todays bird
DEAR READER
ojovivo
art blog(derogatory)
Kiana Khansmith
Not today Justin
he wasn't even looking at me and he found me
Keni
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Aqua Utopia｜海の底で記憶を紡ぐ
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Sade Olutola
let's talk about Bridgerton tea, my ask is open
we're not kids anymore.
izzy's playlists!
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Origami Around
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tannertan36
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@autisticsunitedca
Remember Autistic United Canada’s Disability Day of Mourning is March 1st 1:30-3:30 PST/ 4:30-6:30 EST!
Below is a link to the Autistics United Canada Disability Day of Mourning fundraiser if you would like to donate.
https://fnd.us/71wlk6?ref=ab_e8MtS1_sh_2OeDCOhn0hs2OeDCOhn0hs
Autistics United Canada invites you to Disability Day of Mourning 2022 on Tuesday, March 1st!
**This Event will be Hosted on Zoom and Streamed to Youtube, you must sign up using the registration form for the Zoom Link** We respectfully acknowledge that the lands on which we organize this vigil consist of the traditional and ancestral territories of over 600 First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples. We also recognize that this acknowledgement is only one part of the ongoing disruptive work needed for reconciliation and decolonization. Indigenous people have faced and continue to face additional violence from caretakers and colonial "care" systems, such as foster care and residential schools, and disabled Indigenous people even more so. We act in solidarity with Indigenous people who resist these systems and are fighting for their survival in spite of abusive caregiving practices. ----- On March 1st, 2022, Autistics United Canada will be holding a virtual vigil for the tenth annual Disability Day of Mourning. The International Disability Day of Mourning commemorates people with disabilities murdered by family members and caregivers. We honour and celebrate the lives our our disabled ancestors, taken from us too soon. We pay respects to our disabled kin whose deaths we know of, and the many more that have been lost without record. The vigil will include several speeches from the disabled community, a reading of victims' names, and a moment of silence. ---- Registration form: https://bit.ly/DDOM2022 **Please register by Feb 21st to receive the Zoom link and make any accessibility requests** ----- Zoom information: Attendees who register will receive Zoom join-in information within 24 hours of the event. We will also be livestreaming on YouTube. We post the link on our Facebook (@AutisticsUnitedCA) and Twitter (@AutisticsUnited) accounts. ----- Date: Tuesday, March 1, 2022 Time: 1:30 pm Pacific Time / 2:30 pm Mountain Time / 3:30 pm Central Time / 4:30 pm Eastern Time / 5:30 pm Atlantic Time Click here for the time in your own time zone: https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/fixedtime.html?msg=Disability+Day+of+Mourning+Online+Vigil+2022&iso=20220301T1330&p1=256&ah=2 ----- Schedule: Main event (times in Pacific Time Zone): 1:30 - 1:50 Housekeeping & opening remarks (20 mins) 1:50 - 1:55 Break (5 minutes) 1:55 - 2:10 Speeches (15 minutes - 2 speakers) 2:10 - 2:20 Break (10 minutes) 2:20 - 2:30 Reading list of names & slideshow (10 minutes) 2:30 Moment of Silence (1 minute) 2:31 - 2:35 Break (4 minutes) 2:35 - 2:50 Speeches (15 minutes - 2 speakers) 2:50 - 3:30 Closing remarks (10 minutes) After-event: 3:30 - 4:00 (30 minutes) In the after-event, attendees can mingle and talk in Zoom break out rooms. This is to mimic the in-person vigils where people stay behind afterwards to process, talk, and grieve together. ----- Accessibility Information (we will update this as more things get confirmed!): 1. We have requested CART (live captioning) for the event. There will be a StreamText link. 2. We are in the process of booking ASL interpreters. 3. We will be livestreaming to YouTube, alongside holding the vigil via Zoom. It is best to register for Zoom for ASL interpretation and CART. 4. There will be at least one emotional support volunteer that can provide one-on-one support in the Zoom breakout rooms. ***Please let us know your accessibility requests by February 21, 2022, so we can best accommodate you. We will also try our best to accommodate any last minute requests too, but cannot guarantee it.*** If you have any questions or accessibility requests, feel free to let us know in the registration form, email us at [email protected] or message us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/AutisticsUnitedCA/ ***Please RSVP by February 21, 2022 to receive the Zoom link thank you!*** ----- To learn more about Disability Day of Mourning: disability-memorial.org (Note: This website discusses graphic murders of disabled people) To donate to support hosting this vigil and other activities by and for autistic people: autisticsunitedca.org/donate.html
Content: suicide, homophobia, torture, abuse LGBTQ+ activist Sarah Hegazi has died at age 30. We received a request to share an eulogy from
Content: suicide, homophobia, torture
Lesbian autistic activist Sarah Hegazi has died at age 30. She lived in exile in Canada after being tortured in Egypt for flying the pride flag. We share words from the Hamilton Autistic Comfort Zone, who were in community with Sarah, honouring her life and activism. We join LGBTQ+ activists around the world in mourning Sarah as autistics, LGBTQ+ autistics, and LGBTQ+ autistics of colour. Rest in power, rest in pride, Sarah. We raise the flag for you.
#RaiseTheFlagForSarah
[Image description: rainbow pride flag colours with overlaid text "Raise the flag for Sarah". To the right is a photo of Sarah Hegazi, a smiling young Egyptian woman smiling widely and holding a pride flag up with her arms in a crowd at a concert]
Wishing everyone a kind and happy Autistic Pride Day ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜 [ID: Rainbow infinity neurodiversity symbol with words above "Autistic Pride" in red]
Disabled People for Black and Indigenous Lives
Content: police brutality, murder, racism, ableism
Autistics United Canada condemns the murders of Regis Korchinski-Paquet, George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Eishia Husdon, Breonna Taylor, Jason Collins, D’Andre Campbell, Chantel Moore, and many more at the hands of the police. As communities in the USA, Canada, and around the world surge to protest police violence and brutality towards Black and Indigenous people, we add our voices as racialized and white autistic people.
Disability justice requires solidarity and collective liberation. Disabled, neurodivergent, Mad, Black, Indigenous, and otherwise racialized communities are disproportionately targeted by police violence in a system that is upheld by white supremacy and ableism. Canada has a long, brutal history of state violence against Black and Indigenous people: the RCMP were originally used to force Indigenous people off their ancestral lands, keep Indigenous children in residential schools, and enforce slavery of Black and Indigenous people. To uphold our fight against ableism, we must also combat the systemic racism and police state that harm countless people in our communities.
This is not just a case of a few bad apples. If one police officer wrongfully kills someone, and the rest of the police do not hold that officer accountable, then the whole justice system is broken. And it is. It is important to note that 42% of people who were killed by Canadian police since 2000 were in mental distress. This is a problem when police are called on neurodivergent people, particularly neurodivergent BIPOC, in crisis. Disabled BIPOC deserve to live and receive support when we are in mental distress. Police are not mental health professionals. We need to end the practice of calling the police for people who need healthcare and support, simply because there are no non-police mobile crisis response teams. Defund the police and fund culturally competent, trauma-informed, BIPOC-led mental health support!
Defunding police is a start—but ultimately ending state violence requires abolition of police and carceral spaces. There are viable alternative solutions to police. As Black Lives Matter Toronto organizer Syrus Marcus Ware says, "We can build communities rooted in social justice that actually keep us safe. We can keep each other safe. We can create community crisis response teams, transformative justice circles, supportive housing for all who need it, a universal basic income, decriminalizing drugs..." To do this, we must center the voices of people that are usually targeted by police, including BIPOC, LGBTQ+ people, disabled people, people experiencing homelessness and poverty, sex workers, and drug users. Black and Indigenous people are speaking up now—we stand by them in solidarity. To our Black and Indigenous community members: we care for you. Your lives matter. We know that many people are looking for ways to actively support Black and Indigenous people in their struggle for liberation. We have included a list of resources below, including ways you can support from home. As disabled people, we recognize multiple ways of helping and caring for one another, whether it be checking in with Black and Indigenous friends and neighbours, providing child care, cooking meals, going to protests, providing jail support, fundraising, emailing, phone calling, challenging racist remarks from family and friends, teaching children about anti-racism, translating documents, or sharing resources and information online. Regis Korchinski-Paquet. George Floyd. Ahmaud Arbery. Eishia Husdon. Breonna Taylor. Jason Collins. D’Andre Campbell. Chantel Moore. And many more. We honour their names; we fight for a world where our Black and Indigenous community members can live freely without fear.
“In a racist society, it is not enough to be non-racist, we must be anti-racist." - Angela Davis #DisabledPeopleForBlackLives #DisabledPeopleForIndigenousLives #BlackLivesMatter #DefundThePolice #AbolitionNow
Learn, support, and take action! Check out our resource list here.
The last offering of our All Brains Our Beautiful workshop on neurodiversity and disability justice is coming up this Saturday! RSVP here: http://bit.ly/aucABAB2 Please let us know if you require ASL interpretation or have other accessibility requests in the form. Check the Facebook event for the latest updates: https://www.facebook.com/events/533030684048150/
Make the $300 Increase Permanent!
Attention BC members! Members of Autistics United Canada & Vancouver Queer Spoon Share have made a survey about the $300 increase in BC income & disability assistance rates. We are asking people to share their story about how this $300 has helped them. We are going to use these stories to advocate for a PERMANENT increase in rates. Share your story here: https://bit.ly/300sharestory You can also leave your email if you want updates about this campaign!
Unrestricted tablet access for Tommy Jutcovich to communicate in Toronto Grace Hospital
Tommy Jutcovich's family has started a petition to demand TGHC to give him access to his primary communication device! Currently, hospital staff are restricting his use to only one hour a day. This is an egregious human rights violation that deprives a non-speaking disabled elder of his voice. Please sign & share widely! http://chng.it/5WNDXCrbrb
When an autistic teen without a standard means of expressive communication suddenly sits down and refuses to do something he’s done day after day, this is self-advocacy … When an autistic person who has been told both overtly and otherwise that she has no future and no personhood reacts by attempting in any way possible to attack the place in which she’s been imprisoned and the people who keep her there, this is self-advocacy … When people generally said to be incapable of communication find ways of making clear what they do and don’t want through means other than words, this is self-advocacy
Mel Baggs (via mindingmyownbrain)
Today is #GivingTuesdayNow! During this unprecedented time, we have kept fighting for autistic rights and disability justice. Not only do disabled people deserve to be safe during this pandemic, but we deserve to have rich social lives as well—even while physically distancing. We encourage you to join us in this effort by supporting our activities that help autistic people during this time. Your donation will be going towards funding: 1) Our online socials, including playing boardgames and infodumping. 2) Our workshops and conferences, such as our upcoming All Brains Are Beautiful workshop. 3) Maintaining resource lists for Autistics during the pandemic. And 4) Advocating for AAC access and caregiver support in hospitals. Thank you so much for your continued support! If you can, please donate here: https://www.autisticsunitedca.org/donate.html We understand that many people have difficulty with financial security right now, so please do not feel any pressure to donate if you are struggling. Sharing our posts and our work on social media helps immensely too! [Image description: yellow stars on a pink background. Text reads "Thank you! For supporting Autistic-led Autistic support" Autistics United Canada logo of 8 interlocking rainbow infinity symbols]
A Toronto hospital has denied 69-year-old Tommy Jutcovich his main mea ns of communication - an iPad - by calling it a "surveillance tool". This is a gross human rights violation. One hour a day is...
A Toronto hospital has denied 69-year-old Tommy Jutcovich his main means of communication - an iPad - by calling it a "surveillance tool". This is a gross human rights violation. One hour a day is NOT enough to communicate with hospital staff and with his family. That is all the time they are giving him on his augmentative and alternative communication device. In an impassioned plea, Tommy's daughter begged for help. His family is unable to visit Tommy during the pandemic. The iPad is Tommy's connection to the outside world, his mental health support, and his voice. By taking away his AAC device, the hospital staff are silencing him for 23 hours each day. This impacts his care, with no way to raise new concerns or communicate his symptoms and pain. When a disabled elder has difficulties speaking or moving, with no family around, he is extremely vulnerable to abuse and medical neglect. People in hospitals, institutions, and long-term care homes should have the right to document their care for their own safety. Contact the Toronto Grace Health Centre to tell them that #CommunicationIsARight and #AACSavesLives! <-- Action Toolkit! Want to do more? Share our 5 calls to action about communication access in hospitals with your MPs & provincial/territorial reps. We have linked tools to help you contact your representatives. This was in light of the recent death of Ariis Knight in BC, who was denied access to support staff and family who helped facilitate her communication.
Come join our digital celebration of autistic passion and interests! We’re looking for volunteers to give mini-lectures for a general audience on a topic they love. Let’s share the intense interests that bring us so much joy! If you are autistic/neurodivergent and are interested in participating as a presenter, send us an email ([email protected]) with a 1-3 sentence proposal of a topic you’d like to present on. To RSVP (you don't have to present to attend): http://tinyurl.com/aucinfodump Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/568333843789054/ [Image description: illustration of a cat pointing a stick to rocks and circles on the ground. Other cats crowd around in a semi-circle, one taking notesText reads: "InfodumpSunday My 31 - 1:30 PM PDTRSVP for the link http://Tinyurl.com/aucinfodump"Autistics United Canada logo with 8 interlocking infinity symbols in a rainbow of colours]
Autistics United Canada and Autistics for Autistics Ontario have put together a list of COVID-19 resources for autistic people, which we will continue to update! Download our full resource list...
Autistics United Canada and Autistics for Autistics Ontario have put together a list of COVID-19 resources for autistic people, which we will continue to update!
Download our full resource list (version 2):
Word document
Part 1 is resources specifically for autistic people. It includes:
AAC resources and info
Articles on coping with the pandemic
Online meetup info
Things to do while staying home / sheltering in place
Resources on how to self-advocate in health care
Resources for parents and caregivers of autistic people
Financial aid
Part 2 is resources about the coronavirus / COVID-19. It includes:
Plain language guides to COVID-19
COVID-19 guides in non-English languages
Resources from federal and provincial / territorial governments
Virtual medical clinics in Canada
Online / home activities
Mutual aid
Harm reduction
Financial aid in Canada
Please note that since our groups are based in “Canada” on Turtle Island, we are using resources from governments within Canada. Some information, such as physical distancing / shelter-in-place guidelines, may be different in regions outside of Canada. Read the most updated version of the resource list on our blog!
We are hoping you all are keeping safe, as much as possible during these difficult and challenging times. COVID-19 is creating interruptions to our daily lives and dangerous conditions for many...
Autistics United Canada’s response to COVID-19 includes online hangouts, mutual aid, resources, and collective advocacy on health, safety, and justice for disabled people. Stay tuned for more resources & advocacy updates!
Happy #AutismAcceptanceMonth!
Sending love to each and every autistic person -- keep on rocking and stimming! Your ways of sensing, communicating, and moving matter.
In a world where autistic people are constantly stigmatized and devalued, acceptance is a radical action.
We say yes to acceptance, and no to (be)wareness!
[Image description: pale taupe text on red background reading "Happy Autism Acceptance Month". There are dot decorations in warm hues as well as two rainbow infinity symbols]
Happy #AutismAcceptanceMonth!
Sending love to each and every autistic person -- keep on rocking and stimming! Your ways of sensing, communicating, and moving matter.
In a world where autistic people are constantly stigmatized and devalued, acceptance is a radical action.
We say yes to acceptance, and no to (be)wareness!
[Image description: pale taupe text on red background reading "Happy Autism Acceptance Month". There are dot decorations in warm hues as well as two rainbow infinity symbols]
Hello everyone! Here are some updates on what’s been happening in the different chapters of Autistics United Canada. It's a long one--we hav
Here’s our newsletter about everything we did in 2019!
Thank you for all of your support!
