April 1, 2023 - April 30, 2023
2023-04-01T00:00:00
Autism Acceptance Month
Saturday, April 1, 2023
April is Autism Acceptance Month. This designation, created by the autistic community, is a shift from Autism Awareness Month to recognize that efforts should include not only knowing that autism exists but fully accepting autism and autistic people in daily life. This language recognizes that autism is not an ailment to be eliminated but a condition with which many people identify, and it respects the rights and humanity of autistic people. As ASAN, the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, states, “It means centering the perspectives and needs of autistic people with intellectual disabilities, nonspeaking autistic people, and autistic people with the highest support needs — not by speaking over them, but by listening and looking to them as leaders. It means fighting to ensure that the universal human rights of all autistic people are respected, including and especially the rights of those autistic people with the most significant disabilities. And autism acceptance means recognizing the ways ableism and racism interact in our society, following the leadership of autistic people of color, and making anti-racism a core part of our work.” Lebanon is committed to the fundamental constitutional rights, human dignity and civil liberties of every person regardless of difference and to the celebration and embrace of its diverse community by fostering tolerance, respect, and inclusion.