The image above is an untitled UV acrylic painting by Cecile Lobert, an autistic and non-verbal painter. Every autistic person deserves to have their story seen, not just those of us who communicate through traditional methods. Cecile may not use words, but she expresses herself vividly and gives us insight into her life that others cannot do for her. She uses textures, colors, and emotional depth that past and present messaging from neurotypical people leave out.
In 2009, a non-profit advocacy group called Autism Speaks released a nationwide PSA called ‘I Am Autism’, which featured a voiceover from the perspective of their personification of autism. Here are a few lines from the PSA:
“I work faster than pediatric aids, cancer, and diabetes combined
And if you’re happily married, I will make sure that your marriage fails.
Your money will fall into my hands, and I will bankrupt you for my own self-gain.
I don’t sleep, so I make sure you don’t either.
I will make it virtually impossible for your family to easily attend a temple, birthday party, or public park without a struggle, without embarrassment, without pain.
You have no cure for me.
Your scientists don’t have the resources, and I relish their desperation. Your neighbors are happier to pretend that I don’t exist”
Autism Speaks has since apologized for their PSA, but the damage has already been done. Like Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie explains in “The Danger of a Single Story”, people form lifelong beliefs about others based on the first stories they hear about a demographic outside of their own, especially if they never hear from the demographic being discussed.
16 years after ‘I Am Autism’ aired, the Secretary of Health and Human Services said in a nationwide press conference that autistic people will never be able to pay taxes, hold a job, write a poem, go on a date, or use the bathroom unassisted. If you are autistic and or have been emersed in neurodivergent spaces, you know that depiction is not true and certainly not whole. Even autistic people who experience the struggles described above, they can and do have vibrant, meaningful, happy lives. The Autism Speaks PSA and the HHS secretary’s statements are both centered around arbitrary lists of things they think autistic people cannot do, framing it as if not being able to do those things makes autistic people’s lives miserable and empty. These narratives influence the greater population’s perception of disabled people, which then influences policies and practices that harm disabled people.
Below you can see more art from autistic artists. Seeing through their eyes rather than the scornful eyes of people who wish to eradicate autism gives them agency and a voice that is being stripped from them. I hope the depth, color, texture, and care put into these pieces allow you to see the depth and range of autistic people’s experiences and abilities which have been downplayed by people with a lot of influence and reach.
Unruly Bodies 
When I saw Autism speaks in your post I got scared for a second but then I read through your commentary on it. I knew that Autism speaks was widely disliked by the autistic community but I’ve never seen this awful ‘PSA’ before.
Thank you for sharing the art. I am feeling inspired and have been meaning to visit the various art museums in DC for awhile.
I’ve been with my girlfriend, who happens to have autism for around 5 months now and we recently had a conversation on accommodations. I was feeling like, ‘hey how can i help you, what is helpful in previous situations like this’ and she was like ‘im not sure i don’t want to worry you’. We talked about it more and it was really helpful and now I can care for her better. I liked your writing in the part that says, ‘not just those of us who communicate through traditional methods’. She sometimes prefers not to talk or is unable to, but we have found other ways to communicate as she needs it.
I was actually a little worried about having an Autism Speaks quote front and center so thank you for not letting that deter you from reading my post.
That is awesome and really sweet that you and your girlfriend are finding ways to make nonverbal communication work for you. It sounds like you’re navigating it really respectfully and empathetically. It just goes to show how absurd statements like “they’ll never go on a date…” are. I’m glad you brought that up. It’s why I shared the painting titled “Future Girlfriend” because obviously Jeremy is planning to go on a date :).
Also yesss the art museums in DC are fantastic. An art museum in Baltimore I’m interested in and you may be too is the American Visionary Art Museum. Some of the artists they feature are disabled and at least one or two were nonverbal. I haven’t gotten the chance to go in person but the photos of it always inspire me to create.