Above is a tiny little painting, kind of part work in progress and part me experimenting with alcohol inks.
I love seeing what diluting and thinning directly on the canvas can do.
I have a lifelong disability and I am not diseased, as some try to make you believe. I struggled as a child, and as an adult, the struggle is still very real.
See some of us were born into what has been described as a “lost generation.” This was a time when the medical understanding of autism was in flux, and doctors began to recognize that autism is actually a spectrum, like many other things found in nature. These discoveries led to changes that broadened the diagnostic criteria, increased awareness and most importantly, increased screenings. Despite the passage of considerable time and the collection of extensive data, very little has changed. This was not an “epidemic” in the ’90s, and it is certainly not an “epidemic” now.
To be clear, the primary medical focus regarding autism should not be on looking for a “cure,” but on providing autistic people with desperately needed services and support. Seriously, have you ever actually tried to find solutions as an autistic adult? It’s completely impossible because a huge gap exists in how current systems provide support for this spectrum of autistic adults. No one has ever asked me what support for me would look like.
Increased awareness is only truly valuable when it leads to action and concrete changes. I know with the current government push to end DEI initiatives, this sounds far-fetched, but ensuring everyone has a chance to succeed means creating the necessary conditions for diverse individuals to thrive and contribute, rather than solely relying on extremely narrow definition of merit.
We are failing a huge part of our country if we fail to support individuals with different starting points and abilities in a way that allows them to succeed.
Please take care of each other.