Autism community speaks out about language used in vaccine debate
Language used to describe people with autism
The language used to describe people with autism is too much for some people in the autism community.
"Blank" and "vacant" are words that often come up online and in the media. And those words hurt, says Allison Garber, whose 5-year-old son Hugh has autism.
"It's as if people are speaking as if autistic people can't hear them and they can and they're hurt," she says.
Patricia Zwicker is listening. She doesn't mind being called autistic.
But hearing the stereotypes that are out there about people with autism bothers her.
"When you see the vitriol. When you see that people are more scared of autism than they are diseases, it makes you step back," says Zwicker. Yhe 46-year-old who lives in Chester, Nova Scotia, was only recently diagnosed on the spectrum.
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People with autism and their families say the discussion started by Jenny McCarthy has caused a great deal of harm.
The actress and former playboy model was featured prominently for saying there is a link between autism and vaccines on every media outlet from CNN to Oprah.
Even though the study McCarthy's theory was based on has been completely debunked, the notion that vaccines can cause autism marches on.
The stereotypes out there that people with autism are emotionless or don't have light in their eyes, are hard for her to hear because the reality is far from it.
Zwicker is tall, with a big laugh and a great sense of humour. She's talks candidly about her strengths, weaknesses and the challenges of having autism.
But she says what adults with autism are looking for is not to be "cured" or healed but to be understood and accepted.
They want people who are neurotypical to understand it is possible to live a good life with an autism diagnosis, she says.
Art, photography and poetry are some of Zwickers outlets for her emotions. Her poems aren't soulless or vacant or any of the hurtful words that are often used to describe people with the same diagnosis as her.
Even though the language of the debate is loudest online, Zwicker says she still says she likes to spend time in front of her computer. She uses her blog to share her art with the world and through the internet she's found a community of adults with autism.
She's made connections with people she couldn't find growing up in a small town in Nova Scotia and now she hopes to reach people with her message.
"I don't know how we fight this," she says.
"I've tried my very best, I've started my own website, I write articles about it, I try to be outspoken, I'm taking part in things like this to try to break the stigma down," she says. "Hopefully we reach people with it."
Patricia's blog: http://www.persnicketypatricia.ca/