We Have Always Been Here

04/13/2026

While studying for the comprehensive exams for United States disability history, which I am taking in 3 weeks, I came across the following quote:
"The reason that people with disabilities are
often thought to have had no history is really
that they've had no recorded history. Only
recently have there been any histories of
disability. It's been partly because society has
denied that there was anything important to
be learned. It was partly because, as with any
minority group, the people were so of the
Other that they were never given any of the
tools to record any aspects of their history:
"history" would be, supposedly, only one of
successes, of the heroes of the society, not
those who had difficulty, in some ways, fitting
in. So, people with disabilities have followed
the paths of people with color, and women,
of trying to reclaim what has long been lost."
The Disability Rights Movement: From Charity to Confrontation, Chapter 1
Is it truly possible to reclaim the entirety of our lost history?

04/09/2026

04/08/2026

04/03/2026

I regret to inform everyone my career as an autism advocate was actually predetermined at birth. 😅

I was literally born on World Autism Awareness Day.
And like, statistically, that’s wild.

But on top of that, I was diagnosed with autism in 2007,
which just so happens to be the year Autism Awareness Day got officially recognized.

For those of us who live this life year-round, April can feel… annoying.

The world pauses to have conversations about autism…conversations WE don’t get to walk away from when the month ends.

And by May 1st, most people have conveniently forgotten what was said.

Simultaneously, there’s endless infighting about what April really is - autism “awareness” or “acceptance.”

And I’m not willing to argue about it, so I’ll leave you with this:

Awareness increases with time,
understanding increases with effort,
and acceptance requires both.

Anyway, Happy Autism Month to all who celebrate! 🩵

04/01/2026

I feel like as someone who has Autism, this is an incredibly important topic. Small talk has never made much sense to me. I understand that it is important to the discourse of conversation, to make the other person feel comfortable, but to me it often feels not direct enough or just simply pointless. Do other people feel the same way?

No, because, as an autistic adult, why did it take me a decade to crack the code on small talk?!

Below, you’ll see a normal conversation…then I’m going to translate what’s REALLY being said.

Person 1 🟡 Hey, how’s your day going?
Person 2 🟣 It’s been busy. You?

Person 1 🟡 Same. You mentioned you had a trip coming up, is that still happening?
Person 2 🟣 Yeah, we’re going to San Diego this month.

Person 1 🟡 Nice! Well, if you’ve got a second, could you check over this client form to make sure I didn’t miss anything?
Person 2 🟣 Sure!

Here’s what person 1 🟡 is REALLY saying:

“Hi. I have positive intentions. Asking about your travel proves I care about you as a person. This is a cushion of friendliness so that when I get to the real reason I approached you, my request won’t feel abrupt or rude. I’m very friendly. Sooo, can we look at this client form?”

Small talk is just a ritual, to lots of people, it says: “I’m safe. I like you. This interaction is friendly.”

I personally spent years wondering why my straightforward communication was seen as rude.
Turns out, everyone else was having a whole separate conversation I couldn’t hear.

Once you understand the purpose behind small talk, you can decide:
do I want to participate in the ritual,
or do I want to communicate directly and clarify my intentions in my own way?