Is autism a disability? A clarification

I'd like to offer a few clarifying points to my last post, because it was much more abstract than my usual posts.

First, what I was presenting was a philosophical thought exercise... not one rooted in what is realistic for most autistic people.

Which is why I ended my post the way that I did. Asserting that those of us who are disabled by our autism are disabled by our autism.

I know that statement sounds a bit funny, but hear me out.

I was challenging the notion that disability as a *concept* is inherently fixed, not that disability won't remain fixed for the vast majority of us. Which I think it absolutely will.

And I was doing this because there are autistic people with formal diagnoses who don't feel disabled by their autism. And I believe those voices should be included in the conversation, not excluded, dismissed, or diminished. 

I believe there's room in the conversation for all of us to be valid.

So with that said, some important points of clarification...

The scenario in my thought exercise was laying out a potentially plausible, but unlikely scenario which is... 

What if a disabled person was able to get all of their needs met... at all times... indefinitely? Would they still be disabled?

This is not the same as asking, if a person has all their needs met now, but won't have them met tomorrow, are they disabled now? 

And I think this is what some people understood my last post to be asking. (And reading it back, I understand why. This is a highly abstract concept and I may not have laid it out clearly enough.)

So, to be clear, that is not the hypothetical I was presenting.

Which is why this thought exercise doesn't apply to wheelchair users. And even most autistic people. Because the second supports are removed, the person is disabled again.

However, the reality is that some autistic people are able to get their needs met to an extent where they don't feel disabled by their autism. 

That's not only a valid experience... if we actively dismiss it, we are doing the same harm as someone suggesting we are not disabled because our autistic traits are hidden.

This conversation is about lived experiences. All lived experiences. 

And no one should be telling another person what their lived experience is or isn’t.

So, is autism a disability? Yes and no.

It is for me, that's for sure. And it will likely always be. I don't see a world where my autism is supported at all times in all ways so it is no longer disabling to me.

But it isn't for some, and that is both valid... and important to accept. 

We are all here and we all deserve space to be seen and heard. ❤️