autibear

[autibear]

Welcome!!

(this intro was mostly typed by my carer with my direct input)

About Autibear!

🐻 I'm autibear or tanner/tilly, I'm 26, and my pronouns are they/he and the neopronouns ve/bear/grr/freak/queer (if you don't understand them that's okay!)

🧸 I'm a black and multiply disabled, level 3 autistic person, and I'm nonverbal. I struggle with understanding, movement, reading, socialising, and similar things. I use disability aids and aac/tts devices

🐻 I have limited interests and attention span. I would like to make friends on here in messages or on my Discord (.transautisticbearcub) but it can be difficult to engage in conversations with me

🧸 I'll mostly be talking about my disabled/poc/queer experiences. I won't talk about the specifics of my other disabilities besides autism much because I find them hard to understand, spell, and distinguish from autism. I may especially mix up my adhd or ocd symptoms with my autism

🐻 I am non-binary and pansexual, other information about me is on my carrd below!

#autistic #autism #pinned intro #high support needs #actually autistic #autistic adult #lgbtq #neurodivergent #queer #poc #black autistic #poc autistic #adhd #ocd #multiply disabled #intellectual disability #disabled #actually neurodivergent #actually disabled

[autibear]

When I say "I can't do that" what I'm not saying is:

I don't feel interested in doing that

I don't care enough to

I'm too good to be doing that

I don't think you deserve that of me

I'm not in the mood to do that

Not now, I'll do it later

Maybe

If that's what I meant, that's what I would say

What I am saying is:

It will negatively affect me in ways I can't afford

I simply can't physically fucking do that

I can't risk the potentially severe consequences I may experience if I overestimate my ability to do that

And if I explain that I am unable to do that, it is not an invitation to:

Tell me how much my disability hurts your feelings

Ask if I'm sure

Interrogate me because you believe yourself to be the judge of how unwell is unwell enough

Put words in my mouth ("why don't you care?")

Tell me how easy it would be

Remind me of how many other things I've been unable to do. I keep the score more than you do

Accuse me of exaggerating or faking to avoid doing it

Ask me again shortly

Make assumptions about additional explanations. (I must be mad at you, I must not care about this)

Offer compensation in return ("I can pay you" "we can do something you want to do after" "I'll get you something you like")

Ask what it would take for me to suddenly be capable of doing it

Tell me how you do things you have to do when when you're tired and then you can just rest and recover. I am not like you

Remind me of a time I was able to do that. Either I had more spoons or was less severely disabled if at all.

Say that if I was well enough to do X today, I should be able to do this as well. Energy doesn't work that way. Are you capable of running 8 miles right this minute just because you were okay to work a 10 hour shift today? That's what I thought

Suggest simply doing it a certain way ("take your time", "do it sitting down", "we can stop and take breaks", "just take your painkillers", etc)

But it is an invitation to:

Leave me the fuck alone about it 💕

[autibear]

stop calling other autistics ableist for treating their autism like a disorder

I don't care if your autism doesn't make you feel disabled you're a minority and you don't get to call the terminology other autistic people use ableist. Especially terms that are useful for level 3/high support needs autistics

If you don't like the levelling system or support labels and think it's the same as functioning labels don't use them on yourself. Stop calling them useless ableist and harmful

People are pretending this doesn't happen anymore but there are still posts and articles and videos everywhere trying to erase terminology useful to many mid-high support needs

If you think it's bad to talk about our differences you're wrong. We can both be a diverse community and have differences that we label. If you want to pretend we're all the same just because we're autistic you've only spent time with autistic people like you

Some autistic people need levels to understand their own needs or find other autistic people they can relate to

Some people call themselves a person with autism instead because that's what they're comfortable with

Some autistic people don't like that they're autistic and find it hugely disabling and struggle to find positives in it

Some autistic people say they are severely autistic because of how disabling their autism is

Some autistic people look autistic and cant mask

Some autistic people still use functioning labels on themselves because it's familiar and helps them and it's what they're comfortable with

Some autistic people say they have a disorder condition disability or ASD because that's what they're comfortable with

If you want to treat your autism like just a difference we're not stopping you. If you want to treat everyone's autism like just a difference then we have problems

If a label doesn't help you that's fine. Don't speak on how helpful labels that never even applied to you are. If you think all autistics with higher support needs are incapable of knowing what's ableist so you have to talk over them you are wrong.

#long post #actually autistic #high support needs #autism #autistic adult #black autistic #poc #poc autistic #audhd #neurodivergent #asd #autism spectrum disorder #autism spectrum condition #level 3 autism #low functioning autistic #autistic experiences #autistic things #autistic community #autistic #actually neurodivergent #neurodivergency #ableism #disability #disability rights #nonverbal #nonspeaking #aac user

[autibear]

Hey, it's okay to struggle! Putting on clothes by yourself can be difficult! Walking long distance sucks! Brushing your teeth is a lot of effort! Take your time and be gentle with yourself. You're worth it.

#short reblog

[autibear]

shout out to the people who DO look autistic

to the people who have different facial features from autism or conditions that often occur with autism

to the people who need padded equipment, gait trainers, or other highly noticeable aids

to the people who are ignored in favor of talking to their parents/guardians/carers

to the people who have been told they shouldn’t be seen in public because of their autism

to the people who are told they don’t exist by low support needs autistics

there is a place for you in the autistic community <3 [heart]

#short reblog