Lei Wiley-Mydske Shares the True Meaning of Autism Acceptance and the Importance of Neurodiversity Libraries

Posted on May 22, 2019 Updated on May 22, 2019

Of Lei Wiley-Mydske’s many endeavors, this autistic adult, disability activist and proud wife and mother in a neurodivergent family spearheaded a movement to create neurodiversity libraries throughout the world.  She started her own neurodiversity library, the Ed Wiley Autism Acceptance Library as a needed response to: (1) the abundance of mainstream messages about autism that focus on fear, stigma and pity; (2) the lack of inclusion in school and community; (3) the dominance of parent-centered “support” resources; (4) the strong focus on  the pathology paradigm/medical model; (5) the lack of attention paid to diverse autistic voices; and (6) the widespread misunderstanding of the meaning of acceptance.

The need to counter the negative messages and the suppression of autistic voices is inherent in the mission of autism acceptance and neurodiversity libraries.  Neurodiversity libraries serve to:  (1) curate and provide access to a collection of information, materials and resources on autism acceptance & neurodiversity; (2) amplify autistic voices; (3) reflect the goals of the neurodiversity movement and paradigm, as well as, the larger disability rights and disability justice movements; (4) fight stigma, ableism, oppression & inaccessibility; (5) celebrate autistic culture & autistic pride; and (6) promote inclusive schools & communities.

Lei provided the following example of a few books and films  that would be a good start to an autism acceptance collection in any library:

BOOKS:

The Real Experts edited by Michelle Sutton

The ABC’s of Autism Acceptance by Sparrow Rose Jones

Typed Words, Loud Voices edited by Amy Sequenzia and Elizabeth Grace

Ask & Tell: Self Advocacy & Disclosure For People On the Autism Spectrum edited by Stephen Shore

All The Weight of Our Dreams: On Living Racialized Autism edited by Lydia X.Z. Brown, Morénike Giwa Onaiwu, and E. Ashkenazy

What Every Autistic Girl Wishes Her Parents Knew edited by Emily Paige Ballou, Kristina Thomas & Sharon da Vanport

Loud Hands: Autistic People, Speaking edited by Julia Bascom

The Obsessive Joy of Autism by Julia Bascom

Knowing Why: Adult-Diagnosed Autistic People on Life and Autism edited by Elizabeth Bartmess

I Think I Might Be Autistic: A Guide to Autism Spectrum Disorder Diagnosis and Self-Discovery for Adults by Cynthia Kim

Why Johnny Doesn’t Flap: NT is OK!  by Clay Morton and Gail Morton

FILMS:

Loving Lampposts: Living Autistic

https://www.lovinglamppostsmovie.com/

Wretches & Jabberers

Spectrum: A Story of the Mind

Deej

Citizen Autistic

To view Lei Wiley-Mydske’s full powerpoint presentation, click on the following link:

lei TA 2019