Social Justice Issues: Why Disability Rights Matter for Autistics

Most people with neurodiversity or who know someone who does care deeply about social justice issues and disability rights. It’s easy to understand their desire to advocate and bring positive change to the world; they’re fighting for equality and fair treatment as well as increased awareness and understanding.

The autism rights movement and the broader disability rights movement share the common goal of seeking equity, inclusion, and justice for groups marginalized by society. It’s part of many social justice issues that so many individuals and groups are standing up for. After all, social justice is built on the pillars of human rights, equity, participation, and access. When a society is just, everyone feels supported, respected, and protected.

People on the autism spectrum face barriers to accessing healthcare, education, employment, housing, transportation, community participation and more. They also deal with high rates of discrimination, bias, stigma, and lack of acceptance and accommodations. As such, social justice issues are integral for improving outcomes and quality of life for those in the autistic community. 

In recent years, self-advocates, allies and activist organizations have worked to highlight disability rights as well as social injustices experienced by autistic individuals and press for reforms. However, there is still substantial progress needed to secure fair vs. equity understanding and opportunities for those on the spectrum on par with neurotypical citizens.

This ongoing challenge for justice intersects with broader efforts supporting diversity, inclusion, accessibility, civil rights, and human rights in modern society.

People with autism want all these things as do many other marginalized groups. This is a good reason to join the movement in standing up for what is right for autistics and everyone else deserving of equality.

As a fellow autistic, I’m doing my part by writing and spreading awareness so that individuals with neurodiversity don’t have to mask in order to fit in. Hopefully, if you are reading this, you are searching for your personal way that you can contribute to equity for all.

RELATED: Autism Masking & Code Switching – How to Redefine Acceptance

Social Justice Issues: Barriers to Access and Participation

Access to healthcare remains a major obstacle for obtaining accurate, timely diagnoses and evidence-based supports. Research indicates the average age for an autism diagnosis is 4 years old, but many people remain undiagnosed into adulthood.

Those diagnosed later in life struggle without the early intervention, accommodations and preparation to succeed academically and interpersonally. Many families also face severe financial burdens and insurance discrimination getting diagnoses and treatments.

Minority groups deal with additional barriers finding culturally competent providers.

RELATED: Unveiling Hidden Struggles – Top 10 Autism Challenges Explored

In terms of education, autistic students still routinely face lack of accommodations, resources, understanding, and acceptance in mainstream classrooms. As with other high-risk groups, individuals with neurodiversity deal with higher suspension, expulsion and dropout rates along with rampant bullying. Society needs to figure out how to ow Combat Autism and Bullying Behavior once and for all.

According to some studies, only about 40% of those on the spectrum attend college and even fewer successfully complete a four-year degree. Those denied effective academic preparation and mentorship early on can see lifelong consequences regarding employment, healthcare access, transportation options, and community integration. 

Autistic adults attempt to enter the workforce in young adulthood with most lacking the practical job skills, workplace social training, networking contacts and interview abilities necessary to secure competitive positions. While most want to work, only about a third autistic adults maintain full-time jobs.

Without necessary on-the-job or vocational supports, many remain trapped in unemployment, underemployment or dependency on family/state aid. Here are some recent statistics to consider.

In terms of housing, limited incomes and the need for greater structure, predictability and access to healthcare prevents independent living for a majority with autism. Group homes or other supported housing remains out of financial reach for many as well. The result is dependence on aging parents, cycles of homelessness, or institutionalization.

Accessing reliable public transportation also poses challenges navigating complex transit systems or dealing with sensory issues. Together these restrictions prevent community integration, self-determination and dignified living situations for adults on the spectrum. 

Restricted access in all the above areas means autistic individuals struggle fully participating as citizens whether through political engagement, jury duty, voting, volunteer work or other civic duties. Without voices in local government or on boards/committees, the needs and concerns of the autism community get overlooked in policy decisions.

Expanding participation ensures representation and oversight when allocating public resources and ensuring disability rights.

RELATED: Work and Autism – What Employers Should Know About Neurodiversity

Injustice and Discrimination as Social Justice Issues

Alongside programmatic and systemic barriers, the autistic community experiences very high rates of stigma, bias and discrimination. For example, autistic youth often face sky-high rates of restraint, seclusion, suspension, expulsion and police interactions in school compared to neurotypical students.

Harsh disciplining of disability-related behavior problems sometimes replaces support, guidance and de-escalation interventions. The trauma inflicted has lifelong consequences on mental health and development. 

Healthcare settings are sometimes also sites for discrimination and disability rights violations. Lengthy waits in loud chaotic emergency rooms, bright fluorescent lighting, unfamiliar procedures, and lacking communication supports frequently trigger painful meltdowns.

Staff untrained dealing with autistic patients often respond by forcibly restraining, sedating or removing individuals rather than accommodating needs. These practices continue despite evidence further escalating agitation and trauma.

Among autistic adults and people of color on the spectrum, statistics related to police brutality, false arrests, and inadequate healthcare behind bars are similarly disturbing. Research shows individuals with a disability are more than twice as likely to be a victim of a violent crime.

One study found a third of police shooting victims had a disability, while additional research indicates people with psychiatric disabilities are 16 times more likely to be killed by law enforcement. Fatal police encounters often result from autistic individuals struggling to comply with verbal commands during sensory overload or emotional meltdowns. 

Online and in-person bullying also remains an urgent concern, with over 60% of autistic students reporting being victimized. Nearly 40% experience greater bullying specifically related to disability status. For a group already facing social skill challenges, repeated harassment, intimidation and microaggressions have devastating impacts on mental health, quality of life, and long-term prospects.

RELATED: New Research Reveals Autism Mental Health Linked to These Disorders

Social Categories and Labels Matter with Social Justice Issues

Alongside disability status, those on the autism spectrum with multiple marginalized identities face compounding disparities and unique social justice issues. For example, autistic people of color trying accessing education, employment and healthcare must confront systemic barriers rooted in racial discrimination and bias on top of disability stigmas.

LGBTQ+ individuals on the spectrum similarly navigate extreme challenges. 

Autistic people of color and their families deal with severely inadequate cultural competency and diversity within diagnosis, early intervention and support services. Women and girls on the spectrum struggle with historical understanding of autism that was derived primarily studying boys and men.

These overlapping and often interdependent category impacts mean solution-development must apply an integrated social justice lens accounting for how multiple marginalized identities compound injustice.

Any reforms or policy changes should partner directly with intersecting autistic, disability, racial justice, LGBTQ+ and other stakeholder groups to overcome biases and barriers based in societal discrimination, prejudice and exclusion.

RELATED: Autism in Women Stereotypes – The Real Truth Revealed! 

Nothing About Us Without Us and Disability Rights

The saying “nothing about us without us” has become a rallying cry within the autism community, a demand for inclusion and participatory decision-making around policies  and disability rights directly impacting their lives.

For too long, political leaders, doctors, nonprofit groups, educators and caregivers have made choices on behalf of autistic people and people with disabilities more broadly rather than in collaboration and consultation with lived experience experts.

Centering authentic diverse voices and insights in research, programs, curriculum design, public awareness and advocacy campaigns has proven instrumental though for accuracy and effectiveness.

Those personally impacted by barriers and injustice remain best positioned to identify priorities, viable solutions, and cautious of unintended consequences as part of social justice issues. Their frontline perspectives guide supportive policymaking benefitting both marginalized groups and society overall. 

For students, accommodations and learning tools should incorporate input from past and present autistic pupils over purely clinical observations by outside professionals.

Regarding employment, actually partnering with autistic jobseekers and employees generates practical workplace solutions superior to general diversity programs. In terms of public health communications, including autistic viewpoints prevents inadvertently stigmatizing language or imagery triggering for those on the spectrum.

Nothing about us without us empowers those directly impacted to take the lead advocating for human rights, balanced representation, accessibility and equality before the law. Allies and political leaders need to embrace the responsibility and “find a way to listen.” After all, lasting justice comes from within communities rather than imposed from outside.

RELATED: 3 Reasons Why Pathologizing Crushes Autism Acceptance and Inclusion

Next Steps of Achieving Inclusion and Equity with Social Justice Issues

While progress made advancing autism acceptance and accommodations, full equity and social justice remains unfinished business in the U.S. and globally. Intolerable disparities persist across healthcare, employment, education, housing, and the justice system.

Stigmas and discrimination, which may also come in the form of pathologization, also continue especially impacting various groups of social categories such as race, class, gender, and ability.

Sustained collaborative advocacy and activism led by those in the autism community offers the most promising path forward. Centering diverse voices and insights in developing programs, reforms and policy changes promises equitable, responsive solutions.

Expanding autism acceptance in mainstream society remains vital breaking down stigma and discrimination. But simply raising general awareness fails matching the scale and urgency of injustices facing those on the spectrum. Instead, the quality and accuracy of that awareness matters tremendously influencing public attitudes and policies.

Positive, affirming visibility grounded in listening to actually autistic voices provides a path toward societal inclusion and resolving social justice issues. Media campaigns and advocacy spotlighting diverse images, stories and perspectives of autistic people thriving socially and professionally fosters visualizing neurodiversity.

Exposure to respected self-advocates and leaders likewise draws empathy discovering shared aspirations for family, purpose, dignity. 

However, awareness efforts are often damagingly reinforcing stereotypes of disability-as-tragedy or autistics as burdens risks further marginalizing the community.

Portraying only recovery narratives ignores most real lived journeys. Corporate “awareness months” rarely consult impacted groups on appropriate language or inclusive symbols and instead just rely on press releases and very surface information. Savior-themed charity galas can sometimes disadvantage communities by not distributing proceeds to urgently needed services and grassroots partners. 

Getting representations right requires humble collaboration understanding community-defined priorities, language preferences, positive identity narratives and nuanced self-images. Critic barriers to equitable healthcare, employment, civic participation highlighted by self-advocates must stay centered rather than just feel-good stories. 

RELATED: Breaking Down the Top 10 Autism Stereotypes and Unveiling the Truth

Policy and Culture Change Tackles Social Justice Issues

Across all institutions and policies, culture shifts emerge from overcoming presumptions of “normalcy” defined exclusively by privileged groups not facing barriers. Ableism embedded culturally demands dismantling like racism, homophobia or other systems conferring advantage and dominance marginalizing “others.” For the disability community, “Nothing about us without us” principles check insider decision-making tendencies even with good intentions. 

Government leaders must turn expressed public support for autism community into concrete lasting policy changes. Too often, prominent politicians and groups readily declare April as Autism Awareness Month or October as Disability Employment Awareness Month yet fail to match symbolic speech with proportionate legislative action tackling social justice issue and disability rights.

In recent decades, raised visibility and advocacy has fueled hard-won progress making aspects of civic life more inclusive to autistic and other disabled individuals historically denied opportunities. Legal rights exist today absent in past generations because of such activism. 

But, there is still much to be accomplished. Securing that more equal world requires humility in hearing inconvenient truths of injustice along with conviction responding in solidarity.

For public officials, school administrators, healthcare providers, business leaders and neighbors, walking alongside communities means following not dictating directions. And for advocates and activists, reaching back pulling up others motivates the climb upwards. Lasting change emerges trying together, listening to those crying out “nothing about us without us!”

(Note: If you aren’t familiar with the slogan, it’s used to communicate the idea that no policy should be decided by any representative without the direct and full participation of members of the group or groups affected by that policy. It originated from a title of a book in 1998 by James Charlton.)

With supportive allies in government, education and healthcare stepping up rather than dictating from above, past barriers restricting access and opportunity can gradually be dismantled and disability rights provided. Eventually successful reforms and programming set the stage for generations of autistic people reaching their full potential and participating fully as equal citizens.

RELATED: The Hidden Hurdles – Challenging Autism Stigmas in Today’s Politics

But reaching that more just world requires urgency today redressing biases and barriers inherited from a past lacking understanding of both neurodiversity and the harms of systemic discrimination.

I know we don’t live in a perfect world, and one of the biggest hurdles of autism is that is often an “invisible disability.” (I know, because that is how it describes me.) Many people are entirely literal, so if they can’t “see” or witness the challenges first-hand, then they assume it isn’t there, or worse, is being made up.

I’m not invisible, and I do have a disability. With support and encouragement, the unseens will be viewed in fair and equitable ways and fully provided the awareness and understanding that everyone deserves!

If you enjoyed this article, here are more blogs that you might find helpful.

Misconceptions About Autism that Leads to Stigmas and Stereotypes

• Learn more about other stigmas and stereotypes that autistics face:
• Why Labeling People Can Lead to Stereotyping and Discrimination
• Autism Media Stereotypes:  We’re Not All Geniuses, Savants, or Lonely
• Beyond Stereotypes:  How Rain Man Revolutionized the Perception of Autism
• Absurd Plot About Autism and Evolution and Why It’s Harmful
• Moving Past the Tired Conspiracy Theory of Vaccines and Autism
• 3 Reasons Why Pathologizing Crushes Autism Acceptance and Inclusion
• The Hidden Hurdles:  Challenging Autism Stigmas in Today’s Politics
• History of Autism:  Revealing Shocking Mysteries from the Past
• Knocking Down the Stigma to Autism Obsession