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Grace Ogden-Parker is late diagnosed Autistic adult with a formal diagnosis at age 37, following self identifying since age 29 and a long deep dive into understanding autism and a full immersion into Autistic culture online and in social media to find community and gain the confidence and support she needed to seek formal diagnosis. Grace affirms that she believes self-identifying Autistics are as valid as those formally diagnosed, and that plenty of documentation has identified that nearly all self-identified Autistics who later seek formal diagnosis were correct. More importantly, access to formal diagnosis is not equitable for all, and barriers to this access should not invalidate self-identification.
Grace is a white cishet female who acknowledges her privilege and seeks to learn from the voices of the lived experiences, acknowledging that society has rewritten history to erase the voices of marginalized groups. Grace seeks to amplify the voices of those with lived experiences, rather than speaking for them. She likes a statement she heard recently (but does not know who said it, and wishes she could attribute the quote), “I am not his voice, I am his microphone”. This encapsulates how to share the lived experiences of others, by amplifying their reach, not by speaking for them.
Grace is an avid Autistic/Disability advocate, proudly identifying as a member of both communities. She fights to destigmatize autism and disability, combatting ableism in its many forms, and challenging herself to learn and share as much information to forward social justice.
Grace subscribes to the social model of Disability and prefers identity-first language. She respects the rights of other individuals and groups that choose to self-identify with person-first language as their valid right. Grace encourages people outside of these identities to defer to the self-identification of the individual or group being discussed. She likens the identity-first vs person-first language choice to seeking and respecting the pronouns of each individual. In that sense, Grace identifies as she/her and an Autistic/Disabled person (identity first). When referring in generalities or about a group or person who you cannot ascertain their preferred identifiers, identity first language is recommended when referring to Autistics as a whole. A recent 2022 study confirmed that 87% of Autistic adults prefer to self-identify using identity-first language. Additionally, the Autistic social movement seeks to destigmatize and reclaim the term Autistic in order to improve human rights for the community as a whole.
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