Differently Abled

I have just been reading an article by Dr Wendy Lawson who states that people with Asperger syndrome should be referred to as "differently abled", as opposed to, disabled.

I like this terminology. As her piece goes on to say, "this difference means that people with ASDs need different types of support from ‘neuro-typicals" and uses the analogy of someone with short sight who would be ‘disabled’ if they were never given glasses, but with glasses, they can achieve all that they want to.

I think that this area is so relevant and important to people in work with AS. If you have dxyslexia then people know you are disabled, but it doesn't have the stigma that the word "autism" does.

The main reason why I have never divulged my condition is because of the risk of being stigmatised.

I am going to use the word "differently abled" wherever possible from here on in, in my writing.