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Apr 20 2021
Autism, disability, accommodations, and the status quo

Let me start this piece with a massive shout out to Lyric Holmans (Neurodivergent Rebel). Their recent livestream with Aucademy provided a huge deal of inspiration for me to write this, and I can’t go ahead without giving credit where credit is due.

Autism. Is it a disability, or not? That question will have different answers depending on who you ask. The prevailing opinion is that, yes, it is a disability, but under the social model of disability. To define that in a nutshell, autism is a disability because society is not designed for autistic people.

So, why make accommodations?

By adapting the environment to be more comfortable for autistic people, autistic people feel less disabled. Our world is full of sensory bombardment, requirements for neurotypical time management skills, and things that need our attention. All of these things can be distressing to autistic people, and it is when an autistic person is distressed that they are at their most disabled.

But Lyric also illustrated a flip side to this. When we make the environment more comfortable for neurodivergent people, we generally make it more comfortable for everyone. When people in charge respond with “But everyone wants that!”, that’s the point. Make the environment comfortable for EVERYONE. No one group should get special treatment, neurotypical or neurodivergent.

This also feeds into “cure” culture. I am yet to see a “cure” or behavioural intervention that doesn’t increase an autistic person’s distress. However, making accommodations, in general, reduces distress. Lyric Spoke of square pegs being forced into round holes, why not adapt the hole to fit any shape of peg?

It is the status quo in society that makes autism a disability. That’s literally what the social model tells us. What we need is to rethink society to be inclusive of everyone, not just to have special designated spaces where autistic and otherwise neurodivergent individuals can feel comfortable. This applies to Autistics of any age.

Until we liberate society from its neuronormative approach to inclusion, many autistic people will continue to be disabled. It’s on all of us to create a world where anyone, regardless of disability, can enjoy a society free of ableism and truly inclusive of all.

David Gray-Hammond 0 Comments
Apr 12 2021
How can substance use services be more accessible to Autistic clients?

I have written before about the barriers to accessing substance use services when you are both autistic, and an addict; today I’m going to approach from a different angle.

In this post, I will be talking about a few things that such services can do to increase accessibility, improving the quality of treatment that autistic and neurodivergent substance users recieve.

Let’s begin.

One of the first things I always point out, is how difficult it can be to keep track of appointment schedules when you are autistic. Services can improve this by using automated messages several times leading up to an appointment in order to remind the client of the details.

Services can also offer an array of reminders through different mediums so that the client can pick the reminder that will work best for them. It would also be helpful if key workers a medical staff could let clients know what will be discussed in the appointment so that they can prepare themselves for it.

The next one is a personal favourite of mine, and I’m yet to see it implemented.

The waiting room environment in treatment facilities can be overwhelming. Sensory friendly waiting rooms, designed by autistic people, for autistic people, could make a real difference here.

It’s impossible to recieve effective treatment if you are going into an appointment already overwhelmed. Thought should also be given to the appointment environment.

The last two are connected, and vital.

First, staff need to be trained on the difference between a panic attack, and a meltdown, and how to calmly and compassionately de-escalate both. Both of these situations have the potential to completely derail treatment if they are handled inappropriately.

Finally, staff need to recieve regular training on autism and neurodiversity, from Autistic and neurodivergent trainers (bonus points if they are also in recovery from addiction). Many staff in these places only know what medical schools and brief awareness courses teach. Often, they view things through the deficit-based medical model of neurodiversity.

Anyone of these changed could vastly improve accessibility, but all of them together would make a vast difference to the treatment environment. It’s important to note that it would not just benefit autistic clients.

When we improve the environment for autsitic and neurodivergent individuals, it generally improves it for everyone.

David Gray-Hammond 0 Comments
Apr 7 2021
5 lessons I have learned in 5 years of sobriety

Today (7th April 2021) I have been sober from drug and alcohol addiction for five years. In that time I have faced many challenges and learnt many lessons. In this piece, I hope to share some of those lessons with you.

1. Not everything will be perfect once you get sober.

Addiction is am absolute monster of a battle, but the battles don’t stop eith sobriety. Life is full of ups and downs, and you will need to learn to cope with the downs without returning to your addiction. Life will always throw curve balls.

2. Addiction will try and catch you out.

Sometimes addiction will feel like a living entity in your brain. Good or bad times, there will be moments when your mind will try and convince you that “just one drink will be okay”, or “maybe I can just have a few tokes of that spliff”.

Your brain is lying to you. It never stops with just the one. The addicted mind seeks to destroy itself, don’t let it.

3. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.

Everyone, addict or not, needs help from time to time. It’s important that you get to grips with who you are, and learn to advocate for and communicate your needs. Communication is key in recovery.

4. Socialising can be just as fulfilling without drugs and alcohol.

One of the greatest joys of my life was learning to enjoy the company of others without using mind altering substances. The realisation that I could mess around with my friends and have a laugh, whilst also remaining sober has really set me free.

5. Mindfulness is your friend.

This one, the last one, is really important. Learn to sit with your emotions. Observe them, and let them pass. Nothing lasts forever, even the deepest of distress. When used in conjuction with lesson 3, it makes sobriety a whole lot easier. Remember that mindfulness takes practice, and you have to practice in the good times, so that in the bad times you are ready to use it.

And that’s it. Five lessons I have learnt in five years of sobriety. Never forget the power of community for finding recovery, reach out and use every tool in the toolbox. Five years ago I was nearly dead. I hope that my existence now proves just how possible it is to return from the brink.

Thank you all for your support.

David Gray-Hammond 0 Comments
Apr 3 2021
Accepting Autistics and other radical notions

It’s April, so you know it’s about to get real bloody frustrating trying to be heard over the like of Autism Speaks and other problematic groups claiming to represent “people with autism”.

When it comes to the notorious Autism Speaks there is one thing in particular that we should facing up to. Cure culture.

Cure culture is the ultimate way to show autistic people that you do not accept them for who they are. It starts with better known interventions, such as ABA, and spreads all the way to dangerous quack cures such as Miracle Mineral Solution/Chlorine Dioxide abuse.

Why does society want to cure us? Because it values the status quo over the beauty of human diversity. Unless your quirkiness somehow makes you economically valuable, the world seeks to stamp it out. It’s the ultimate way that capitalistic society harms autistic people. Some people will literally murder autistic people rather than embrace our neurodiversity.

Let me lay it out for you. There is no cure for autism. Taking autism out of the person is like taking the engine out of a car. The car no longer functions as a car. Being autistic is our physical wiring, without it, we would not be who we are.

This is what upsets me so much when I see parents and carers seeking to “cure” their autistic children and loved ones. Yes, we face daily struggles, but how much do you have to resent your child in order to want to change them into a completely different person?

That’s what it comes down to. Resentment. The world resents us for existing. It resents us because we demand equal rights, and the world has to put in work to meet those demands. The old rules of “more rights for me, does not mean less for you” has never rung more true.

If I could stamp out one thing this April, it would be cure culture.

This April, please listen to and amplify #ActuallyAutistic voices. Be an ally to the autistic community.

David Gray-Hammond 0 Comments
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