(Trigger warning for abuse, electroshock therapy, torture, and ableism.)
The US court has overturned the ban on shock devices being used against disabled students, predominantly autistic students in the US.
The shock device being legalized is called the graduated electronic decelerator (or GED). This is a torture device that is used to ‘correct’ autistic behaviors / symptoms. Autistic people are shocked for stimming, and for having meltdowns, ect. This device was made popular by a behavioral center (the Judge Rosenberg Center, specifically) that is infamous for its abuse and torture of autistic / disabled patients.
(Image ID: someone is holding their arm out and resting it on a table, with their sleeve rolled up. Attached to their arm are wires, which connect to a small cube device.)
This is what the device looks like. It sends electric shocks into the victim’s skin; the victim often being restrained and held against their will. This is torture. GEDs have been reported to cause intense psychological trauma, PTSD, and physical injuries.
In March of 2020, the FDA ruled for GEDs to be banned. (Although, of course, they were still illegally used at a number of places.) This ruling has recently been appealed, and today, the US court of appeals has re-regulated the law to stop the use of GED. Sounds great, right? It would be!
… If not for a huge loophole in the wording, which basically allows this torture to continue. This device is going to have continued use on autistic students in order to “correct their behavior.”
“So…. What can I do??”
Great question! You can:
Listen to and boost autistic voices to spread awareness
As-of now (August 7th), autistic activists are trying to get #StopTheShock trending on Twitter, so Tweet out the hashtag if you have Twitter
If you’re in the US, email / call your legislators
When I was in partial people kept telling me how brave I was. Telling me that I’m one of the bravest people that they’ve met. What they don’t understand is that I’m not brave at all. I just don’t care about anything anymore. When you don’t care then what would you have left to fear?
this is the first lesson you learn: you are always wrong.
there is no electric hum buzzing through the air. there is no stinging bite to the sweetness of the mango. there is no bitter metallic tang to the water.
there is no cruelty in their laughter, no ambiguity in the instructions, no reason to be upset. there is no bitter aftertaste to your sweet tea, nothing scratchy about your blanket.
the lamps glow steadily. they do not falter.
II.
this is the second lesson you learn: you are never right.
you are childish, gullible, overly prone to tears. you are pedantic, combative, deliberately obtuse. you are lazy, unreliable, never on time.
you’re always making up excuses, rudely interrupting, stepping on people’s shoes. you’re always trying to get attention, never thinking about anyone else, selfish through and through.
it’s you that’s the problem. the lamps are fine.
III.
this is the third lesson you learn: you must always give in.
mother knows best. father knows best. doctor knows best. teacher knows best. this is the proper path. do not go astray.
listen to your elders, respect your betters, accept what’s given to you as your due. bow to the wisdom of experience, the education of the professional, the clarity of an external point of view.
I wanted to take the time to share this survey I’ll be working on for my research paper this semester. The topic is autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and how societal variables such as gender norms, race, and socioeconomic statues may influence individual’s with ASD. This is a rarely touched upon topic in sociology, but one I believe is very important to understand.
To take part in this survey, you must be either medically or self-diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and be 18 years old or older. If you or someone else you know fit the criteria, I would truly appreciate it if you’d take the time to complete this short survey so that I may collect further data on the topic.
Even if you are unable to take the survey yourself, it’ll help if you can share and reblog this survey link to spread the word:
Do you believe that empathy is a trait that is learned/taught?
Or do you believe that one develops it naturally as we grow (so long as that process is not disrupted by neurodevelopmental, phycological, or other external factors?)
Similarly, do you think it’s possible to teach yourself to better understand, or maybe even better experience empathy, if said issues were to occur?
It’s a bittersweet concept, seeing characters in fiction tackle the symptoms of mental illness/neurodiversities with such tact, when we don’t often witness this in reality.
I’ll read a story with a well-rounded character, who is written with an accurate portrayal of Autism, by an Autistic author. And it’s kind of… heartwarming? To see the others in said story react with understanding, to things such as sensory overload, or meltdowns, or to finally see someone be so encouraged to speak on a special interest. All the while, they never infantilize this individual, nor do they mock him. They don’t make him out to be weak, unintelligent, or less than. He has many other aspects to his personality. He is smart, witty, caring, and independent.⁽¹⁾
Because he is a person. He is an adult. He just so happens to have Autism and ADHD.
I’m in the same boat, and despite those moments being fiction, reading them makes me feel justified in existing as me.
Maybe it’s some deep-rooted, internalised ableism I still have towards myself. But whenever I experience those negative symptoms, all I receive from my family is ridicule and taunts. I don’t feel like a valid person struggling with my own conditions. I feel like I need to get over myself. (/nav)
It makes me wonder, how many others are in the same boat?
We shouldn’t guilt people over things they can’t change. It will only make things worse. Besides, it’s not that hard to be supportive. Or, at the very least, not to be a dick.
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(⁽¹⁾Note:You don’t have to be “independent” to be a rational person, or an adult, or anything. I was only describing this character. There is nothing wrong with needing help, or having a disability that does not allow you to care for yourself.)
As a child were you the “I’m an alien and I don’t understand human things” neurodivergent or the “I’m not supposed to be here I’m actually supposed to get whisked away to another world where I’m the chosen one” neurodivergent
Autistic People Can Solve Our Cybersecurity Crisis
By Kevin Pelphrey
ALAN TURING WAS the mastermind whose role in cracking the Nazi Enigma code helped the Allies win World War II. He built a machine to do the calculations necessary to decipher enemy messages and today is hailed as the father of the computer and artificial intelligence. He’s also widely believed to have been autistic.
wondering if i’ll ever be able to be close enough to someone to actually fall in love with them haha. i’m going to be alone forever babe. fuck my autism and fuck my life.
i feel like i’m never going to find someone to love me, but yet i know realistically someone will probably love me, eventually, maybe. i’m not capable of touching people casually. i can’t even casually hug friends. so i doubt i’ll ever be able to kiss a girl on the cheek. or hug her. or do anything. human connections are so hard for me. i can barely hug my step-dad. the only person i can hug frequently and casually is my mom. i want to love someone and do all that lovey dovey shit but i feel like i just won’t be able to do it right. like i’ll fail and i don’t like failing at all. i also am afraid of rejection. i want a girlfriend but i feel like everyone my age is too immature for me so i feel like i won’t be able to get a girlfriend until college which makes me sad because i see other people in relationships around me. anyway yeah, love. it’s a thing. it’s scary. but i want it.
