Black autistic experience: existence in a society that seeks to erase us

Authors

Abstract

Colonialism and imperialism inform medical models of neurodivergency and the way society comes to know and understand these concepts and constructs. These constructed ideas are deeply entrenched in eugenics, anti-Blackness, misogynoir, ableism, and capitalism. Society uses these markers to establish concepts of normal that dictate how people are supposed to “behave” and excel. Medical literature that exists at the intersections of disability and multiply marginalized identities is underrepresented, and when we add Black disability as the focal point, visibility is almost non-existent. Black autistic people, regardless of age, lack visibility and mostly exist on the margins of autism research. The existing research surrounding autism uses white men and boys as the foundation for autism diagnosis. In turn, this causes many Black autistic people to go undiagnosed and struggle to even get a diagnosis due to these cultural and contextual factors. Black autistic people have their experiences dismissed because it doesn’t fit the dominant perception of what autism “should look like.” How do ableism and racism intersect to impact the lives of Black autistic people? Building off the work of Sami Schalk and Moya Bailey who contend with the aforementioned, I then ask, how are Black autists rectifying these silences and increasing knowledge of their existence and experiences with community-based work and online discourse? Through media, literary, and discourse analysis, this thesis speaks to rectifying the gaps and silences in research on Black autistic existence. Disability is part of the spectrum of the Black experience, and Black autists contribute immensely to Black life and culture, and these experiences must be uplifted, learned, and honored.

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