Yesterday, I was joined in Harrisburg by Reps. Jess Benham, Abigail Salisbury, and others to speak about the importance of Autism Awareness Month. I also wrote the following Op-Ed on the subject, which is based on my remarks:
April is Autism Awareness Month. This is typically a time when we celebrate progress and talk about what we can do to improve opportunity and independence for everyone. Shortly, I will host my annual Disability & Mental Health Summit, the largest event of its kind in western PA. This impactful event provides a chance for individuals and policymakers to lean in to issues together and to chart a future that works for everyone.
Autism Awareness Month and my Summit are meant to tackle stigma and break down barriers of division and limitation. We often refer to autism as a spectrum, but, in a way, that designation separates it from the fullness of the human experience – as if the human experience itself isn’t a spectrum. And no matter where we are on this spectrum, we all want the same things – to be happy, to love, to laugh with those who mean the most to us. This is not a distinction between those who are neurodiverse and those who are neurotypical.
With all of this in mind, it was incredibly devastating to hear the words of our Health and Human Services Secretary in Washington, D.C., who recently broadly proclaimed that autism destroys families and destroys children. And then in relation to autistic people, he said that they never pay taxes. They never hold a job. They never play baseball. They never write a poem. They never go on a date.
These comments reflect an extremely poor understanding of autism, and they lack any nuance as to why it is referred to as occurring on a spectrum in the first place. These comments play into fear, stigma, and misunderstanding. They limit people.
When you say somebody won't go on a date, you're saying that they don't love or wish to be loved.
When you say somebody doesn't write a poem, you're saying that they don't know beauty or how to express a feeling, or that they don’t wish to be able to.
When you say somebody doesn't play baseball, you're saying that they don't know how to have fun, and they don't know how to play, or want to.
When you're say somebody doesn't hold a job or someone doesn't pay taxes, you're saying that they don't contribute, or that they don’t want to work.
When it comes to leadership in relation to health, or specifically in relation to autism, public officials have an obligation to bring up challenging issues, but they also have an obligation to do so in a way that doesn’t insult people. We need to talk about our shared humanity and all that we have in common, our obligations to each other, and what we want our nation to stand for.
No child should bear the burden of thinking that, because of who they are, they are the destroyers of their family or that their diagnosis is the reason for family strife, or division, or divorce. No child is responsible for that, and it is wrong to put that weight on any kid. Claiming that autism destroys children does nothing to help build pride or confidence, let alone combat fear or loneliness.
And Mr. Secretary, many young people with autism have read your comments, have watched your videos, and have heard your words of limitation and blame.
Because of that, parents have had to reassure their children that they are loved. That things are going to be ok, that they are ok, and that together they will find a way through tough moments – because that is exactly what a family does.
Public officials should be talking about how to support self-advocates and families, how to fund programs that will make a difference, how to expand accommodations, and how to make sure that, in this country, people along the complete spectrum of human experience have a chance for success and happiness too.
Applying words of limitation to people on the spectrum, unfortunately, only emphasizes the need for Autism Awareness Month.
We need the Secretary to do better.