From Mashable:

Forget what you’ve heard — autism isn’t something to cure. In fact, it’s a condition we should embrace and celebrate.

About 1 in 68 people in the U.S. are autistic, meaning they communicate and experience the world in ways not typically expected. There isn’t a “missing piece” to their cognitive puzzle. And they definitely don’t need your pity.

Autistic people thrive because of their autism, not in spite of it. And the community will be the first to tell you all the glorious things being autistic brings to their lives.

For Autism Acceptance Month, we asked activists to share with us the best thing about being autistic. Their answers challenge the idea that autism causes any sort of “suffering,” and instead celebrate autistic pride, community, and passion.

“Autism scholarship characterizes folks on the spectrum as ‘black and white thinkers’ — and that’s quite true for me. What I love, I love with verve and fervor. What I hate, I hate with verve and fervor. There’s very little in between.

“Best of all, I can’t fake it. While both extremes tend to overwhelm neurotypicals, not enough time is spent praising autistic people for our lack of pretense, our ability to be radically genuine. It takes too much energy for me to put on airs, so I don’t. This can manifest as tactlessness or as ‘an overshare,’ but I’m not afraid to say what I feel needs to be said.”

“Being autistic has always given me a strong sense of justice and fairness, and a burning drive to do the right thing and to fight for it, even when it seems like struggling against the weight of the world. This seems very related to my extreme empathy, which is also tied to my experience of being autistic.

“From the time I was little, I wanted to put a stop to violence of any kind, and I have carried that passion with me to all of my work now against state-sponsored violence against multiply marginalized folks.

“Knowing that injustice or violence exist anywhere is deeply painful for me, whether it directly targets me or not, and I believe that I must do anything within my capacity to work for a world where none of us have to be afraid anymore. If I were not autistic, I am certain I would not have the same drive as I do now.”

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