Autistics Speaking Day

So, here goes.  My first blog post.  This blog was inspired by Autistics Speaking Day today, which is in response to something called the Communication Shutdown.  An event created with good intentions, but I think it misses the mark just a little bit.  The Communication Shutdown (misnomer IMO), encourages neurotypical people to log off Facebook and Twitter for the day to stand in solidarity with the autistic community.  Apparently, if you stay off FB for the day, you will know what it is like to be a "silent" autistic.  Uh...PFFFFF.  As it is, Autistics Speaking Day is part counter event, part co-event.  Members of the autistic community are a bit weary about the Communication Shutdown because:

1. Autistic people are not silent, online or offline.
2. Non-autistic people will have no more clue what autistic people's lives are like simply by staying off of Facebook for a day, because while they are avoiding their computer, they are still not autistic.
3. The invention of the Internet has prevented autistic people from feeling so isolated. Autistic people use social networking sites, forums, and blogs to talk to other autistic people, and even nonverbal autistics or autistics who have difficulty effectively communicating have an opportunity to socialize online.

That list is straight from the Autistic Speaking Day FB page.  Oh, look, I figured out how to make a link!!!  Anyway, so that's the reason for the beginning of this blog.  I'll go ahead and start a new post for the good stuff.