148. RTD | Autistic Identity, with the Global Autism Community

Discover what’s possible when identity is fluid. 

This week’s episode is a recording of one of our Global Autism Community exclusive events! This roundtable was facilitated by community moderator Andrew Bennett, and its topic of discussion was Autistic Identity.

The participants were Autistic Self-Advocates Thomas Iland, Sara Bradford, and Michael Gilberg, and community members Rosetta Walker, Vanya Umenjoh, and Korey Taylor.

In today’s conversation, we discuss:

• What is identity and what gives us ours
• Person-first vs. identity-first language
• Autistic with a capital “A”
• Why autistics value identity
• What is “normal”
• Respecting someone else’s identity
• Masking
• The difference between fitting in and belonging
• How to encourage society to be more inclusive
• The importance of empowering young autistics to become self-advocates

Roundtable discussions like the one you’ll hear today are open exclusively for members of our online Global Autism Community. We select a different theme each month, and our moderators monitor posts daily to ensure that our online space remains safe and respectful.

If you’d like to attend and participate in any of our future events, you can sign up today at community.globalautismproject.org.

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