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Anonymous asked:

I have a white protagonist with Asperger's Syndrome. He has a job at his school's library, and he follows the rules very strictly. One of the rules is that he has to keep an eye on patrons in case of tomfoolery. However, the school has a large number of POC students and this character is aware that POC are unfairly stereotyped so he feels conflicted on whether to check on them. Should this even be a problem or mentioned at all? Would this be something he could ask a POC friend about?

writingwithcolor Answer:

Autism*/Aspergers Syndrome and Racial Profiling

It really depends on how much you want to make race an issue in your book. On the one hand, if race is not a prominent issue in other parts of your book it doesn’t make sense to add it a subplot or even a subtle line about it in the library. If it’s not prominent, just don’t mention it. If you don’t want race to have a huge effect in your book, your character could probably just state he told the students in the library to be quiet and not even mention their ethnicities.

If you do want race to play a role in your story (granted if it is something addressed in other parts of the novel), then he might mention the ethnicity of the patrons in the library. If you want race to play a role in your story, you would have to determine how your character became aware of race and racial injustices and prejudice.

I would argue that racism is a learned behavior, so your character might have picked up this awareness from someone else. He might even be hyper aware, to the point where he might be fixated on not offending anyone that he unintentionally offends someone.

If you want your character to ask a friend, it would really depend on what he plans to ask this friend. Some autistic people have trouble asking appropriate questions because they are not aware of the social aspects of the question. He might have the right intentions asking this friend about the issue, but it might not come out in a socially appropriate way. Depending on how aware your character is, he may or may not notice this.

Hopefully his friend is understanding. Your character might even be engaging in inappropriate behaviors that he has to be called out on. (i.e. if he’s following people around or something) It’s not a bad thing for this particular character, it’s a teaching moment.

~ Mod Najela

*We have edited our original post! Thank you for making us aware of functioning labels and how harmful they are. We apologize for using them and any harm it may have caused. We will not use them again.

writingwithcolor:

corinneduyvis:
life-in-the-margins:
Sorry sorry sorry guys! I’m the writer of the post and I feel so bad.
What do people actually prefer? Is it person with autism or autistic person or is it just a matter of personal preference and I should always ask beforehand. The place I work really stresses person centered language, which is probably fine for parents, but what do people actually prefer?
I really apologize about the functioning labels, I hate them too, and I apologize because I had my clinicians hat on when I was writing this post. (also I wasn’t sure because the DSM changed the parameters of Aspergers rolled it into HFA, but the DSM is biased, so thank you for pointing it out to me).
I’m curious though, because what would you prefer that was asked instead of the low/high dichotomy? I typically ask whether someone has language and whether they can follow directions. The only reason why is because I work for an ABA company and I really wish that there was a way to change the language around the office. I constantly hear people saying “Oh, he’s so low…” and it hurts my heart because the kid can do everything independently, but he’s also non-verbal and that is the only thing that would classify him as being “low functioning.” I don’t really understand the criteria for that type of language myself, but the thought of classifying people by “functioning level” is a pervasive thought in ABA therapy and it definitely needs to change. I want to know so I can at least start changing my language and call out the people I supervise to change their language too.
Person-first/identity-first language really depends on the individual—and sometimes the location (I believe there’s a difference for UK/US). Many people in the disability movement prefer identity-first language, as “person with autism” makes the autism feel as though it’s a removable trait, separate from the person, rather than an integral part of their person.
It’s also awkward in some contexts; people don’t go out of your way to say “person with blondeness” either.
Plenty of people do prefer person-first language for themselves, and that should always be respected. Self-identification is key.
As far as functioning labels, yes, definitely avoid those. To steal from a document I’ve been working on:
people’s “functioning” varies per skill—people can be nonverbal and live independently, while others are great with communication but need live-in care—or even per day and per situation, so it doesn’t actually convey any information.
the skills that abled society ascribes value to are not the be-all and end-all, and it rubs many disabled people the wrong way to privilege those skills over others.
“high-functioning” is not a compliment or necessarily desirable; for many people, it’s incredibly draining and harmful to appear as such. Moreover, the emphasis on this as something desirable results in abuse by parents, teachers, and doctors.
Using “low-functioning” often results in that person being written off, and “high-functioning” often results in people demanding that person act completely “normal” and them not being given assistance.
So, just focus on what’s necessary for the situation. Describe without judgment what someone is or is not capable of, when that information is relevant. To steal from something I’ve been working on to send a friend, consider these alternatives:
Often the term isn’t necessary at all. Figure out whether the distinction is that important to what is being communicated. “Corinne, who is autistic, wrote a book.” Whether you put high-functioning there is not terribly relevant to my writing a book and doesn’t actually add much information.

(Especially when you take into account point a above. How high-functioning I am depends on your perception. I pass as neurotypical in some ways, but a lot of that is because of skills I picked up as a teenager. I dropped out of high school at 14 & can’t handle a job. But that’s not usually the part people imagine when they hear that term, or what people see when I’m in chatterbox mode.)

If it is relevant, just let it become clear through context or describe it.

“Marie went out to the movies with her friends and chatted in a wine bar until late” = Marie is probably good at coping with crowded environments and enjoys social activities. Note that we can’t make assumptions about her social skills or how draining such a night might be for her.

“Marie’s aide helped her select her clothes and they planned the day’s meals.” = Marie is probably not living independently.

Or just go “Devon lives in a group home and relies on disability benefits for income. He has strong verbal skills, but misses social cues.” It takes more words than “high functioning” and “low functioning,” but it also conveys more information. If the character’s situation and skills are genuinely relevant to the conversation, one might as well be specific and accurate.
I don’t know if that helps at all? OP, I really appreciate WWC and am happy to discuss this further if you want. You’re welcome to email me.
Fellow autistics, please do call me out if I messed up on anything here.
Corinne Duyvis (who is a writer, co-editor of Disability in Kidlit and a team member of We Need Diverse Books) had this awesome response to our post, and we thought our followers might appreciate seeing it as well. We hope this answers some of the questions/comments we’ve gotten. Thank you so much, Corinne!!