Kellie Bowman
4/30/20
English 384
Dr. Christopher Foss
Word count: 1,001
Final paper: Prompt 2
While some may have more access to resources around them that prevent race and disability from hindering their ability to thrive in life, race plays an essential part on how those with disabilities, including autism, are treated because they oftentimes feel ostracized from their community; even their own family. It is hard for those with a disability to feel as though they are supported if there are no resources around them, and it can be difficult for them to fully know themselves if they are not able to be educated and supported on such a matter.
In E. Ashkenazy’s theoretical piece Foreword: On Autism and Race, she talks about how life may be harder for those who have a disability and a person of color, citing some stories coming from those who have had firsthand experience with these hardships. There is no argument when it comes to race and identity, they practically go hand in hand. Your race could potentially make or break how challenging your life, or not challenging it is for that matter. Ashkenazy talks on personal experiences with her life as multiracial. “One of my favorite aspects of being multiracial is my ability to easily blend into the various cultures I’ve encountered. In my travels around the world, for example, I have often been pleasantly mistaken as a native and it’s a lovely feeling of acceptance and belonging. In Israel, I was Israeli. In Palestine, I was Palestinian. In Italy, I was Italian. And in Mexico, I was Mexican.” (Ashkenazy ⅹⅹⅳ). She talks about her wonderful experiences around the world that since she is multiracial (White, Japanese, Mongolian, Black, Cherokee, Indonesian) she was accepted in the best way possible by the natives wherever she traveled. She also talked about her experience with microaggressions, which defined are brief and commonplace daily verbal, behavioral, or environmental indignities, whether intentional or unintentional, that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative racial slights and insults toward people of color. Although no harm was meant towards her, she had experienced microaggressions from her closest friends and family. Microaggressions are a common experience for people of color, even today.
Ahkenazy’s experiences with racism shine light on the fact that many are still uneducated on what is appropriate and what is inappropriate, especially towards those with disabilities. She goes on to mention that she has spoken with many people that had disabilities and those who are caregivers who have experienced blatant racism within their community and family. One in particular that she mentioned about a young Chinese girl who is on the autism spectrum, “She explained that in her culture, disability of any kind can bring shame on a family and is often a taboo topic. Her parents have been unable to accept her. In turn, this young woman has trouble accepting herself. She grew up walking on eggshells and was often heavily punished for not being socially aware of cultural customs, and for not performing at top levels in school.” (Ashkenazy, ⅹⅹⅹⅵ). Because this young woman’s family never truly accepted her for who she was, she had a hard time accepting who she was herself. She goes onto explain that when she discovered there was a group of people at her university that was specifically for people on the autism spectrum, and she was able to find comfort in that. This personal account goes to show that without a strong sense of understanding from the family and community of those with disabilities, their life is full of difficulty and challenges; both intrinsic and extrinsic.
In Morénike Giwa Onaiwu’s theoretical piece, Preface: Autistics of Color: We Matter., she talks about the experiences she faced herself as a person of color who also is on the autism spectrum. She speaks about one specific instance where she is arguing with her cousin who is biracial. “… Her concerns were legitimate, as she was never considered “black enough” or “white enough” for some people who unfairly wanted to make her “choose” one over the other. But her assumption that I was “luckier” than she because I looked “black” and she didn’t couldn’t be more wrong. My experiences were different than hers, but they weren’t easier. In some ways they might have been more difficult.” (Onaiwu Giwa ⅹⅲ). Onaiwu Giwa goes on to explain that her life as a young, disabled, black girl whose family is from Nigeria and has a South African background, was made up of not being able to feel as though she fit in anywhere because of her so called white mannerisms and differing fashion choices than those of the same race as her. Because she ate different food, dressed in different clothes and listened to different music than her black peers, she was not to be included with them; which in turn made her feel out of place for most of her young life. The way that society has shaped the view of what is ‘supposed’ to look autistic, or black, or any part of one’s identity has prevented Onaiwu Giwa and those like her to feel excluded from society; “I wasn’t considered “black” enough for my black American peers; despite our similarities in physical appearance…” (Onaiwu Giwa ⅹⅳ).
Ashkenazy and Onaiwu Giwa’s personal experiences and accounts from others highlight the importance of available support and resources to young persons of color that also have a disability. Without that net of support, there is a plethora of children that grow up feeling as though they have no community that they belong to, no safe haven that they can turn to in times of need. It is especially important for those families with children who are disabled to provide the utmost, supportive care they can to ensure that the child is met with the same opportunities that everyone else it met with. Race does play a role in how those with disabilities are treated because they are treated differently than their white peers, which is a point that Ashkenazy made in her piece and rings very true; and until something changes, it always will.
Works Cited
Kourti, Marianthi, et al. “All the Weight of Our Dreams: on Living Racialised Autism.” Disability & Society, vol. 33, no. 7, 2018, pp. 1175–1177., doi:10.1080/09687599.2018.1471811.
I pledge I did not receive help on this assignment: Kellie Bowman
