It is not only adults on the autism spectrum that we should be striving to include and accommodate. Inclusion and accommodation are what we wish for, for our kids on the autism spectrum as well, and in all stages of their lives. There are many legally-mandated supports for them as children, but much fewer for adults on the spectrum. It is incumbent upon us to create the world they are going to need when they reach adulthood. As autism parents, this is our personal stake in the matter.
We need to make all of the organizations to which we belong inclusive, so that they will be that way for our future adult offspring. This is one way of thinking globally and acting locally.
To put things in personal terms, I want to ensure that Singularity, both as a child and a future adult, will be able to participate in whatever activities he wishes and is capable of doing with or without supports.
Recently, the Cub Scouts pack that Singularity's den belongs to was discussing the language used in its anti-discrimination statement. Many people are aware of the occasional news reports about the national organization's exclusion of gay leaders and scouts (although the policy regarding gay scouts was rescinded this year) and atheists. Our pack has always had a much more liberal policies about these things, in line with the values of our local community.
More recently, the pack wanted to issue a flyer to boys in our town's elementary schools, inviting them to join Cub Scouts. Someone had complained to the school district about an earlier flyer, which didn't have any small print disavowing discrimination on the basis of religion or sexual orientation. The draft of the new flyer contained some convoluted language specifically mentioning religion and sexual orientation, in attempt to pass muster with the school district.
I argued that atheists and gay boys and men should not be the only protected classes. There are too many imaginable bases for discrimination (race, physical disability, intellectual disability, and developmental disability [including the one near and dear to my heart: autism], just to name a few) for each one to be enumerated in a disclaimer. Somebody will always be left out. I think that it is best to simply make a blanket statement that the pack doesn't discriminate on any basis whatsoever and that all boys and families are welcome, which is what the pack's website says.
We can make these policy statements, and they are important, but even more important is that we actually walk the way of inclusion and accommodation.
I agree with this wholeheartedly. I once was looking at a website of a gifted school for my son, who is "twice-exceptional" - gifted and on the spectrum - and I noticed that it said they could not accommodate Aspergers/autism. I did not see how a gifted program could possibly make a blanket statement like that, since the needs of every autistic individual are so widely different. I looked at the site again just now, and I no longer found that language, so I'm hoping someone protested and they took it down. Awareness of discrimination based on developmental disabilities such as autism is definitely an area we need to grow in the public consciousness.
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