#iep

But im so sick of people percieving autism as being so linear. It either goes from "aspergers savant genius young Sheldon Caucasian boy" or "nonverbal unproductive caucasian boy who we deliberately erase" do not forget the people who exist in the middle. Please don't forget about the people who you don't see speaking out about their personal lives. Im a girl, mixed race with fluctuating and medium support needs autistic. I also have an IEP for other things besides autism that significantly impact me and my life in school and my abiltiies to work, drive, leave the house, and socialize.

Don't forget about us who can't enjoy the same benefits you do. Make space for everyone, including DISABLED autistics. Yes you may be level one autistic. You ARE still autistic and I am not erasing your experience. But not everyone who's autistic will be disabled by it. And that's okay, you will always still be apart of the community. I know plenty of autistic adults in my life who can function the same as everyone else with some quirks and a different experience with socializing, school life, and their romantic life. They are still autistic, but not disabled.

If you can drive/have learned to drive with ease and have your license, you will not understand how humiliating and embarrassing it is for someone like me to struggle for YEARS to drive. I am now only permitted to drive with limitations on time duration, who I'm with, I cannot hold conversation or listen to music or anything honestly when I drive. And I don't even have my license yet. I don't have a job either and haven't been able to find one at all (the job market doesn't help at all with that either). I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to work full time as anything besides my special interest. Im lucky my Special interest is profitable and is designed so I don't have to work every day. Most of the people I know who work in my field only work 3 or 4 days a week and it's with assignments, not a 9 to 5 schedule. If I wasn't so lucky that my SI just so happened to be accommodating for me in the work space, I wouldn't be able to work full time.

I'm capable enough to be able to afford and see university and community college in my future. But it would not be possible if I wasn't enrolled in special education right now and if I wouldn't be able to get accessible housing in the dorms (we're STILL up for debate whether I will be able to handle moving away from home and living on campus. Thankfully there is an online version of my major if i am not able to). I take SpEd classes and I have support workers at school in order to be able to function better. But the reality nondisabled people dont see, is this system is so messed up. I still struggle even WITH reasonable accommodations. I still struggle with advocacy and I often do not get the support i need because I am unable to ask for it. Most of the support teachers I had this semester didn't know what the hell they were doing. And some of them treat us like actual vermin, especially the intellectually and cognitively disabled kids and kids with chromosomal disorders. They are the most vulnerable in the community and the people, the adults that are SUPPOSED to help us: dont!!!

Wish me luck this fall guys 🙏🏼😭 please support legislation in favor of medium and high support needs disabled folks. Please support legislation for physically disabled folks in school. Support disabled kids. The 'ugly laws' never really went away in my opinion. I'm still treated like a second class citizen because I can't mask at school 50 percent of the time. Imagine how it feels to be unable to mask 100% of the time. And I'm lucky because I have the ability to type this message out to you right now and post it and organize my thoughts.

My school experience was overall not good. But for some reason i miss school anyway. I have done public school, home school, online school (IMPOSSIBLE for me), and a autism/DD specific special education school wich is were i graduated from at 22 (you can can go to school until 22 if your disabled).

Staff didn’t understand me a lot the times mostly. Peers were a mix i had some nice, some nice but baby talk me, some ignore me, some mean or bully me a lot espescialy when i was in elementry and middle school. I have had both 504 and IEP but IEP longer becase i needed wayyy more suport then 504 can offer including a 1:1 aide.

I also met with a BCBA (ABA specialist but she was actualy mostly nice!) and a counseler at school regularly. And an OT and speech therapist! I was waived from needing take the state wide testing exams for my state.

Lots of work was hard for me even when it was adapted to be ‘easyer’ and id have meltdowns over it even but some was to easy also! Also somthing people don’t talk about is restraint and seclusion at school when you have high/higher suport needs becase that happen to me a LOT. I want LSN autistics to know we did NOT “have it easy”. We were often treated like animals and other bad treatment.

I still miss my special needs school even thogh a lot bad stuff happen there. Maybe i miss having structure routine I don’t know why but I do!.