Blue Corner

Set aside, other,

I'm different, not disordered,

The world is mine too.

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Blue has become the official colour of Autism acceptance. And that's nice. it brings awareness that's desperately needed.

However, as an Autistic adult, who happens also to be married to an Autistic guy, I want to take the blue wave of acceptance a step further.

I don't need acceptance. Acceptance somehow implies a hint of tolerance, that underlying, "well, we have to accept it even if we don't like it."

I want and need acknowledgment and affirmation.

Acknowledgment that yes, I experience the world in a way that may be different than the mainstream, but in a way that might just teach you a thing or two. Acknowledgment that, yes, maybe sometimes, I may not get it, and that's fine. Acknowledgment that behind the awkwardness is a wealth of potential.

Affirmation that I'm not disordered or diseased. I'm not an object to be pitied. Sometimes I might need help. Sometimes you do too. I march to the beat of my own drum. I see stuff differently. But you know what? You do too. You see things differently than your neighbour, your friend or the lady down the street. It's okay. Better than that, it's good, it's what makes us great!

I want affirmation for the fact that education, as it currently happens to be presented doesn't work for all minds. I want affirmation that that fact is NOT the fault of hardworking, caring teachers working within a system they've been mandated to deal with.

I think we've done pretty well with acceptance. It's time to take the next step. My husband's worth more than just acceptance. My son is worth more than just acceptance. I AM worth more than just acceptance. As mt husband's grandmother, Dorothy, said, "it's our world too!"

Blue is cool, but don't paint me into that corner. There's way more to me than blue.