Many groups have logos or images that represent their experiences. In recent years, the autistic community has been distancing from the widely used puzzle piece to a more inclusive symbol. This week, I want to talk about how the symbol for autism acceptance is changing, and why that change is important.
The first symbol used to represent autism was the puzzle piece in 1963. The puzzle piece symbol has had many meanings throughout history, both positive and less positive. Originally, Gerald Gasson, the creator of the first puzzle piece design for The National Autistic Society, presented autism as a puzzling condition. In more modern times, the puzzle piece represents the complexity of autism, and the hope that autistic people will fit in (In The Loop About Neurodiversity, 2019). The most modern use of the puzzle piece is by the organization Autism Speaks. Autism Speaks uses the logo to both raise awareness and acceptance for autism, but also to find a cure. (In The Loop About Neurodiversity, 2019), (Ask Autism, n.d). Many people with autism do not want a cure (the medical model of disability) but instead want to find ways for inclusion and accommodations (The social model of disability). The more negative connotations of the puzzle piece have left the autistic community at large searching for a new symbol for inclusion and representation. If you would like more information on the medical model of disability and the social model of disability, please read my blog post about the two models and how it influences societal treatment of disabled people. In short, while the medical model of disability views disability as something to cure, the social model of disability views disability as something to accommodate and adapt society for. To be more inclusive, those in the autistic community have been advocating for more inclusive representation. Currently, the most popular logo is the infinity sign.
As of now, the most common new symbol for autism is the infinity symbol. The infinity sign highlights how autism can present numerous ways. In addition, the infinity sign signals that autistic people are seen as whole without needing to fit in to a larger puzzle to be valid. The rainbow highlights a spectrum, which symbolizes that autism can present an infinite amount of ways. Having a symbol that doesn’t have a history of making autism into a tragedy is important because there is something very important about having a way to feel pride about an identity that is marginalized and still discriminated against at large. When I was in middle school, I hid my autism diagnosis for survival. Now, the activists before me have made strides in creating a culture of acceptance. I feel great privilege that I was able to disclose my autism diagnosis to new friends in college. Not only was I able to keep those friends after being vulnerable, but sharing my diagnosis made the friendships better. Autism is a huge part of my life because it influences certain parts of my personality, like my hyper-fixation on school, my ability to retain information, and the lessons I have learned from struggling socially. I want autism to be seen as natural, like how other personality traits exist. It's not a bad thing, it’s just something that means I go about my life differently. The great thing about a new logo, and new representation, is it creates a blank slate for acceptance and pride. I am proud to be part of that infinity symbol, and I can't wait to see how acceptance will change. One slogan that is popular in the community is nothing about us, without us. By embracing this logo, we can start to talk about autism and represent autism in a way that includes the voice of the autistic community.
As a bonus, I thought I would share my autism tattoo. I didn't resonate with either popular symbol so I made my own. The cat represents my journey with autism as I really loved cats as a kid and still love them now. The books highlight my love of reading as a child, and my current research. I wanted to honor my disability because for most of K-12 school I felt it was something I had to hide. Now, if I don't want to explain my tattoo it is just a cute cat. When I do want to explain, I have something that symbolizes my personal acceptance journey. I want everyone to have that, the option to feel empowerment or neutrality with their disability if they have one without the baggage of ableism. I understand change can be hard, I strongly dislike it, but I hope that people as a whole will embrace communities switching up identities as time passes to best identify with their experiences. The more I learn about the history of autism, the more I am able embrace the changes because I can see the necessity to reclaim how autism is viewed.
Thank you for reading about the difference between the infinity symbol and the puzzle piece for autism representation. If you have any questions or comments reach out at @Anniekrollblog on Instagram or Facebook. Thank you for reading, and I hope to see you next week!
コメント