Accessing My Autistic Self: Reflections from Autistic Adults on the Benefits of Program Engagement with the Autism Society
Faculty Mentor
Soenke Biermann
Major/Area of Research
Global Studies, Disability Rights
Description
Autism, a neurological and developmental disability that impacts interaction, communication, and behavior, has historically been situated as a disorder that needs to be cured, fostering ableist stigma and social exclusion to the detriment of the well-being of the autistic community. Given prior literature’s disproportionate attention to youth and males, its exclusion of autistic voices in a participatory manner, and its operationalization of a medical model, I sought to identify the personal realities of autistic adults in the context of their engagement with a local non-profit support service that offers social, recreational, and educational programming. In “Accessing my autistic self: Reflections from autistic adults on the benefits of program engagement with the Autism Society of Central Virginia in Richmond, Virginia,” I employ the perspectives of autistic adults to not only explore how the ASCV supports autistic adults through its current programming, but how the organization may better support autistic adults going forth. Drawing from critical disability, feminist standpoint, and self-determination theories within a transformative paradigm, this autoethnographic qualitative case study explores my own experiences as a recently diagnosed, autistic adult female as I navigate a new identity in community through a three-month internship with the Autism Society of Central Virginia (ASCV) from September to November 2023. In consideration of the diverse realities and support needs of individuals on the autism spectrum, which remain misunderstood and underrepresented, I supplement my personal reflections with archival research, surveys, participant observations, and three semi-structured interviews with female autistic adults. Findings indicate that the ASCV’s programs support autistic adults in Richmond, Virginia through their provision of supportive, accessible spaces in which participants may engage in community, where their strengths and interests are valued, their contributions acknowledged, and their lived experiences leveraged as leadership. Through programs’ facilitation of autism community connectedness, participants expand their understandings of autism while forming interpersonal connections with peers and questioning conventions of normality. As participants acknowledge the diversity of the autism spectrum and personally unmask, they improve their autistic self-identification and self-realization. I conclude that the support enjoyed through program engagement may be conceptualized as advancements in participants’ feelings of relatedness, competence, and autonomy. The desire for opportunities that further promote self- determination are evinced in participants' recommendations for expanded educational- and instructional-based programming.
Accessing My Autistic Self: Reflections from Autistic Adults on the Benefits of Program Engagement with the Autism Society
Autism, a neurological and developmental disability that impacts interaction, communication, and behavior, has historically been situated as a disorder that needs to be cured, fostering ableist stigma and social exclusion to the detriment of the well-being of the autistic community. Given prior literature’s disproportionate attention to youth and males, its exclusion of autistic voices in a participatory manner, and its operationalization of a medical model, I sought to identify the personal realities of autistic adults in the context of their engagement with a local non-profit support service that offers social, recreational, and educational programming. In “Accessing my autistic self: Reflections from autistic adults on the benefits of program engagement with the Autism Society of Central Virginia in Richmond, Virginia,” I employ the perspectives of autistic adults to not only explore how the ASCV supports autistic adults through its current programming, but how the organization may better support autistic adults going forth. Drawing from critical disability, feminist standpoint, and self-determination theories within a transformative paradigm, this autoethnographic qualitative case study explores my own experiences as a recently diagnosed, autistic adult female as I navigate a new identity in community through a three-month internship with the Autism Society of Central Virginia (ASCV) from September to November 2023. In consideration of the diverse realities and support needs of individuals on the autism spectrum, which remain misunderstood and underrepresented, I supplement my personal reflections with archival research, surveys, participant observations, and three semi-structured interviews with female autistic adults. Findings indicate that the ASCV’s programs support autistic adults in Richmond, Virginia through their provision of supportive, accessible spaces in which participants may engage in community, where their strengths and interests are valued, their contributions acknowledged, and their lived experiences leveraged as leadership. Through programs’ facilitation of autism community connectedness, participants expand their understandings of autism while forming interpersonal connections with peers and questioning conventions of normality. As participants acknowledge the diversity of the autism spectrum and personally unmask, they improve their autistic self-identification and self-realization. I conclude that the support enjoyed through program engagement may be conceptualized as advancements in participants’ feelings of relatedness, competence, and autonomy. The desire for opportunities that further promote self- determination are evinced in participants' recommendations for expanded educational- and instructional-based programming.