Cultivating Autistic Kinship and Understanding the Importance of Centering Autistic Voices

This publication is included in the Autistic Autism Scholarship Project. two authors of this publication are identified as autistic in the project.

About the autistic author marker

McGillis, A. M. & Johnston, C. (2026). Cultivating Autistic Kinship and Understanding the Importance of Centering Autistic Voices. Wicazo Sa Review, 41(1-2), 141-150. https://doi.org/10.1353/wic.2026.a992710

Publication date: 1 Mar 2026 Added to AutiHub: 11 Sep 2026 Type: Article Article language: English

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Authors

Publication authors
2
Publication authors identified as autistic
2 / 2 (100.0%)

Abstract

Abstract: Pitoteyihtam (neurodivergent people) contribute to the health of our communities through the way that we engage with ourselves, each other, land, and ceremony. When we come together in community, it is evident that we have our own distinct culture, despite coming from many nations. Our personal and shared community stories hold knowledge of the truth of who we are and work to deconstruct colonial and allistic (non-Autistic) narratives that have been imposed on us through observation outside our lived experiences. As intergenerational Red River Michif storytellers, we are collectively remembering who we are without allistic and colonial impositions interrupting the stories that inform who we are and our culture as pitoteyihtam peoples. Paradoxically, we belong with and contribute to the health of allistic spaces, which now has to allow our existence as a unique culture of Autistic/pitoteyihtam to rebuild right relationship between neurodivergent and allistic people.

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