Where Is All The Autism Awareness?

This is a new story, yet the theme is nothing short of disgustingly familiar. Another autistic child being kicked out, this time from an airplane. We've seen this play out time and time again, with children being booted from school, church, the movies, and Boy Scouts. Where is all the Autism Awareness?

Here we are, trying to live our lives with our children. And all too often, the treatment we receive from those in society ranges from rude to cruel. The stares, snickers, and whispers are one thing. But lately, it seems the job of parenting an autistic child and that of simply being an autistic person has become increasingly more difficult. The message that we, and our children, are an inconvenience and need not be tolerated is becoming quite clear. There was a time when it was thought community was where you turned to when you needed assistance. The idea of reaching out--whether to your church, your school, or other community groups, seems more difficult for autistics each day.

Now, I will say, I look at things on both sides. In fact, prior to my experiences with my youngest, I may have agreed with the airline's position. I may have believed that kicking this mother and child off the flight was the only option. And to any who feel this way, I say walk a mile in our shoes. I have seen time and time again, the intolerance toward autistic people, and people with disabilities in general, is shameful. I am not surprised that this flight crew was forceful and abrupt, and that they did not attempt to work with this mom and her son. It was only a few weeks ago, that AutismVox wrote about an incident in the security line with her son. What more is needed, for society to become tolerant of our children? The sad truth is, most would prefer we keep our kids away.

With all this "autism awareness" everywhere, I ask you this: where is all the understanding? Does it matter that someone knows what autism is, or the figures 1 in 150, or that Jenny McCarthy "recovered" her son? No, obviously it doesn't. It's gotten us nowhere. Proper care is still very limited, we are still lacking in options for teen and adult autistics, services are frustratingly limited. Autistic children and adults are being abused and killed, as I wrote about recently. Autistic individuals, and their families, are discriminated against. All of the money raised in the name of "autism awareness," all the signs at Toys R Us, the pretzels, the CNN coverage...and where has that gotten any of us?