All humans are born equal. We all possess the right to live with dignity and respect. Yet there are communities in the society which are seen from a tainted vision. They face discrimination in their everyday life. Autistic people have been subject to such stigma and discrimination for ages.
To raise awareness about Autism, every year June 18 is observed as Autism Pride Day. The cornerstone of it is to make a safe space for such people by accepting their differences. Often confused as a disease, the day is meant to spread the message that autism is not a sickness, and aims to acknowledge the unique abilities of such people.
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurological and developmental disorder in which a person’s ability to communicate and interact is affected, according to National Institute of Health (NIH). It is called a spectrum disorder as it comes with many variations in terms of type and severity of symptoms. Although it is a life-long disorder, with treatment and medical help, the condition can be improved. People with ASD interact, communicate and learn in ways that are different from other people, the NIH website reads.
As per World Health Organization (WHO), “People with autism often have co-occurring conditions, including epilepsy, depression, anxiety and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder as well as challenging behaviours such as difficulty sleeping and self-injury. The level of intellectual functioning among autistic people varies widely, extending from profound impairment to superior levels.” It is estimated that worldwide about one in 100 children has autism.
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Autistic Pride Day 2022: Autistic children are often socially anxious, alarmed by the change in surroundings and find it hard to take to any sort of unfamiliarity. (Designed by Nidhi Mishra)
History of the day
Autistic Pride Day was first observed in 2005 by Aspies for Freedom, which is a community that works for spreading awareness about autism. The day recognises the neurodiversity of the community and embraces its uniqueness. Since then the day is recognised globally every year. Aspies for Freedom was created in 2004 as a response to the ill-treatment of autistics. It focuses on spreading knowledge about the same.
Significance
The autistic pride flag has a symbol of infinity on it filled with rainbow colours. The rainbow represents pride, and infinity stands for diversity and infinite possibilities.
Due to the Covid outbreak in 2020, most of the offline Autistic Pride events were cancelled but as things retreat to normal, events have started to happen in person as well.
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