Recently there has been a ‘fire-storm’ a ‘flash-blog’ over what should and shouldn’t be.

“Fix Yourselves”

Sadly, when typed into the Google tool bar…Autistic people should…the auto complete words that ‘popped-up’ were DIE & BE EXTERMINATED. Those of you that read my blog know that I am the mother of a great teenaged son that happens to be a non-verbal Autistic. What a sad, sinking feeling to hear this dismaying news. Yes we live in a world that can be terribly demeaning and unkind to people with differences, but this? Imagine how my Autistic friends here on- line everyday felt. How would Wyatt feel if he knew? This medium of the internet has opened up our community by leaps and bounds. So we love to travel here and abroad- we hop, skip and jump to all of our sites and blogspots to get the news, views and moods we need. It is truly a life-line for us. Our daily diligence, our check-in~ whatever you want to call it…IT WORKS for us ! Our true “Autism- Information HWY” so, to see this. In the tool-bar of our trade?? Not good. Our trade of trying to promote friendship through common understanding. AutismHWY.com’s original mission statement. Paving the way for future generations to be Autistic and proud. Understood and comfortable in the world. It will be accomplished.

I feel we are all out here on the net and in our communities trying to infuse the world with new trains of thought. Our search engines are on over-drive learning, shifting, sharing and pressing forward. Forward to a new way of thinking. Thinking in directions that are so obvious that they have been lost somehow in this complex existence. The thought processes it takes to understand the inner workings of Autism teach people the keys to personal interactions. Personal interactions with ones own mind and body and (the bonus) with others. It is simply put the key to humanity. Our central nervous systems and how they perceive/handle the world are the engines driving our behavior.

Photo by: Yumi Yasuyama- Adventures in Autism

Understanding the limitations and differences people have on this electrical infrastructure we are born with is LIFE. This is how we as people ‘roll.’ I am thankful that Autism has touched my life and helped me to make these connections.

So to see the societal attitudes mirrored in this fashion was appalling to say the least. Despicable hate speech like this spelled out for all of our universe to see felt crushing. When advocates feel they are making headway in the world, this kick in the gut was devastating. But, as the saying goes you cannot keep GOOD people down and AUTISTIC PEOPLE are just that sort !! They banned together wrote thousands of wonderful, eloquent words of truths that can no longer be ignored. This amazing group of flash bloggers took Google to the mat. Releasing a statement to the press about this horrific “auto complete hate speech” upon searching this phrase. BRAVO to the amazing Autistic Adults and Individuals supporting Autistics everywhere. Brilliant brave people that pushed this issue with their positivity FORCING Google to “fix” this from happening in the future! The future of change! http://www.nj.com/parenting/index.ssf/2013/02/google_changes_policy_for_auti.html

We tip OUR HATS to you and you alone.

You have the power to CHANGE THE WORLD. The knowledge and experience to tell the world the hidden truths about AUTISM and where society can help auto-correct the negative stereotypes that always seem to POP-UP!!