I haven't wrote a blog for awhile because I have been busy doing amazing things. Recently I have started up a not-for-profit social enterprise, called Nature Freedom, attending conferences, forums and workshops. I am taking my life more seriously than before as I am continually learning towards professional lifestyle.
So, disability prejudice and awareness is still occurring. The Q&A episode on ABC about 'Disability and NDIS' on Monday 25th Monday was very encouraging and meaningful from my perspective. Listening to particular issues from someone you don't normally hear everyday makes me feel interactive and makes me hungry to learn more about them. I am glad ABC produced an opportunity for people with disabilities to share their experiences on live broadcast. This has never done before. Despite lot of debate on how effective National Disability Insurance Scheme works this topic is not particularly well understood among my friends (both able bodied and Neurotypicals), like many of Australians.
This reflects my thoughts about people's ability to understand and communicate towards a person with a disability. Stark results produced by AMAZE Australia, whose researched on NT people who were surveyed on their confidence and capabilities to interact with someone with Autism (vary range of spectrum). Their website published an awareness campaign based on the survey outcomes. While I am not surprised that not many people understand about us, although our education system is quite segregated. Personally, I went through mainstream school living with hearing loss and high-functioning Autism. I was taught and given similar opportunities as many other students. This was a same during my university years. Despite faced bullies and dramas from other peers, I felt education is more important than prejudice itself.
I am identified as Neurodiverse. Which means have Autism along with other neurological disability. Hearing loss the other disability. It not usually common to find many adults who have both high-functioning Autism and a hearing loss. As a kid I struggle understanding communication and language. Not the English language itself, more of how to understand and express it. This affected my grammar, punctuation and speech clarity. Even I still passed my university exams and wrote academic papers, I am glad I have support to overcome my language barriers. Likewise this blog article have been proofreaded by online grammar check software!
So, as being ND male, it trickier than I thought to live a wonderful journey. Many HFA people are intelligent, talented and organsed they benefit excellent academic backgrounds that lead to successful employment opportunities. Despite facing employment barriers, the difference is what make us employable. My life is focused on career and passions. Navigating social environments, making friends and finding relationships is a lot more difficult than trying to clarify my English writing! Finding and keeping friends is extremely difficult. Finding a girlfriend is like 'she doesn't exist'. The social world is completely full of challenges and barriers. While I find myself socially active person I always encouraged myself to show my passions and compassions about life, common interests and networking with many able bodied and NT people. This is really successful recently in past 2-3 years.
Unfortunately is that what everybody in my network thinks I am going well about life. My feelings everyday is full of barriers. By trying to get people to understand me. Why I am feeling extremely socially isolated and being 'left out'. I had no desire from any friends and networks who are empathetic and compassionate towards me despite I have shown this approach to them. In recent medias lately there has been a lot of debate on Autistic male accused as murders, rapists, stalkers and harassers. Lot of people creating stigma against Autistic male by judging their excuses for their own problems. This impacts my life a lot, placing stigma through my networks towards who I am. I believe this is not recent issue since media have been more involved in this particular issue because in past 5 years I felt not had enough influence of being with friends and social opportunities.
This comes to my attention that media bias driving factors of misconceptions and misunderstanding towards Autistic males, of who they are. As a lone voice of being ND male I feel I am wasting my time trying to encourage positive change for people understand me. It affected my mental well-being due to lot of negative reactions. I have lost friends through sharing perspectives of how I feel about this. It such unfortunate nobody can understand me. I have told many times "of course I understand you", but in reality they continually isolating me, not talking to me, rejecting me and not including me socially and relationship wise.
Would have been a better world if everyone is being assertive and honest about their perspectives even if they don't understand about a particular person. They should ask questions no matter if they are assumed 'stupid questions. It all about learning.
