Every year on March 1, the disability community gathers across the nation to remember disabled victims of filicide–disabled people murdered by their family members or caregivers. Filicide, the murder by one's parents, is one of the top three causes of death in children under five. It is one of the top five overall causes of death among all children and teens. Autistic children are particularly vulnerable, as parents use the “trauma” of having an autistic child as a legal defense. Encounters with police can also be dangerous for autistics, especially autistic persons of color. Individuals with a mental illness, including autism, are 16 times more likely to die during an encounter with police, the highest of any group studied. From 2013 through 2015, data show half of the police encounter deaths were people with mental illnesses or cognitive differences. https://autismmemorial.wordpress.com https://disability-memorial.org https://autisticadvocacy.org/melmemorial/ https://auti
At birth, doctors suggested I would be mentally disabled, in addition to the physical injuries I suffered. I have never been described as normal. “High-functioning autism” (HFA) is just another way to describe a few aspects of “me.” The autistic me is the creative me, the curious me, the complete me.