Allyship: Providing a Buffer to the Trauma

I would like to ask for non-autistic people to start actually helping. I know we have allies, but we don’t just need allies. We need outspoken allies. We need a buffer to the traumaIn expanding our definitions of trauma, we must make sure we see trauma as a structural issue, not just an individual one. Scholars now recognize what people from marginalized communities... More. We need a break.

I’m tired. We’re tired. Something has got to give so autisticAutistic ways of being are human neurological variants that can not be understood without the social model of disability.If you are wondering whether you are Autistic, spend time amongst Autistic people, online and offline. If... More people can get some restWe urgently need a society that's better at letting people get the rest they need.Fergus Murray WIP by Kristina Daniele I’m in pain. Mental. Physical. The result’s the same. Retreating... More when fighting for justice.
Consider 30 minutes a week of activism, or speaking up and platforming autistic voices, if your livelihood is benefited by autistic lives.
Because current and future autistic lives are on the line, whether you feel that way or not.

Source: What Autistic Advocacy Really Means – Autistic Science Person

I co-sign that piece in its entirety.

When allies ask me what they can do, I usually say “amplify us, nobody else does” and “pay us”. StimpunksStimpunk combines “stimming” + “punk” to evoke open and proud stimming, resistance to neurotypicalization, and the DIY culture of punk, disabled, and neurodivergent communities. Instead of hiding our stims, we... More exists, in part, to amplify and pay the people who educated us.

I’m adding another level to my allyship list: “buffer the trauma”.

Amplify
Pay
Buffer

In my previous gig on a DEI team, I experienced the relief of abled and neurotypicalThe existence of the word neurotypical makes it possible to have conversations about topics like neurotypical privilege. Neurotypical is a word that allows us to talk about members of the... More allies buffering the trauma. Respite is a great feeling.

Amplify us, pay us, and buffer our trauma. We’re fighting for justice for all at the edges and intersections. Our designs, our societies, and the boundaries of our compassionCompassion Isn't CoddlingPeople often mistake compassion for “being nice,” but it’s not.The point of compassion isn’t to soften bad news or stressful situations with niceties. It’s to come from a... More are tested at the edgesFor me this space of radical openness is a margin a profound edge. Locating oneself there is difficult yet necessary. It is not a “safe” place. One is always at... More, where the truths told are of bias, inequalityEquityA commitment to action: the process of redistributing access and opportunity to be fair and just.A way of being: the state of being free of bias, discrimination, and identity-predictable outcomes... More, injustice, and thoughtlessness.