I’m just curious to know

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Hey everyone!

I have a genuine question to ask fellow members in WP. It has come to my attention on different occasions that certain autistic individuals prefer to say autism as a disability, while others prefer it as differently abled. I would like to hear from the community of their preferences. I have also found a different way of expressing it as being “neurodiverse” taking our differences into consideration.

P.S. I am not judging on which preferences you picked. I am just genuinely curious and interested to know.

I'm diagnosed ASD-1. I'm "weird" but I've been successful academically and professionally, perhaps less so socially (but, to everyone's surprise, I've been happily married more than 20 years).

I'm not disabled, just different.

My ASD is very mild, so much so that I've had two attempts at diagnosis come back inconclusive (neither yes nor no, with one of them diagnosing me with Social Communication Disorder). Nevertheless, the difficulties it has caused me have had a major impact on living my life, particularly socially. So I would still consider it a disorder. And that's even acknowledging that ASD has also given me some abilities and traits that I consider positive.

Personally I think the word "disabled" is itself inherently ableist. The prefix "dis-" implies that certain people are "less" than others, "below" others. It tries to put people in a hierarchy according to ability instead of recognizing that every human is equally valuable, some just need more support than others.
As for autism specifically, I think the fact that autistic people (at least those of us with less severe autism) need more support and have more difficulties stems from societal ableism or "neurotypical-centrism" and not from anything inherent in our brains. If society was more accepting of neurodiversity, we would need no more support than NTs because we are not just impaired in one area, we have our own strengths and weaknesses.
In short, I don't identify as "disabled" or "differently abled" but simply as "neurodivergent". I think this term emphasizes the differences in how we think and interact with the world rather than trying to rank people according to "ability".

I have no preferences.

There's a time and place when I'm disabled or not or something more...

I can only decide if it's offensive to me, and I can make do with everyone else's contexts and contend with their perceptions.
I even know how to make do and play around everyone's perceptions in disabilities.

There will be factors and reasons, internal and external, why I'm more or less capable than an average person in a moment, in a situation, in certain days, in certain periods of time or event.

And I'm able to play both pros and cons of either/both.
I'm privileged to have the power of when and when not to disclose.

In any case, I make do with what I can or cannot have in the now.
Only I can judge if I can or cannot unless there are observers who do know better.

Only I am responsible if can communicate if I have certain needs or not; and I can establish dynamics and those in the know -- everyone else have a choice whether or not to put up with it and I can make do with their choices, too.

I have the privilege to be socially flexible and knowing countless factors.
That is why I can afford to say that I have no preferences of either; because I can do either and both.

I am aware that not everyone is the same.

That many do not necessarily have the right time (their situation, their circumstances, etc.) or place (other people, the communities, and their attitudes/awareness/knowledge/culture/etc.), or if individuals themselves have certain experience, perceptions, mindsets, attitudes, beliefs, knowledge or ability...

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I view my own autism as a disability. I use the terms to describe autism both ways, I am autistic, I have autism.
PS I am also diabetic and I have diabetes... I don't get offended at different usages, we are all OK to choose the ways we express ourselves.

The term "differently abled" was first used when PC folks decided that disabled was embarrassing word to use in public and thus shameful. I don't think being disabled is anything anyone needs to be ashamed of. "differently abled" is rather patronizing. Like "handicapable" replacing handicapped.

So it really depends on whether or not you are ashamed of yourself or someone else I suppose.

My problem with the term "disabled" is it sounds so absolute.

If the radio in your car didn't work you wouldn't call the car a "junker". You'd say the radio was busted.

Same with my Autism. Mostly I'm fine. In a few ways I'm different from the NTs and they have decreed that means I have a disorder. You are only well if you are like them.

But that logic can be used in the other direction, too. Before I knew I was Autistic I had concluded that people, in general, were messed up. I thought we'd be better off if more folk were more like me.

And I could not keep a straight face telling a judge that I was "disabled". My college and professional records say otherwise. I'll go as far as conceding I'm different.

I'm disabled by my neurotypical environments.
I can't tolerate the overstimulation on my senses or the social expectations.

I consider it a disability / disorder because it affects all aspects of my life.
That's the definition of a disorder.

It doesn't mean I have no redeeming skills or qualities.
I'm "differently abled" in a good way, in some respects.

That doesn't change the fact I can't function in an NT world.
I require significant support just to leave the house.