Closing Autistics Speaking Day

 It is to my utmost regret that I announce the end to Autistics Speaking Day. 

Nov 1, 2023 will be the last ASDay. 

The ASDay blog will remain online, but we will no longer be hosting the event on November 1st. 

Thank you. Thank you for every single entry and participant. Thank you for your words, your music, your stories and thoughts. 

Thank you for everyone who has volunteered and supported us over the years. 

Thank you for everything. 

ASDay 2022!!!

Another year, another Autistics Speaking Day!!

November 1st, instead of being quiet online, be loud!

Submission form: follow this link!

An Apology

 This is an apology to previous participants. 

To those who have submitted their work, and did not see it show up on this blog or see it included. 

There are very few reasons for why this happened, and for most of these, I apologize. I have always regretted not being able to post every entry to ASDay. 

Most of the entries that I've had to decline over the last 11 years have been professionals or parents trying to peddle their newest book or website. I don't mind sharing that each year our email gets advance copy and interview offers for the Next New Autism Treatment. I don't know about you, but I don't apologize for not approving those. 

What saddens me are those who, for whatever reason, I cannot access. And so, I cannot browse to confirm trigger and content warnings. And I cannot, in good conscious, add to the event. 

I also love seeing all the autistic posts. 

My only relief is that these instances are relatively few; most of the time posts have been scheduled and so I just need to keep checking the link. But the ones that I try every trick I know - changing accounts, switching browsers, even using a VPN (I'm not IT; I'm an English major, this is the extent of my knowledge) - and still unable to find, hurts. I feel like I've let the participant down, and worse of all, I don't know why. 

This year, I'd like to try and fix those posts. So please, join me as I explore past entries. 

~ Corina Lynn Becker 

Submission Form for ASDay 2020

 Hello all!

I'm preparing for ASDay 2020!!! 

I have the submission form up and ready for any early entries: link

See you all November 1st! 

Participants List 2018

Autistics

Sean Callaghan Life on the Spectrum (see content warnings)
Nicolette Cetrulo The Desexualization of Women with Disabilities Should Not Be an Unspoken Issue
C.L. Bridge To My Preteen Self on Autistics Speaking Day and "Actually, It's Crooked": Autism and Precocious Speech
Carolina Rutz Without Apology (See Content Warnings)
Autisticeducator Here’s the Thing About Language
Devin S. Turk Autism, Transmasculine Identity, and Invisibility , Behind The Mask , and The Joys of Autistic Life
Castiel Hannon Stimming
Cat Daly Eh, Who Needs A Brain Anyway? (See Content Warnings)
Becca Lory Hector, CAS, BCCS Where Are My Adult Autism Supports, Dammit?!
Courtney Johnson No, I’m Not “Overcoming” Autism
Kate Ross - Cherry Blossom Tree I have a lot to say (a poem)
endever* Happy Autistics Speaking Day!
Ben Edwards The Country of Autistic People
Leeanne Marshall Autistics Speaking Day 2018
Nightengale Amplifying Autistics
Fallon Mydske Autistics Speaking Day 2018
Jane Nine Years On from AS Day #1
Autismdoggirl Brain fog autistic speaking spray 2018
Anita M. King Body Language
Timotheus "T.J." Gordon, Jr. #AutisticsSpeakingDay2018 Post: A Call to Intertwine Race into the Autistic Community
Seven C. Den, I'm so fucking tired (see Content Warning), and Where was heaven?
David Cameron Staples (aka Catsidhe) Autism 101
Fiona Dry Eyes Album (See Content Warnings)
Tagm They Were Wrong

Julian Edward Frost Autistics' Speaking Day: Learning about autism, learning about myself


Allies

Florencia Ardon Why do we teach our kids to "behave"?

Autistics Speaking Day 2018 Prep

Hello all!

Corina here!

I have the submission form up for ASDay 2018 in case anyone wants to submit something early for this year. A reminder that even if you submit early, ASDay starts on November 1 and that's when submissions will be posted.

Link to the submission form is found in the side bar and here.

Can't wait to see everyone's submissions this year!!

Participants List 2017

Autistics

Courtney Johnson - The Case for Identity-first
Anonymous Guest on Samantha Hack's Tumblr - Sparrows and Penguins
C.L. Bridge - I’m Not “Other”, I’m Your Classmate
Cyndi/butterflyinthewell - The Heart Asks For Pleasure First
Leonard Corey Philip - Neurodiversity Theory: An Introduction
Paula Jones - Understanding the female aspire in your life. (see content warnings)
Carolina Rutz - Of Acceptance and Kisses from Silver Charm (see trigger warnings)
K. Bron Johnson - We're Not As Divided As You Believe
Dani Alexis - Sad Little Autistics Can't Get Girlfriends and That's Not a Bad Thing
Rachel Waters - The Woman Who Mistook Herself for a Sociopath
Nicolette - An Open Letter to Autism Speaks
Christy Walk - We Are Still Here and Not Going Anywhere
Leeanne Marshall - Autistics Speaking Day: On Understandings
chavisory - Autistics Speaking Day 2017: What I would say to autistic people who want a cure
echolaliachamber - My body is not your empathy gimmick
Nika Rivilis - "I Wish You Knew."  (Removed by author's request)
Dallas Brogden - Stop attacking us and start listening to us: Autistic adults (see trigger warnings)
Jane Au Strauss - #Autistics Speaking Day (see trigger warnings)
Tamsin Parker - Force of Habit
Janey Colbourne - Nonverbal Day Today
Janey Colbourne - #ADHD and #ASD do they make a good couple?
Catsidhe - Words Cut (see trigger warnings) 
Paula Jones - Adventures of an autistic business owner (see content warnings)
Vanissar Tarakali - Somatics on the Spectrum (see content warnings)
Spekkio - How the Victorian Public Service discriminates against autistic graduates (see trigger warnings) 
Alyssa - "Speaking" to academia #ASDay
TimeTravellingGirl - Autistics Speaking Day: Special Interests and Autism
AutismDogGirl - We need to stop treating AAC as a last ditch option and more
Corina Becker - For ASDay 2017 and Ever After
Adelaide Dupont - Does the happy autist have a history? (see trigger warnings)
Brigid Rankowski - La La La, I'm so Happy
tahrab - The assessment and The supermarket (see trigger warnings)

"Speaking" to academia #ASDay

Alyssa writes "Speaking" to academia #ASDay at Yes, That Too

I wear many metaphorical hats. I'm a teacher. I'm a published poet. I'm a disability studies scholar, affiliated with a university but not for disability studies. I'm a graduate student in neuroscience. I'm an Autistic advocate, and not only a self-advocate (advocating for myself is often harder than the general stuff.) I'm a blogger.

Always, I am all of these things (and a bunch of other things). Sometimes, I get the opportunity to combine them. I've been blogging for GradHacker, part of Inside Higher Ed, since the start of the calendar year. That's for writing that's relevant to graduate students, or about graduate school.

Even though I know disabled graduate students exist, and disabled professors exist, and anyone teaching will eventually have disabled students, I've worried before every disability-related pitch I've made to them. Is it a topic that anyone outside disability communities would care about? Do they have enough background to understand the issue even if they care? Will the editors go for it, even if the audience would find the post useful?

[Keep reading at Yes, That Too]

Autistics Speaking Day 2017

Welcome to ASDay 2017!!! On November 1st, we'll be posting entries submitted by form and email. You can also get in touch with us by Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr. 

Submission Form can be found here

You can also submit entries to AutisticsSpeakingDay at gmail dot com

 

Participants List 2016

Autistic 

Duke Rumbles. 
Cassie Autistics Speaking Day 2016: The Journey From Self-Loathing to Self-Acceptance and the Forging of Identity
Catsidhe On Autism and the sensation of Time.
Sara Kerkstra writes A Simple Desire (And other blogs)
C. L. Bridge My Personality Is Not a Sub-Type Presentation
Christy Walk I Am Autistic, and I am Valid (Trigger Warnings)
ActingNT (Daniel Au Valencia) Acceptance Must Not Become a Buzzword
Mx. Vera Didenko INFJs, Old Souls, and Vera
Leeanne Marshall An Unplanned Entry
Dr Levinstein I Will Not Rest
Julian Frost Autistics' Speaking Day: Autism in South Africa - an opportunity lost
Tuttleturtle Today I am silent
FeministAspie Autistics Speaking Day 2016: Affirmations For You
Kit Mead You call me expressive and miss the struggle it takes and On everything I love and want to succeed (Trigger Warnings)
Nora What Can I Say? (Trigger Warnings)
Michelle Sutton Autism does define me
Alyssa Silence of Absence
Neurodivergent K things you don't want to hear
Kris This Genderqueer Autistic is Speaking Out on Autistics Speaking Day (Trigger Warnings)
Dani Alexis Love's Austere and Lonely Offices (Trigger Warnings)
Caycilia Marble (A Poem)
Leia Solo Autistic Speaking
Michael Scott Monje Jr. That One Time I Had to Strike Against the IWW (Trigger Warnings)
R. Larkin Taylor-Parker Being a Welcoming Community
Nightengale Writing the Brochure I Want to Read in the World
NonSpeakingNonSilent i'm just going to be me and The actual Autism crisis
Amythest Schaber The problem is less that autistic people aren’t speaking, and much more that non-autistic people won’t stop.
Mintythings Authenticity (Trigger Warning)
Riki If you Value Autistics Return our voices
Kathryn Bjornstad-Kelly ASDay Post

Jane Strauss Autistics Speaking Day yet again

Participation List 2015

Autistics

Liese Autistics Speaking Day (2014) (content warning: bullying, social pressures, self-taught "quiet hands")
Louise Representation (2014)
Magenta The Big Open-Ended Question: On Loving and Accepting My Asperger’s
Briana I am invisible
Merlin L. Taylor, Jr. RIGHTS OF ADULTS WITH AUTISM
Ultimate Oddball Thoughts On The Spectrum  (See content warning for video)
Data We Are Valid We Are Humans
Kit Mead Building Hope
AutismDogGirl Coming out, telling friends and family you communicate using AAC
 Malcolm Mayfield Autism has a ‘voice’, and it is getting louder
TuttleTurtle Acknowledging Me
Jane Strauss Is Anybody Listening? Does anybody care?
Ari Ne'eman Our Autistic Future 
Angel the Alien In My Life
khawkgirl Finding my Voice Again for Autistics Speaking Day (Warning for cyber-bullying, anxiety and silencing of communication.)
Leia Solo Experts in our own lives
Merlin L. Taylor, Jr.  Wonderglow Static 
Ben Edwards Living the Autistic Mythos
Leeanne Marshall ‘Nothing about us without us’ except….
EmmaGoodall Autistics speaking
Daniel Obejas Family: A Love Letter to Autistic Space
@pocketapocketa Radical Transparency
FeministAspie IRL
Paul Wady Guerilla Aspies on the 2015 Edinburgh Fringe - Preamble
Julian Frost Autistics' Speaking Day: on my voice and identity
Finn Gardiner Stop presuming incompetence, Autism Parents. (Content Warning: emotional abuse, shame-based training, anti-autistic sentiment and fundamentalist religion) 
Jamie An autistic, speaking: learning I was Autisitic. (content warning for ableism and eating disorders mention)
Kathy McKeown Autism Walking A Red Road
Mx. Vera Didenko Autistics Speaking Day, the Oberammergau Passion Play, and Vera (Content warning for brief mentions of masturbation and antisemitism)
R. Larkin Taylor-Parker Autistics Speaking Day 2015 (TW/CW for mentions of death.)
Sonia Boué Green Canoe 1 & 2
Annette Sugden Why Today Is Important To Me
Nightengale Autistic ear, autistic voice
Sparrow Rose Jones Who Do I Speak For? - Autistics Speaking Day 2015
Alyssa Yes That Too Autistics Speaking Day 2015
Catsidhe Cages and Sanctuaries (Content Warning for discussion of isolation and restraints. )
Cara Flower Honoring the founders of Autistic Community. Whom I feel grateful to & for on Autistics Speaking Day.
Tina Brooks Life as an Autistic Person Confounds Me and it is Awesome!
Zoey G. Autism Dos Speak, But Who Exactly Is Talking?
Nat / @quarridors Podcasting From Autistic Space
Irma Zoulane I have a voice - Autistics Speaking Day 2015
Savannah Logsdon-Breakstone Autistics Speaking Day 2015: Appliances Talk
Autistic Family Collective Q & A Session: November
Autistic Vegan Silenced
Tom (Autistic Genius) (content on the following links have not be viewed for trigger and content warnings)



Allies

Dave Farrell Inclusive Education Plan
Dave Jersey  News report action alert: Association for Behavior Analysis International "approves" Judge Rotenberg (electroshock "treatment/torture") Center. (Trigger/Content Warning for discussion on ABA and the Judge Rotenberg Center.)
Dave Jersey Reward and Consent (Trigger/Content Warning for discussion on ABA and the Judge Rotenberg Center.)
Rainbowsaretoobeautiful (Ann H) Our Terribly Truthful Child

Ready for this year's Autistics Speaking Day? I know I'm getting ready!

The new submission form is up and ready to go! 

and I have images ready for this year, though you're always welcome to make and use your own!

Be sure to check out Autistic History Month, whose submissions end Nov 1st! They have Facebook, tumblr, and wordpress accounts!

ASDay runs Nov 1st, but will accept a small amount of submissions afterwards.

Participation Post 2014

I should have had this out earlier. For that, I apologize.  But here are our 2014 Participants!

Amy Sequenzia, If You Walk on Issy's Shoes (see trigger warnings) 

chavisory, When I hear you say
Ben Edwards, Ten Examples that Show Violence Against Autistics is Alive and Well in American Culture (see trigger warnings) 
Stimmycat, Glimpses of unseen autism
Hannah B on being autistic, not okay
Haley Outlaw (My) Autistic History
n8chz The real reason I'm an anagorist
Alice Hewitt, Cages (see trigger warnings) 
Bigger On The Inside, ASD, ASD and ASD (see trigger warning)
Jane Strauss Âû, Insult or Compliment?
AutismDogGirl, Autism speaking day there is just to much to say
Emma Goodall, Hyperfocus as a useful tool
Daniel Obejas, Communication Shutdown or Autistics Speaking Day: Which will you celebrate?
Trebled Galaxies, Thoughts of the Neurodivergent Twin
FeministAspie, Human
Catsidhe, To Whom Am I Speaking?
ischemgeek, Autistic ways of reacting
Amanda MillsAmanda Mills (@NaturentheCity on Twitter) , Pride (and Shame)
Becca, I'm Tired
Abby, Being an Unperson
Kristin Guin, To all my fellow autistic people
Kit Mead , Autistic Pride and What You Need to Know (See Trigger Warnings)
Timotheus "Pharaoh" Gordon , The State of the Black Autist
Neurodivergent K, It's Autistics Speaking Day & I have not much to say

Ole Ferme l'Oeil Un Lieu pour nous/ A Place for us

Michael Scott Monje Jr. Spoken Word From Shaping Clay (#CRCon #Neuroqueer followup)

Morénike Onaiwu Speaking Truth to Power

Iris Gray, Is There a Difference Between Autism and Asperger's Syndrome?

Mandy Klein, Communication and Me Updated Version for Autistics Speaking Day 2014

R. Larkin Taylor-Parker, Hope Says 'Yes'

Images and Links

So I have images for this year!!

I also have the submission form ready to go, so if you already have something written that you want to send in, please feel free to fill it out! It can be found through this link.

And of course, there is our Facebook, our Tumblr, and our Twitter!

I want to remind everyone that anything you submit to ASDay is your work; you are free to participate in other events with your work.  

Because ASAN-Atlanta is calling for submissions for Neurodiversity November, and it's open to all neurodiverse people.  So check it out here! 

There's also interest about Autistic History Month, which is also November.  I hope this is the right link to it (if not, let me know).


Whew!!  A lot goes on in November!

I want to thank everyone who is even thinking of submitting anything to either ASDay, Neurodiversity November, and/or Autistic History Month.  This is all telling our stories, our history, our lives.

I also want to thank everyone for bearing with me this year; I've caught a nasty cold which I'm still trying to shake off, and hopefully be well for November 1st this year.  I will do my best to run ASDay, but I might not be as fast as I have been in previous years.  I'm still very excited about ASDay, and can't wait to see what this year has waiting!

Thanks again! See you November 1st!

Preparation for ASDay 2014

I know I'm late running for ASDay 2014, but I have most things in order!

For one, the submission form is now open and ready to take submissions.  And the Facebook event page is online.

And as always, I do advise people to review our FAQs and our Content Filter List.

I know it's only about a week until Nov 1st, but let's have a great day!!

Participation Post 2013

Contributors List

Autistic Contributors Alyssa, Yes, That Too: Autistics Speaking Day 2013
Alana, Written Words
Abby, A Story Told In Autism
Michael Scott Monje, Jr., I am at peace (with killing my socially constructed self) (see Trigger Warnings)
Leeanne Marshall, Autistics Speaking Day: My Pathway
Autisticook, Fear (See Trigger Warnings)
Sparrow Rose Jones, Autistics Speaking Day 2013
Cynthia Kim, Autistic as a Reclaimed Word
Nicole Nicholson, Isolation, Loneliness, and the Angry Aspie (See Trigger Warnings) 
Amy Sequenzia, My Fingers Speak
Ibby Grace, I Speak To Thank
Ash Satoshi, My Life in Singapore: A Message For Autistics Speaking Day
Matt Friedman, Real Monsters of Autism (See Trigger Warnings)
FeministAspie, You Gotta Fight For Your Right To Party
Patricia Elaine Chandler, The Unaltruistic Nature of Autism Speaks
Alexandra Holt, Regression. Does it Really Exist?
Nicole Nicholson, a bright light jolted Aanteekwa awake (See Trigger Warnings)
Joe Andrew Campos, We're All Awesome
Amy Sequenzia, Autistics Are Speaking
Steve Summers, An Autistic Social Issue: Dismissal and Disrespect
Rayn, Autistics Speaking Day 2013!
Jasun Horusly, The Book I Read: Jonathan Lethem’s Infinity Loop
Jasun Horsley, How Am I not Myself
Queerability, Queerability
Bird Gardener, Finding My Voice
Nightengale, Speaking from the shadows
Savannah Logsdon-Breakstone, Impact
khawkgirl, Autistic Vloggers and Autistics Speaking Day- LAFA
Bridget Allen, My Value: Autism, Feminism, and Poverty
"Aspie Kent", Being Myself
Jennifer Hughes, People Like Us (See Trigger Warnings) 
rattiepuff, Why I speak (See Trigger Warnings) 
Catsidhe, Autism on TV isn't always done wrong (See Trigger Warnings) 
Jodie Gray, Shared and Different Voices (See Trigger Warnings) 
The MoUsY spell-checker, "So you mean you're an engineer?"
Rainbow Goddess, Autistic person speaking
Tuttleturtle, But what about those florescent lights?
Judy Endow, Words for Autistics Speaking Day
Paul, A helpful guide to my elementary school (see Trigger Warnings)

Ally Contributors 
Sharon Bergman, Chickens and Autism
Autismum, Autistics Speaking Day 2013
Kelly Green, Convergence
PK, When autistic people speak their truth, just listen

Thank you all for your hard work!!  You are the success of ASDay 2013!!

A helpful guide to my elementary school

Paul wrote A helpful guide to my elementary school, part of which is quoted below. The rest you can find through the link.

Subject warnings in place for bullying and restraints.

So I wanted to write a piece for Autistics Speaking Day. I wrote this blog post that was well over 2100 words, and spoke to the idea of making sure that if a child is different, don't be their first bully. It went far deeper into things than I really feel comfortable talking about in public (not so much about my parents, who despite their faults are/were generally okay, but more about the absolutely hellish experience I had in elementary school – kindergarden through 6th grade.


The rest can be found through this link. 

Yes, That Too: Autistics Speaking Day 2013

Oh hey, it's November 1, Autistics Speaking Day. I'm Autistic. I don't always say words with my mouth, but I communicate, and that's the version of “speaking” I'm using. I've got two main ideas for what to talk about: I've got an autistic character planned for my NaNoWriMo novel(s) who types “I was able to say words. That turned out not to be the same thing as speaking” about a potion that let her... say words. The idea was to let her talk. It's a fantasy novel. I've also got the speaking I do in my daily life, educating people by way of being the autistic adult that they actually know of. The way diagnosis looks in China, there aren't exactly a lot of autistic college students who know they're autistic here. That's not to say there's no autistic students: I think that one of my classmates in graph theory might be autistic. But there's not really people my age who know they're autistic, or there's not a lot of us and we're mostly not in colleges.

You can read the rest of Alyssa's post at Yes, That Too.