Happy Autistic Pride Day From Spoken!

To all our friends and users on the spectrum, happy Autistic Pride Day! The Spoken team stands with you in pride and solidarity, always.

What Is Autistic Pride Day?

For those that don’t know, June 18th is Autistic Pride Day, a celebration of autism as a valuable part of human diversity. Inspired by the LGBTQ+ Pride movement, the event was established in 2005 as a way to promote acceptance and understanding of autism. The idea behind it is simple: autistic individuals should be proud of who they are, just as they are. The celebration challenges the stigma and misconceptions that surround autism by highlighting the strengths, talents, and diverse perspectives of the autistic community. Autistic individuals often have unique ways of thinking and problem-solving — differences that can and have led to creative ideas and innovation.

At Spoken, we believe it’s important to challenge the popular narrative that autism is something that needs to be “fixed.” Many — if not most — issues autistic people face are caused by a lack of proper accommodations. That’s one of the many reasons we create tools to support them and strive to empower them to express themselves in whichever way feels most comfortable and effective. A society that understands and values autistic people is a society in which they can thrive.

AAC and Autism

As we just touched on, one of our goals at Spoken is to empower autistic individuals by advocating for them to communicate in any way that honors their preferences and needs. Autism can make verbal communication challenging and exhausting; Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) apps like Spoken provide a means to express oneself without the stress that can come with vocalizing thoughts. It’s important to listen to autistic voices and support their right to communicate in the way that works best for them. Whether through speech, AAC, or a combination of both, every method of communication is valid.

On this Autistic Pride Day, we want to put a spotlight on AAC users specifically. By using unconventional methods of communication, they demonstrate adaptability and resilience. If society at large doesn’t understand autism, it certainly doesn’t understand autistic AAC users — especially those who can talk but opt to use AAC instead. By pushing ahead, they’re not only doing what’s right for themselves, but also forging a path for other people who want to adopt AAC.

Once again, happy Autistic Pride Day from the Spoken team!