Spelling on a letterboard is hard work for our apraxic, disobedient bodies. I need constant reminders to point accurately. I am able to spell for quite some time, but if I become fatigued, my accuracy with my pointing goes down. I feel like that is probably true of almost anyone, autistic or not, but if WE mis-poke or make a mistake, people begin to question our authorship. YOU are allowed to make mistakes, but WE aren’t.
Tell me, what is fair about that?
Some people even think we shouldn’t be able to use word prediction on the keyboard because it may influence what we want to say. But everyone else is able to use it to make typing easier. Being held to a higher standard is like being under a microscope at all times, and I can tell you it stinks. I hate feeling like I constantly have to prove myself. YOU are able to get up and give a presentation in front of an audience without others whispering “so you think he really wrote that?” or “but how can someone who looks like that be able to feel and think that way?”
- Gregory Tino
It took me 26 years to find a way to communicate fluently. But it takes 5 minutes for a critic to decide that I am not capable of communicat
