Autistic Pride Day: Camille Clark

In the days leading up to Autistic Pride Day, its important to hear from autistics about what it means to them directly. Its all well and good listening to me say what I think but to really appreciate the importance of a day like this, its imperative to hear things as they are from someone who knows first hand what it means. To that end, I’ve asked a number of adult and child autistics to contribute a piece detailing what Autistic Pride Day measn to them.

Today, I’d like to introduce you to Camille Clark whos fascinating website has opened my eyes to a wide range of possibilities for my daughter.

Autistic Pride Day. Why June 18th, you may ask? It commemorates the day that Temple Grandin graduated from 3rd grade. It was the day that Stephen Shore first learned to make a noise while flapping his hands at the wrist. It was on that date that Gerry Newport’s autistic adult support group first met in Los Angeles, California. On this very day, the parents of Alex and Ben Bain met. It was on this sunny date in history that Michelle Dawson decided that she didn’t hate being
autistic after all. It was the first day of filming of “Rain Man”. It was the day I received my diagnosis of Asperger’s syndrome at 43years old.

Well, actually, no.

As far as I know, none of the above occured on June 18th and I don’t know why June 18th was chosen as Autistic Pride Day.

Nevertheless, you may be asking yourself, “What is Camille doing to mark Autistic Pride Day?”

It’s not likely that you are asking yourself that, I know, but anyway, here’s the answer:

Like every other day, I will think about the efforts of autistic people to live a satisfying life. I will do what I can to encourage us to keep up the good work, and try to help us deal with discouragement.

OK, maybe it’s unforgivably corny and trite, but I think every day is Autistic Pride day. All those on the autism spectrum, as a group, face an uphill battle every day and deserve so much credit for it.
When I look at the bunch on the Autistic Adults Picture Project, I’m proud of them. The same goes for the other autistics that I hear
about and those that I meet and know in real life. I’m proud of the other autism spectrum adult in my household. My own offspring, a wonderful person and a credit to humanity. Makes me proud, even if I can’t take credit for that beautiful personality.

What has happened in the last year’s time for us all to be proud of? Well, a little more than a year ago the Auton case was heard in Canada’s Supreme Court. The decision which was handed down in Novevember of last year, on whether or not behavioral therapy was “medically necessary” for autistic children, included mention of an adult autistic, Michelle Dawson. By so doing the court recognized that the voices of autistcs should be heard in issues that affect them. This was no small feat, as Michelle faced opposition from both sides, the government and the “parents”. They did not want to hear what an adult autistic thought about the case.

In the last year, 17 years old autistic, Alex Bain, also of Canada, distinguished himself as a runner and won several significant awards for his running on Prince Edward Island. Kathleen Seidel, mother of
an autism spectrum daughter, and webmistress of neurodiversity.com, wrote not only, “The Autistic Distinction” , but she also took on Lenny Schafer, which effort documented under the title; “Lenny Schafer’s Inquisition“, and recently challenged David Kirby and his backers with “Evidence of Venom” , to name a few of her major undertakings. Gayle Fitzpatrick and Charles Rankowski, parents of
Jan, went to bat for his right to play on a school playground while autistic. On December 20, 2004, autistic advocacy made it to the front page of the New York Times, again, this time with the article titled, “How About Not ‘Curing’ Us, Some Autistics Are Pleading“, the article included a photo of Jane Meyerding and quoted her, as well. That New York Times reporter actually went to Autreat. In March of this year, Autism Diva put on her tiara and started to set some facts straight.

And in this last year, several thousand autistic children, worldwide, graduated 3rd grade, many of them with memories of bullying and ostracism. Maybe, next by year “autistic pride” will become a more widely known concept and the autisic third graders will have fewer bad memories and experience more joy and pride in who they are.