Brilliance and intellectual disabilities are not mutually exclusive

"No, not everyone is brilliant. Some people are severely intellectually disabled. Stop erasing them. They matter."

There are several things I'd like to address in the above comment I received, but I'll start with this. 

1. Not only do they matter... they matter equally. We 100% agree there.

2. Equating brilliance with intelligence is setting our high needs autistic population with intellectual disabilities up for failure. 

Because, by definition of their diagnosis, they do have intellectual limitations.

So, if we believe intellectual disabilities limit brilliance, we stop looking for brilliance that lives in other realms. Because we think it doesn't exist.

3. All humans have limitations. Disabled or not. 

We don't measure all humans by their greatest weaknesses. We look for their strengths and encourage/support growth in those areas. 

Flattening an intellectually disabled person down to the one area they are most challenged in does the exact opposite. 

How can we expect them to flourish if all we're doing is focusing on their limitations and giving them support that centers survival (and stopping once they've accomplished that)?

4. We have seen some magnificent brilliance come from intellectually disabled people in realms where intelligence wasn't a required skill. 

Art, music, dance, swimming, running, athletics... 

These are not inferior realms. They bring magnificence to the world and we need them just as much as we need fields where intelligence is a required skill.

5. We have to stop equating intelligence with brilliance. They are not the same. 

6. Every human being has a capacity for brilliance. 

We need to look for it. Help them find it. Encourage it. Support it. Remove barriers to it. 

THAT'S how we show our intellectually disabled community that we KNOW they matter. 

And THAT'S how we make this world a better place. 

7. The end. ❤️