30 Days of Autism Acceptance: 16
April 16th: What did it feel like when you interacted with other autistic people for the first time? What does the autistic community mean to you? How important is it?
I still remember this moment of joy when I was with another adult who had recently been diagnosed and I mentioned how I never leave the house and they were like, “yeah, leaving the house is for suckers!” Just that joy of having someone else get it. And it’s the same feeling I get when I read a Reddit post and I’m nodding along as I read it because it’s so relatable, and then the comments are full of “me too!” It’s a feeling of connection.
And I think that’s really important because for the most part this is a condition where you feel alone. You feel different and have to explain why all the time. What seems obvious to you doesn’t make sense to everyone else and vice versa. So I think the autism community is vital for autistic people because even more than neurotypical people we need that connection, that validation that the way we experience the world isn’t a pathology.