While I wait for Do Not Link to come back online for another blog post I’m working on, I thought I would take time to open up and talk about what I plan to do this year.
For 6 1/2 years, I have been undergoing vision therapy to mitigate comorbid visual conditions that have accompanied my autism. I began in 2009 (when I was not yet diagnosed), but my vision did not improve as quickly as it does for most people. The tinted lenses I wear are part of that therapy.
On average, vision therapy takes between 6 to 18 months. As you can see, I have been at it for much longer than that. This is because there are unique circumstances that make vision therapy more difficult for Autistics than the average person. My book will talk about these unique circumstances and how I worked through them in order to make the progress I have made. All this so other Autistics won’t have to fumble through it like I have and take as long as I have. 6 1/2 years is an eternity for Autistic people.
But during this time, I have gone from seeing a flat world to now (as of February 19, 2016) being close to seeing in FULL 3D. I am STILL AUTISTIC (one of the goals of my book is to dispel fears that this is an effort to change Autistic peoples’ personalities). I hope to be done with the manuscript of the book (as well as my therapy) sometime this year.
All this, too, because I want scientists to quit messing with our genes and research stuff that actually helps us, instead of looking for ways to prevent us from being born or (attempt to) extinguish harmless behaviors like stimming. I want my book to be a feather in the cap of Neurodiversity. I want people to look elsewhere to help us and improve our quality of life to the extent our bodies will allow with that help.
To quote Shannon Rosa:
It’s not accurate to describe people whose epilepsy or anxiety, say, is under control as ‘less autistic’ when in fact their autism is unchanged. They are instead happier, healthier versions of their autistic selves.
To all the big self-advocacy groups reading this, I hope that maybe you can help me in some form or fashion.