying to convey and because I have not learned to read minds (YET!).
April and Accommodations: I Need Pictures to Learn Things!
I have trouble orienting myself in space, and simply telling me where something is isn’t particularly helpful. I would be able to find things and understand complex concepts easier if people used illustrations.
April and Accommodations: Stop Asking Me How I Am!
Instead of asking how I am when you see me, make a comment that I can easily respond to, like something about the weather.
April and Accommodations: I Need My Technology to Communicate!
If we say we need a piece of technology, enable that. If a meeting knows I need to use a chat facility for video, enable support for that so that I join in equally.
April and Accommodations: Answer My Questions, Please!
If I don’t have the right information, I risk doing the task incorrectly and having to redo something in a different way and/or having someone get angry with me, angrier than when I was just asking questions.
April and Accommodations: Don’t Second-Guess What I Tell You!
If I tell you I need something, listen. I might not have the energy to communicate your way, can we please communicate my way for a little bit?