#supports

[galleryalbino-stork17]

What the dawg doin' over there?

[bowlby4]

[rumi-the-blupee]

[anautistic]

It's very patronizing to read over and over: don't get your autism diagnosed, you can just get accommodations for your Symptoms at your job you totally have. Get on disability for a different, less stigmatized disability, you can just do that, right?

What if autism is ones primary disability that, well, disables them? What if the only thing that will allow you to pay for, and sometimes qualify for, the type of help you need is covered by wavers for people with developmental disabilities, which you can't get without a diagnosis of one? (Here's an example from my state: people with I/DD's have access to dental care coverage that the general population does not under Medicaid!) People do have terrible health outcomes and sometimes die without these supports, especially if they've been getting help to survive up to that point from family, friends, or partners - and suddenly end up alone.

It's a damn bandaid to try to turn people away from it full stop, no matter the situation. People should be educated on the risks involved and what legitimate help is available to them in their area that they may be entitled to, not scared off it entirely or forced to use more ephemeral supports that have no legal protections or entitlements.

More often than not the people saying this make wild assumptions about the abilities of those seeking out diagnosis, too - as if nobody whose been to special ed, dropped out of/never been to school, never worked a job, never lived alone, or is chronically unhoused, has ever had to make the "choice" between barely surviving (or dying slowly to poor hygiene, nutrition, awareness of danger, and inability to manage the demands of running a household or living alone, etc) and getting some help and legal recognition at the cost of possibly losing independence. Hell, for some, this may be an actual path to independence, compared to how they were living before.

Not everyone should be running out the door to get their autism legally recognized in this day and age, especially if you live somewhere without much help to be offered in the first place, but to act as if nobody has legitimate reasons and hasn't considered the risks is naive.

[mariographique]

Supports urbains / Urban supports par Mario Castonguay

Captés sous la Place des Femmes, près de la station de métro Champ-de-Mars, à Montréal Captured under the Place des Femmes, near the Champ-de-Mars metro station, in Montreal

[misterlemonztenth]

02-16-26 | Misterlemonztenth.tumblr.com/archive

[wordsoftheheartandsoul]

boundaries are the most direct way for you to protect your energy. make them clear for your sake. if they aren't, people will just keep taking more and more, not maliciously, but because they won't know when you need space or when you are feeling depleted. creating boundaries is a proactive way of designing your life. to help maintain your inner and outer vibrancy, you must decide with clarity who and what can enter your space and when. boundaries are not about being overly strict or mean; they are about using your awareness of what is genuinely good for you to build a sanctuary that supports your growth. in a world where there is a constant battle for your attention and a potentially overwhelming amount of information, you need proper digital and in-person boundaries to support your mental health.

Yung Pueblo - the way forward