FInal Exam – dis/lit 19

Amiti and Bekah’s Final Attack on Foss

It seems that there has always been this labeling of the autistic individual as unimaginative, lacking in the ability to fully feel, to comprehend emotions, to accurately understand and use language. These are stereotypes constantly reinforced by even literature today, but authors like Stuart Murray, Amanda Baggs and DJ Savarese aim to dismantle these running stereotypes and to show how the autistic individual is as creative and comprehensive of language and emotion as any other non-autistic individual. Therefore, in this essay we aim to showcase the main arguments that these authors have contributed to the autistic community, laying out these stereotypes in fine detail, at times explaining their feelings about stereotypes brought upon them and showcasing the creative work of other autistic individuals.

In his book Autism, Murray outlines the conception of autism presented in diagnostic literature, breaking down the ‘triad of impairments,’ or the “idea that the core of autistic behavior can be understood in terms of deficits of three central concepts—communication, imagination, and social interaction […] that originated in the late 1970s” (Murray 25). He relates it from the 1994 DSM-IV’s criteria of “delayed or abnormal functioning in at least one of” the aforementioned triad’s concepts to dominant thought on the condition in mainstream society (Murray 18, 25). This pervasive ideology plays into the binary of what is autistic and what is non-autistic; it insists that autistic individuals, by nature’s design, cannot be imaginative or creative. As Murray aptly points out, this presentation of autism is based more on metaphor and subjective speculation. Creativity quotients exist only in the realm of testing flexibility in response to a given stimuli (i.e. testing individuals in designed settings), and to conflate the fact that many autistics respond to change or process their reality in a given way with an inability to partake in more artistic expression implies that the thoughts and connections autistic individuals make is inherently uninventive or lacking in originality within itself. Autistic individuals such as Baggs have contested this view of autistic thought as cold or without attachment or creativity. In her article “Cultural Commentary: Up in the Clouds and Down in the Valley: My Richness and Yours,” she describes the ways in which mainstream society views the non-autistic process of thought as “[taking] place with a good deal of cognitive fanfare, so that they can hear or see themselves thinking,” and “[involving] abstract and arbitrary symbolism of some kind,” that can “reflect back on itself.” She then juxtaposes that with views of othered, autistic thought processes as “[taking] place so quietly they can barely notice it’s there—if at all,” and with “much more direct relationships, connections, and patterns formed between one thing and another.” She states that her own relationship with the world in front of her and the patterns she notices inform her about her own interests and what she cares about and suggests that autistic thought such as this is not regarded as thought at all. If views on autistic thought processes and creativity are linked as Murray suggests, then Baggs’ words work to show the ways in which the binary of autistic/non-autistic work to erase entire portions of autistic identity and reality.

In Baggs discussion of her own experiences with autism, she explains how those with autism have always been cast apart from mainstream society. They have been deferred in subtle and blatantly obvious ways. Baggs expresses the knowledge that few people actively intend on excluding those with a disability, but the way in which our society is constructed creates, what she quotes from Cal Montgomery’s 1987 essay about wheelchair access, “physical and social customs that seem almost designed to shut me out.” This comparison paints a picture for those who are not autistic to better see the social barriers that have been formed against those with autism. Using a wheelchair is an obvious disability, it is one the open eye can see clearly on the street. Our world was not built with those who use wheelchairs in mind. It was created by and for able-bodied individuals, only recently have newer buildings been required by ADA standards to have wheelchair access. This is of course, the step into the right direction, it being a standard to have accessible design in all buildings and to not discriminate against or exclude an individual from a building because they can not gain access to it on their own.

Baggs compares this to the autistic person’s relationship to language. She explains that, “like counters, stairs, and drinking fountains, language was built mostly by non-autistic people, with the obvious results, and my biggest frustration is this: the most important things about the way I perceive and interact with the world around me can only be expressed in terms that describe them as the absence of something important.” Here she directly points out this valuable discussion on how autistic individuals interact with conventional language and that their form of interaction with it is more often that not seen, by those who do not have autism, as an absence of something. In her experience she has been made to feel by those who try to define her, that her interaction with and strategy for learning conventional language is the absence of speech, of language, of thought, of movement, of comprehension, of feeling and of perception. Instead of her being seen as a creative and unique human being, she is othered, she is told she is missing something, she is not whole, not right, that she needs to be fixed in some way or another. Instead of acceptance most autistic people are faced with this push to be treated or cured. Baggs pushes back against this by saying, “I am telling you these things not to instruct you on the particulars of the mind of an autistic person, but rather to sketch out an image of how I perceive the world, and the richness and worthiness inherent in those ways of perceiving. It is anything but empty, and it is so much more than a simple lack of something that other people have.” As Baggs points out, there is so much richness that those with autism add to our world, whether that be love, expression, a portal of growth and knowledge about a different way of being, literature, art, there’s so much an individual can add to our society, whether they be abled or disabled.

DJ Savarese is the perfect example of an autistic writer who has created some beautiful pieces to add to our list of literary works in whole. His poem “Alaska,” analyzed and interpreted by his father Ralph James Savarese in “Prologue: River of Words, Raft of Our Conjoined Neurologist” from See It Feelingly, is a creative poem that uses an analogy for his relationship to his autism and having need for a facilitator. He writes, “the trees hurt their great places, they lose their treasures, their lying leaves tread. freed there branches they try to yearn freedom but they fear it. trying to get freed points out their great hurt yearning long.” Here he uses what Ralph James explains is a literary stable called pathetic fallacy, where he “stages the problem of separation as one confronting the natural world.” DJ compares his yearning for freedom, for independence, for a separation from reliance on his facilitator to the trees yearning for freedom, freeing little bits of themselves, like their branches. This poem not only demonstrates the creative use of language by an autistic writer, but it conveys the message that autistic individuals can feel and relate to their world and the people in it.

Conceptions of autism in relation to what it is not are common, given the deficit model of psychology; this representation carries out into other areas of society and presents a static, one dimensional lived experience. These stereotypes can prove harmful for the autistic community by erasing portions of their identity and therefore their place within the society we live. Through our examination of these stereotypes’ origins with Murray and their impact on autistic individuals’ relationship with themselves and society at large with Baggs, this paper brought us to analysis of work by autistic poet Savarese that exists in opposition of these beliefs. Our point is not that autistic individuals that meet the exact criteria do not exist, but rather that autism presents in a variety of different ways outside of the given binary and that the reinforcement of ideals that suggest otherwise needs to be challenged.

Sources

Baggs, Amanda. “Up in the Clouds and Down in the Valley: My Richness and Yours.” Disability Studies Quarterly, vol. 30, no. 1, 2009.

Savarese, DJ. “Alaska”

Savarese, Ralph James. See It Feelingly: Classic Novels, Autistic Readers, and the Schooling of a No-Good English Professor. Duke University Press, 2018.

Murray, Stuart. Autism. New York, 2011.

WC: 1467

We pledge.

Caitlyn Valenza’s Final Exam

Caitlyn Valenza

ENGL 384

Dr. Foss

May 2, 2019

The Importance of the Autistic Voice

As a whole, the disabled community is often thought of as lesser – less capable, less talented, less intelligent. Less of a person. Often these stereotypes are supported by negative, and incorrect depictions in everyday media, allowing for further discrimination and divide between those who are considered neurotypical and those who are not. And while one could argue that any discussion of the disabled community is inherently helping increase representation of those who are affected by a disability, that is simply not the case. When marginalized groups are not involved in making decisions about their own representation, it can lead to the spread of harmful misinformation and is ultimately a lost opportunity for inclusion. In Jim Sinclair’s, “Don’t Mourn for Us”, Amanda Bagg’s “Cultural Commentary: Up in the Clouds and Down in the Valley: My Richness and Yours”, and Melanie Yergeau’s, “Introduction: Involution”, the importance of allowing autistics to speak for themselves in both everyday media and literature is highlighted, as well as the negative consequences of treating an autistic diagnosis as meaning an end to the possibilities of creative thinking.

Although autism is one of the more discussed and well-known disabilities in the United States, that does not mean that individuals with autism themselves are the ones who have been given a platform, or are even the center of discussions. When an individual is diagnosed with autism, often in childhood, both their lives as well as their parents’, are forever changed. Jim Sinclair, an autistic rights advocate, discusses the feelings parents often have of trauma and loss after diagnosis but writes that “…parents [must] make radical changes in their perceptions of what autism means.” (Sinclaire). If parents view autism as either a burden for the family to carry, or an obstacle for all to overcome, it is easy to see why conversations would not focus on the individual’s autistic story, but instead the struggles and accomplishments of the family. And while those stories are also important to tell, they cannot be the highlight. After the initial diagnosis, “…nonautistic stakeholders become authorized as autistic somethings-as autistic parents, as autistic researchers…” (Yergeau, 2) and this allows family members to also take up a new identity, a new sense of purpose. And while this practice can have positive implication, such as creating support groups and acting as a label to relate to those in a similar situation, it also allows for the emphasis of the autistic narrative to be the story of parents, not of individual growth.

Individuals with autism can also be the victim of this loss of voice due to the harmful stereotypes that those with autism do not know how to properly function said voice, or do not have a voice at all. Autistic individuals are often times portrayed in media as fitting into one of two distinct categories, either a hyper-focused, socially awkward, young white male, or completely helpless and nonverbal. These two harmful ideas often lead to the belief that individuals with autism either cannot express, or cannot experience the world as those without autism do, and therefore do not have the capability of rhetoric, or even communication at all. The idea that autism prevents an individual from expressing ideas is disproved time and time again, but still the trope persists. Even while writing Involution, Melanie Yergeau was “…told that autism preclude[d her] from being rhetorical, much less a rhetorician”. Discussions of accomplishments like these need to be the focus of autism organizations in order to champion and inspire individuals with autism. When seemingly the only available media revolving around this disability is of the struggles and limitations, where are those who are newly diagnosed supposed to find hope? The infantilization of individuals with autism in media is overall problematic, but especially when considering the lack of autonomy already granted to those with autism. When the idea that autistic individuals cannot think or care for themselves is consistently perpetuated, it furthers harmful misconceptions, and takes away opportunities for autistic individuals to speak for themselves.

Those who do not have a disability are often of the mindset that there is only one right way to do things, and only one type of person who can do them. The idea that spoken language is the only way to communicate or that those with a mental handicap cannot be prolific, harm those who cannot fit into society’s standards of ‘normal’. In Amanda Bagg’s piece she references her ability to communicate with body language or facial features, emphasizing that those forms of communication “are rich and varied… in their own right, not inadequate substitutes for the more standard forms of communication, and like all forms of communication, some parts of them came naturally to [her] and other parts [she] had to learn” (Baggs). This is the message that should be standardized in disability discourse. In order for individuals with autism to have their own space to champion each other, autism societies should no longer be about mourning for what never was, but exploring what is (Sinclaire). With the focus on the autistic individual and their possibilities, the chance for autistic self-advocacy grows. Additionally, space must be made in society for those with disabilities in general, but autism more specifically, to be able to freely express not only their hardships and struggles, but also their own ideas, stories, inventions, and other creative pieces. It must become commonplace to include autistic voices in every aspect of today’s culture. The possibilities for individuals with autism are endless, if only they are given the chance to explore them.

The addition of an autistic narrative in everyday media allows for accurate representation of said individuals in a society where they are often mislabeled as outsiders. Inclusion allows for individuals to claim the rights to their own story, and help serve as an example for the rest of their community, and even future generations. While ‘autism awareness’ is necessary in a society that often ignores the needs of its disabled population, this awareness must come from individuals whom actually have autism. Through autistic self-advocacy it is possible to falsify the idea that an autism diagnosis means a loss of all opportunities, and prove that it instead opens up a new world of possibilities.

References

Baggs, Amanda. “Up in the Clouds and Down in the Valley: My Richness and Yours.” Disability Studies Quarterly, vol. 30, no. 1, 2009

Sinclair, Jim. “Don’t Mourn For Us.” Our Voice, vol. 1, 1993.

Yergeau, Melanie “Introduction: Involution” from Authoring Autism: On Rhetoric and Neurological Queerness. Durham: Duke University Press, 2017.

Word Count: 1036

I hereby declare upon my word of honor that I have neither given nor received unauthorized help on this work. – Caitlyn Valenza

Autism and Identity

Meghan McDonagh

5/2/19

Disability and Literature

Final Paper

If you are not autistic, chances are, you can not understand what it is like to be autistic. Similarly, if you are not black, you will not understand what it is like to be black, no matter how much you think you understand. Morénike Giwa-Onaiwu can say it best in her article “Autistics of Color: We Exist…We Matter.” She also writes that the people who make offensive statements are often people who are not intending to do so.

“They are our friends. Our colleagues. Our neighbors. They genuinely care for us and people like us. They want the best for us. And yet their perspectives are so obscured by their intrinsic privilege in regard to race or ability that they don’t understand. Can’t understand.” (Giwa-Onaiwu xi)

What people with privileged identities can do is accept every human they encounter regardless of their race or ability, without forgetting that it is a part of their identity. Autism is part of an autistic person’s identity, and it should be recognized as interwoven within the person just as one’s race, gender, or sexual identity is and not like a disease.

Autism is commonly viewed by ignorant people as a disease or a preventable disorder that hides the identity of an autistic person’s “true self.” Jim Sinclair states in his article “Don’t Mourn For Us,” that autism is not an appendage, and that an autistic person would be an entirely different person without it. To wish to cure is to erase the existence of disability and the person’s identity completely. This erasure can only be viewed as ableist. This mindset comes much more commonly than we think it might. Unfortunately, this narrative is perpetuated by organizations like Autism Speaks and other sources of media or literature that depict autism as tragic or “curable.” Autism Speaks is not led by autistic people themselves and they have a history of searching for a cure and trying to rehabilitate autistic behavior through harmful means. It is not an organization that strives to accept and improve the lives of autistic people and their families, it is a group that seeks to change or eliminate their autism so it easier for neurotypical people to deal with.

Another interesting way at looking at autistic identity is analyzing the way we use language. Speaking with an identity first implies that an aspect of them is attached to that person For example, saying autistic person. However, if it is broken up and written as “person with autism” it separates the individual from their autism and implies it is a disease or add-on condition. If it is part of identity, then it makes sense to use it first. It would be like saying “Person with gayness” rather than “Gay person.” This is debated in the disabled community, but the point is that it is harmful to treat autism as if it can be fixed or removed from an individual.

The most harmful repeated representation is that of a burden. The dehumanization of autistic individuals is perpetuated by resources catering to accommodating parents and caretakers of autistic children as victims and treating autisics as “a ready scapegoat for all their caregiver’s life disappointments.” (Giwa-Onaiwu xv) Jim Sinclair also touches on this is “Don’t Mourn For Us.” He makes the point that the grief of parents with autistic children does not come from the child’s autism, but the loss of neurotypical child that they did not have. He highlights that parents of autistic children usually treat autism as a tragedy, or even a death. The phrase “losing a child to autism” or similar phrases are extremely harmful to the community as a whole. If you took someone’s autistic identity away, they simply would not be the same person.

Jim Sinclair also talks about how parents often think they cannot connect with their children when they have autism, but it is possible with effort, understanding, and most importantly, acceptance. The main issue with the parent/caregiver victimization is that we are looking at their autistic children as a burden on them rather than human beings who need the care and love of their parents.

As a society, there is an idea we have of autism that is either one-dimensional or untrue due to the lack of representation. Giwa-Onaiwu speaks about the common stereotypes all involving primarily white male-presenting presences. From T.V. savant personalities or introverted gamers, Giwa-Onaiwu could not find her unique identity represented anywhere and that autistics of color are usually invisible or seldom acknowledged unless they are discussed as burdens to society or presented with other troubling data.

She describes her existence as “in a minority group within a minority group within a minority group within a minority group!” (Giwa-Onaiwu xiv). Giwa-Onaiwu emphasizes that finding her place in society with her identity as an autistic person of color was extremely difficult. Her article talks about how it is common to be known as defective and a person to be pitied when they are both autistic and of color. When questioned about why race and autism have to be mixed, she answers that they have everything to do with each other as they are both vital parts of herself.

Giwa-Onaiwu writes that “Ableism and racism have become deeply ingrained into the collective mindset of humankind.” (Giwa-Onaiwu xi) Both of these things are heavily sources of history that relate to the dehumanization or even euthanization of people because of identity.

“Autistics of Color: We Exist…We Matter.” includes a quote from Lydia X.Z. Brown that highlights Giwa-Onaiwu’s main argument as well as my own. She says:

“Just as I cannot separate my disabled experiences from my racialized identity and experiences, I cannot recognize ableism without recognizing how it is affected by racism or recognize racism without recognizing how it is affected by ableism…” (Giwa-Onaiwu xvi)

Discrimination is discrimination, and race and ability will always be connected for someone like Giwa-Onaiwu who share the experience of having multiple vital aspects to one’s identity. Autism is a spectrum and there is not one singular autistic experience. And despite the stereotypes presented by white americans in popular media, there is also no singular way to be black. Interlacing race and autism is necessary because they may make up one person’s identity, such as Morénike Giwa-Onaiwu.

As white people, let’s stop silencing people of color. As allistic people, let’s stop speaking instead of autistic people. As parents, let’s listen to our children. What privileged people like myself need to strive for is to accept autistic individuals, and accept autism as a part of someone’s identity just as we would look at race, gender, or sexuality.

Word Count: 1111

Works Cited

Brown, Lydia X. Z., and Morénike Giwa-Onaiwu. “Autistics of Color: We Exist…We Matter.” All the Weight of Our Dreams: on Living Racialized Autism, DragonBee Press, 2017, pp. x-xxii.

Harris, Andrew E. “Why Language Matters: Identity-First Language.” Massachusetts General Hospital,www.massgeneral.org/aspire/autism-spectrum-disorder/identity-first-language-autism.aspx.

Sinclair, Jim. “Don’t Mourn for Us..” Autonomy, the Critical Journal of Interdisciplinary Autism Studies [Online], 1.1 (2012): n. pag. Web. 2 May. 2019

Rebecca Young’s Final Paper

Rebecca Young
Dr. Foss
ENGL 384
May 2, 2019

Of Mice and Misrepresentation: Infantilization and the “Idiotic Autistic” in John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men

It is undoubtedly clear that literature in all forms acts as a vessel for societal beliefs and perceptions to be communicated through. Not only do the stories and characters in literature mimic those we see in real life, though, but the literary tales influence and reinforce societal beliefs as well. Thus, it is crucial to critically examine such works in order to gain an understanding of both the society reflected within that literature and the potential ways the literature can influence society on its own. This is especially true when considering works which discuss such critical topics as disability and its place in society. In the particular field of disability studies, the reinforcement of societal perceptions is key to any discussions of literary representation. We must, then, analyze such literature closely in order to best understand the roles of literary works in forming and perpetuating these perceptions. This can be done in many ways and for countless works of literature, but the case this essay will be examining is that of John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, focusing on the representation of autism in Lennie’s character. By analyzing Of Mice and Men’s Lennie through the lens of autism, we can recognize and problematize the prolific stereotype of the burdensome “idiotic autistic,” especially in the context of infantilization.

Before critically analyzing the kinds of representation of autism seen within a text, one must first analyze whether or not autism is represented in the text at all. As autism is found across a broad spectrum, and is not always easy to diagnose, this can be a difficult process. Additionally, it can potentially become problematic to diagnose fictional characters with autism when it is not a diagnosis specifically given to them within the work. In doing so, one risks making decisions based on assumptions or stereotypes, which can then perpetuate negative beliefs of autism and disability in general. When done carefully, however, and with the understanding that one’s analysis can never be concrete, analyzing literary characters through lenses of autism can allow for an ultimately beneficial reading of the text. In the case of Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, we see autism represented in the character of Lennie, one of the story’s two main protagonists.

Lennie’s character is clearly represented as disabled throughout the duration of the book; by reading him through a more specific, targeted lens, however, he can be seen as a distinctly autistic character. While the diagnosis of “autism” was not seen in the society in which Of Mice and Men was set, we can take contemporary knowledge of the autism spectrum and analyze Lennie in its context. In doing so, several of his specific character traits align with diagnoses of autism, such as his sensitivity to touch, challenges focusing on and following conversations, and difficulty acting in social situations. From this information, it is reasonable to analyze Lennie as a character with autism.

By reading Lennie as autistic, the entirety of Steinbeck’s book can be more effectively analyzed in the broader context of disability studies; this is specifically applicable to disability studies when considering the stereotype of the “idiotic autistic.” Throughout the book, Lennie is considered an “idiot” (among other terms) by essentially every other character he encounters. Because his communication and socialization skills are different from those of the “normal” characters within the book, he is perceived by others as simply incompetent. This perception of autistic individuals as “idiots” is an incredibly harmful stereotype when evaluated within the greater context of disability studies. Not only does it define the person by a single characteristic (their disability), but it further extrapolates assumptions about their existence based on this single trait. Thus, instead of viewing autistic individuals as whole people, they are diminished to something less human entirely, and automatically devalued as members of society.

In addition to being dehumanized as an alleged “idiot,” Lennie’s character is incredibly infantilized by those around him. For the same reasons that he is considered an “idiot” by other characters, he is treated like a dependent child. This further reinforces the belief that disabled individuals are burdens to those around them, another prominent stereotype of the disabled community. These are stereotypes which both reflect the society in which Steinbeck was writing and the society in which we currently live, as we can still see these beliefs in contemporary treatments of disabled individuals. In all of the aforementioned cases of stereotyping, individuals with disabilities are looked down upon as lesser, unintelligent, and wholly dependent beings. This is especially true for those with autism or intellectual disabilities and is understandably problematic, especially when considering the influence literature has over societal beliefs.

As stated previously, literature both mimics the society in which it was written and influences the society in which it is read. Thus, the treatment of a single character in Of Mice and Men has the power to affect the treatment of real individuals in the world around us. When characters like Lennie are viewed as pitiable and burdensome idiots, other individuals with autism are more likely to be seen this way as well, further reinforcing this detrimental cycle of stereotyping the disabled community. While it was “acceptable” to view disabled individuals in such a light during the 1930s, when this book was written, the story carries implications for our current and future societies as well. Without problematizing such harmful views like those seen in literature, there are no obstacles to these views being manifested and perpetuated throughout the rest of society. In a book so highly praised as “classic literature,” this is even more dangerous for the disabled and autistic communities.

The implications which literary representation has for the broader, contemporary disabled community are influential to say the least, and concerning when seen perpetuating problematic stereotypes like that of the infantile “idiotic autistic.” In examples of literature such as Of Mice and Men, this is even more detrimental to the disabled community, as this literature is considered noteworthy, valuable, and even progressive by many readers throughout the world. With this in mind, then, we must be willing to problematize such literary representations of autism. Otherwise, the disabled community will continue to suffer as a result of such societal understandings of individuals with disabilities, and our world as a whole will suffer until all individuals are accepted and valued as equal members of society.

Word Count: 1,059

I hereby declare upon my word of honor I have neither given nor received unauthorized help on this assignment.

Bibliography

Chaloupka, Evan. “‘Intersubjectivity and Narrative Technique in Of Mice and Men and ‘Johnny Bear'”.” Journal of Narrative Theory, vol. 47, no. 3, 2017, pp. 403–26.

Hacking, Ian. “Autism Fiction: A Mirror of an Internet Decade?” University of Toronto Quarterly, vol. 79, no. 2, 2010, pp. 632–655.

Hall, Alice. Literature and Disability. 2016.

Loftis, Sonya Freeman. Imagining Autism: Fiction and Stereotypes on the Spectrum. 2015.

Marlowe, Mike, and George Maycock. “Using Literary Texts in Teacher Education to Promote Positive Attitudes Toward Children with Disabilities.” Teacher Education and Special Education, vol. 24, no. 2, 2001, pp. 75–83.

Miller, Donna L. “Literature Opens Doors for All Children.” Phi Delta Kappan Magazine, vol. 94, no. 4, 2012, pp. 28–33.

Steinbeck, John. Of Mice and Men. Modern Library, 1937.

Clark Baranoski’s Final

Clark Baranoski

ENGL 384

Dr. Foss

2 May 2019

Throughout the years, autism has usually been viewed as a negative thing, a disorder that should be fixed and one that wrecks the lives of caregivers and families. Especially with nonverbal or nonspeaking individuals, outsiders often view them as somehow lost or trapped in their own bodies, or they assume that, because the autistic individual is not speaking their thoughts, they do not have complex thoughts to begin with. Several of our readings have proven this wrong and should be read by everybody with that mindset. Two readings that particularly drive the message home that autism is not some sort of tragedy that should try to be cured are Jim Sinclair’s “Don’t Mourn for Us” and “Cultural Commentary: Communicate with Me” by DJ Savarese.

So often, the focus on autism discussions is how hard it is for parents and other outsiders to deal with autistic individuals. While there are challenges for parents, such as the fact it is most likely very frustrating and upsetting for a parent who may not be able to calm their autistic child down, or may not know what their child wants, whatever challenge there is for the parent is undoubtedly not as important as the child’s. For example, if a crowded place like the mall is overstimulating with bright lights, loud noises and too many people, the child may experience sensory overload to the point where the environment is actually painful to be in. A trip to the mall would certainly be stressful for the child who is overstimulated, but most people would probably sympathize with the parent for having to deal with the effects of the child’s sensory overload, such as screaming or trying to run out of the mall, rather than consider how much of a horrible experience it is for the child. To non-autistic people, the child’s reaction seems like an overreaction because they are not bombarded with sensory stimuli like the child is and do not see how a trip to the mall could be so overwhelming and distressing. Many people who may not know about autism might think the child is simply being a brat for screaming.

While aspects such as sensory difficulties may make some aspects of life hard, one should not grieve the autistic individual’s existence or their autism. As Sinclair eloquently puts it, “continuing focus on the child’s autism as a source of grief is damaging for both the parents and the child, and precludes the development of an accepting and authentic relationship between them” (Sinclair, n.p.). Autism is typically viewed as a huge game-changer, and while Sinclair admits that there is grief over learning one’s child will not be what who the parents thought their child would be, no parent in the world can predict their child, autism or not. Some parents mourn autistic children because they are not the non-autistic child they envisioned (Sinclair, n.p.). But very few parents get the child they envisioned or fantasized about. Even if their child is not autistic, they could still turn out quite different from the parent’s expectations, such as active, sport-loving parents having a child who would rather sit inside and play video games or bibliophile parents having a child who will not willingly read a book. This is the same scenario in that their child is not who they expected and they may wonder how they will connect with their child who seems so different from them, yet an autism diagnosis is viewed as a tragedy. Yet a book-loving parent could think they may not be able to connect with their autistic child, only to find out their autistic child also loves books and they could connect through reading.

DJ Savarese offers a look into his mind that shows that he is aware and eager to connect with others despite outward appearances. When he does not greet people directly, it may appear he is not interested in people. This is hardly the case. Savarese does not greet people directly because it would be far too overwhelming to do so (Savarese, n.p.). It may appear to outsiders that Savarese, and other individuals on the autism spectrum, is not interested in other people, but he quite clearly is. He wants to make friends and get to know people, but the way he does so is a little different. To an outsider, it may look like his facilitator is guiding the pencil or his hand when he types, which could lead people to the assumption that Savarese is not the one typing at all and that his facilitator is communicating for him (Savarese, n.p.). Savarese’s perspective made me think of the autistic children I volunteered with at a summer reading camp a few years ago. Most were nonspeaking and communicated, like Savarese, by spelling out words on letter boards or typing. It often seemed like they were not listening to the middle-grade books we were reading out loud, because they were flipping through other books or off in the corner looking at photo cards. Yet when we asked a question about the book we were reading, they more often than not answered correctly, which proved they were listening the whole time. This helps prove Savarese’s point that autistic people are aware of what is going on around them, even if other people might not think they are aware or paying attention. The children I volunteered with could answer questions about how the characters were feeling, putting themselves in the character’s shoes and disproving the whole theory that autistic individuals lack a theory of mind. DJ Savarese also talks about how he may not hear people at certain times which is why he does not respond, and he may take a while before he can show he notices somebody (Savarese, n.p.) This helps show that autistic individuals are not merely ignoring others as some people think. Surprisingly, Savarese also tells the reader to ignore his body, including signs for “done” and “break”, when it seems counterintuitive. This may be quite true in Savarese’s case, but it could lead to people ignoring other autistic people when they indicate they need a break. If someone ignores the sign for “break”, then when the child really needs a break, they may be ignored like the boy who cried wolf.

These articles show that autistic people experience life in a different, unexpected way, and while some aspects are more overwhelming for some autistic individuals, their lives are just as fulfilling and complete as their typical friends and family.

Word Count: 1084

I hereby declare upon my word of honor that I have neither given nor received unauthorized help on this work.

Clark Baranoski

Works Cited

Savarese, DJ. “Communicate with Me.” Disability Studies Quarterly, 2010, www.dsq-sds.org/article/view/1051/1237.

Sinclair, Jim. “Don’t Mourn For Us.” Our Voice, vol. 1, 1993.

Krista’s Final Essay: Autism and Sexuality in Troubleshooting and The Kiss Quotient

The non-disabled community has a long history of desexualizing disabled people. No matter the disability, it is assumed that they will never be able find love, have a relationship, or engage in sexual activity. Troubleshooting, by Selene dePackh and The Kiss Quotient, by Helen Hoang, both novels with autistic, female protagonists, break this stereotype, showing that these women are, in fact, capable of having and maintaining sexual and romantic relationships. Troubleshooting tells the story of an autistic woman navigating the dystopian deterioration of the United States and heightened discrimination against persons with disabilities. The Kiss Quotient is a romance about an autistic woman who wants to overcome her awkwardness with intimacy and sex, so she hires a male escort to give her sex and dating lessons, only to fall in love with him. Though the protagonists of both novels break the stereotype of disabled persons being asexual, only Scope from Troubleshooting finds empowerment in the intersections of her gender and disability, whereas Stella from The Kiss Quotient buys into the submissive stereotypes that accompany her gender and her disability.

Scope finds empowerment in testing the limits of traditional gender roles, while Stella’s femininity makes her frustratingly submissive. In working for Bern, Scope embodies a dominatrix persona which she continues to perform in future relationships. In all of her relationships and sexual liaisons, she is the initiating partner and, with both Angie and Chill, she is the penetrating partner with an artificial apparatus. In intercourse with Angie and Chill, they are restrained—by choice—but Scope is never restrained, giving her the clear upper hand. She is also on top during intercourse. Scope describes herself as a lesbian, a deviant sexuality in which the power dynamics are unclear. Scope, who might be described as Butch, takes on the traditional role of the male in her relationships with Petra, in initiating and ending it both times they get together. In her relationship with Chill, he and Scope switch gender roles, he following the more submissive script and she following the more active script. In their first sexual encounter Scope “held him down by his neck, straddled him, and told him to unzip” (dePackh 178). Later in their relationship, Scope notes, “[h]e moved into the most submissive position he’d ever offered me, urging me to take what I owned, raising his skinny bum with his inked arms stretched back so I could grip his wrists” (207). Though Scope identifies as female and Chill identifies as male, in their relationship, their gender roles swap. Despite living in a dystopian society that tries to dehumanize and disempower her, Scope asserts herself in her relationships claiming power when she can.

In The Kiss Quotient, though Stella gains a degree of empowerment by being the initiator and paying client, Michael’s masculinity and higher level of sexual experience gives him more power in their relationship. The power dynamics of sex work are complicated. In discussing the power relations of the money exchange for female sex workers, Anne McClintock points out that the moment of money changing hands is “a ritual exchange that confirms and guarantees each time the man’s apparent economic mastery over the women’s sexuality, work and time. At the same time, however, the moment of paying confirms the opposite: the man’s dependence on the woman’s sexual power and skill” (Anne McClintock 1992, 72). In this case, Stella is the one paying for Michael’s services and her money is her only source of power in the novel; in fact, by the end of the novel, Stella has donated enough money to the medical center to cover all of Michael’s mother’s bills, the reason he was escorting. She says that she wants to give him the choice to escort or not (Hoang 309). But, as McClintock notes, after the transfer of money, the power dynamic shifts back to the sex worker as the client relies on his experience. Throughout their relationship, Stella is always asking Michael if she is doing the right thing when it comes to their sex lessons. Despite being a sex worker, which is traditionally seen as a disempowering job, Michael’s masculinity makes him feel that he has a responsibility to take care of Stella, even though she has way more money than he will ever have. Even during their first meeting, Michael acts overly protective of her, feeling anger and jealousy when he hears about other men she has been with. Toward the end of the novel, Stella and Michael have broken up and Stella is trying to date other people. Michael sees her and punches the man she was with. Stella attempts to go home alone but Michael follows her. She asks him to leave her alone but he ignores this and basically stalks her until she gives in. Although she is in love with him throughout this and does really want to get back together with him, it still demonstrates how little power she had in their relationship.

Though both Stella and Scope face challenges and discrimination as a result of their autism, Scope is the only one who claims the identity and uses it to her advantage. Scope is institutionalized because of her disability and the violent perceptions people have about autism. While in the institution, she is asked to prostitute herself for the enjoyment of Sam, a prison guard, and Angie, a fellow inmate. Though Scope doesn’t want to do this, she manages to spin the situation to her advantage, improving her life at Thunderbird Mountain in exchange for sexual acts. The only time the reader sees Scope as not in control of her relationships is when she is with the Mistake. Here Scope is taken in by his kind offers of help after they have both lost their jobs. The Mistake manipulates her until he is in control of her house, money, and new job, and then he begins to abuse her. Scope is aware that he is using her, but she also recognizes that her disability makes it impossible to free herself from him: “As a solitary autistic, I needed him and he knew it” (dePackh 115). After enduring several years of abuse, Scope comes back into contact with the Dark family, whom she thinks can protect her. This gives her the support she needs to beat the Mistake senseless and leave the house, after which she is taken in by Chill. After the Mistake, Scope makes the vow that she “will never be touched against [her] will—ever, by anyone—again” (177), and then she is the one to initiate a relationship with Chill in which she is the penetrative partner and the one calling all the shots, deciding if they will remain together, deciding when and if they will have sex. Scope claims her autism. Though she recognizes her limitations, she never denies that autism is part of her identity. When Petra first meets her, she thinks Scope is faking her disability. Scope tells her, “‘Mild’ autism isn’t how I experience being, autistic, it’s how you experience my being autistic” (78). She also uses the stereotypes about autism to her advantage, managing to get the passwords to hack into the her work’s computer network: “He muttered something about me not being smart enough to use it…I bowed my head and followed Luce Dark’s advice about letting people think I was as dumb as they wanted to” (131).

Conversely, Stella feels a lot of self-doubt and self-loathing because of being autistic. She doesn’t think she is good enough for Michael because of her autism. She does not believe he would want to stay with her if she was not paying him. Throughout the novel she refers to herself as “nuts” with a negative connotation when she thinks about her obsessions and other tendencies that come with autism (Hoang 57). She thinks “[sh]e’d be less” in Michael’s eyes if he found out about her autism (136). Although Michael and Stella end up together at the end of the novel and he doesn’t reject her when he finds out, Stella never comes to a place of self-acceptance independent from Michael’s love, which is overprotective and infantilizing. There is one moment after Stella and Michael have broken up that she claims her autism: “She saw and interacted with the world in a different way, but that was her…she would always be autistic,” but when she tries unsuccessfully to be with someone else, and then goes back to Michael, her self-acceptance seems hollow (287). Instead there is the insinuation that Stella ‘overcomes’ her autism to find intimacy, love, and good sex.

The female, autistic protagonists of Troubleshooting and The Kiss Quotient both demonstrate that disabled people can be sexual beings. But while Scope finds empowerment through defying gender norms and using the limitations of her disability to her advantage, Stella slips into the submissive stereotypes that accompany females and people with disabilities.

(Word Count: 1490)

Sources

dePackh, Selene. Troubleshooting. San Francisco: Reclamation Press, 2018.

Hoang, Helen. The Kiss Quotient. New York: Penguin Random House, 2018.

McClintock, Anne. “Screwing the System: Sexwork, Race, and the Law.” boundary 2, vol. 19, no. 2, 1992, pp. 70–95.

I pledge…Krista Beucler

Autism Within Of Mice and Men

So I forgot my password and it wouldn’t let me log in, so that was fun. Here’s my final!

Molly Avery

4/30/19

English 384

Professor Foss

Autism Within Of Mice and Men

In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men disability is shown throughout the entirety of the text in three of the most prominent characters. Although two of these disabilities are physical, mental disability is addressed in the story through the character Lennie. While readers appreciate the representation, they are never explicitly told what disability he possesses. He is often assumed to be intellectually disabled, but through close reading, one can conclude that Lennie is actually an autistic character.

Literary analysts are quick to shut down theories of Lennie being autistic due to the fact that Of Mice and Men was published before the first autistic diagnosis in 1943. While this does support the fact that Steinbeck did not write Lennie as an autistic character, it doesn’t make him any less of one. Most mental disabilities used to be classified as intellectual disability at the time the book was written. Since then though, doctors have broaden these terms to more accurately diagnose patients based off of the exact symptoms they display. Lennie shows multiple signs of having specific symptoms that fall on the autism spectrum, as is supported by the text. Despite what analysts say Lennie’s sensitivity to touch, lack of social skills, and incapability to control his body, prove him to be an autistic character.

Throughout the book Lennie has an obsession with touching various items that one could consider soft. This is first shown when Lennie finds a dead mouse in the very first chapter of the book. Multiple times throughout the first five pages Lennie attempts to discreetly reach into his pocket to pet the mouse, although this fails as George does eventually notice. Lennie argues that the mouse is a source of comfort for him, stating that he “could pet it with my thumb while we walked along,” (Steinbeck, 5). Although people on the autism spectrum can sometimes be sensitive to the things they touch, they can also adore the feeling of petting certain materials as well. This is shown through the story not just with the mouse in the beginning, but also with rabbits, dogs, hair, and clothing. Touching these things are usually comforting for an autistic person, and having it taken away may cause a distressed breakdown. Lennie shows the reader this when they learn about the backstory of what ran the two men out of their old town Weed. Back in their old work place, Lennie was fascinated by a young girls dress. Not knowing better, Lennie goes over to touch the fabric of the dress in a memorized state. The girl, obviously distressed by this unwanted interaction, begs him to let go. Lennie does not understand why he should, and is distraught at the idea that he cannot feel the fabric. He ignores the girls pleas, and continues to stroke it. The girl screams of attempted rape, and George and Lennie must skip town before harm can come to them. These two specific examples as well as other unstated ones prove that Lennie is sensitive to touch, whether it’s in a comforting way or disturbing way. Sensitivity to touch is just one of many common traits of an autistic person.

Another autistic trait that Lennie shows is a lack common social skills, that most men of his age would be aware of. A majority of people on the autism spectrum are usually socially incompetent in some way, and Lennie fits right into that. Of all the symptoms Lennie shows of being autistic this is the strongest. At the very beginning the reader learns of this incompetence when George has to give him specific instructions on how to act. “That ranch we’re goin’ to is right down there about a quarter mile. We’re gonna go in an’ see the boss. Now, look -I’ll give him the work tickets, but you ain’t gonna say a word. You jus’ stand there and don’t say nothing. If he finds out what a crazy bastard you are, we won’t get no job, but if he sees ya work before he hears ya talk, we’re set. Ya got that?” (Steinbeck, 6). Even with these instructions Lennie forgets them right away, and speaks up while they are meeting the boss for the first time. It is not only in the beginning of the story that the reader sees this though, it’s throughout the entire piece. Every single thing Lennie does is directly caused by his disability. Lennie doesn’t fit in with the rest of the workers at any point throughout the piece. When they go to play horseshoes, Lennie stays behind in the barn, and when the girl in Weed asks him to let go of her dress, he keeps petting it. George often has to take what people say to Lennie and repeat it to him through a filtered lens. Lennie lacks the ability to comprehend people’s demands and wishes, which is a trait an autistic person would show.

Another sign of proof that Lennie falls on the autistic spectrum is that Lennie fails to have control over his own body. He is described as a big man that often is not aware of his own strength. Throughout various points in the story Lennie often kills animals while trying to show them affection by petting them. He does this with mice, rabbits, and eventually Curley’s wife. Although many people can be unaware of their own strength, this is a symptom that points to autism. The worst of this problem occurs at the end when Lennie is petting Curley’s wife hair. She does not wish to have her hair touched and demands he lets go. Just like in Weed with the girl in the dress, Lennie does not understand why he must give up this simple pleasure and continues to stroke it. This angers her as she starts yelling at Lennie to let go. Not wanting George to be upset at her yelling, Lennie grows angry, and attempts to silence her. Unaware and incapable of controlling himself, he does this by accidentally killing her. Steinbeck describes her death quietly stating that “She continued to struggle, and her eyes were wild with terror. She shook her then, and he was angry with her. ‘Don’t you go yelling,’ he said, and he shook her; and her body flopped like a fish. And then she was still, for Lennie had broken her neck,” (Steinbeck, 87). This shows that Lennie is incapable of controlling himself, just as some people on the autism spectrum are unable to fully control their body at times.

By closely reading the text, one can conclude that Lennie is autistic rather than intellectually disabled. Readers may continue to reject, but the topic is irrefutable. Lennie appears intellectually disabled to readers, is because intellectual disability and autism share some similar aspects in how they affect a person. This should not be confused as the two being the same though. Lennie is an autistic due to his sensitivity to touch, absence of common social skills, and lack of control over his own body.

I pledge… Molly Avery

Word Count: 1170

CitationsSteinbeck, John. Of Mice and Men. Modern Library, 1938.

Kenzie Ward’s Final Exam Paper

Characterization of Autism in Troubleshooting

The book “Troubleshooting”, by Selene dePackh, is about a dystopian world that revolves around this idea that autism is something that should be treated, and that autistic people are lesser than able-bodied allistics. The author takes these prominent issues in our society dealing with autism, and creates this perceivable future of what would happen if laws protecting disabled people went away and cure based research became more idealized. The main character Dax is an autistic woman that goes through many points in her life where she struggles to survive in this society that treats her poorly. Her struggles provide insight into the barriers autistic people face in the real world, including getting and keeping a job, cure-based research, and overall ignorance and discrimination of autistic people. In spite of those struggles, the author still depicts Dax as an autistic woman shown creating and maintaining sexual and platonic relationships and gives her other qualities that extend beyond her diagnosis, making her a positive representation of an autistic character.

Many depictions of autistic characters in media represent a very similar profile as to what is considered an autistic person. A lot of autistic characters we see in media have traits such as social awkwardness, high intelligence, asexuality, being gullible or unable to lie, and usually end up being portrayed as white or male. Even though many of these things are characteristics of autism, it shouldn’t be the only thing that describes that person or character. A lot of famous characters that come to mind include Sheldon Cooper from “The Big Bang Theory,”, Dr. Shawn Murphy from “The Good Doctor”, and Sam Gardner from “Atypical”. Although these characters can be beneficial representations of people on the spectrum that spread awareness, this specific profile focuses more on the high functioning, savant-like white males that are on the spectrum. This tends to shine the light away from those who are low-functioning, people of color, and women who also exist on the spectrum. “Troubleshooting” shines a light on those people on the spectrum, and the author successfully portrays Dax as a more positive and multidimensional autistic female character. This portrayal of an autistic person is very refreshing in comparison to the other characters previously listed.

Throughout the book, while Dax is fighting for autistic rights in this allistic and ableist society, we also get a glimpse of who she is as a person with characteristics that coincide with her autism. We see a character who takes control over her circumstances and fights for her independence and rights of all people on the autism spectrum. It is also a rare thing to see an explicit view on an autistic person’s sex life because they are usually viewed as asexual and are overall infantilized. With this viewpoint of Dax’s intimate relationships, we also get to see her as this more powerful woman who demands to be in charge of what happens to both her and her partner. In the book, we see her relationship with Chill become more intimate which entails a closer look at how Dax openly expresses her dominance. She also finds herself in a position of power as she takes her independence into her own hands. While she is in an abusive relationship with The Mistake, she finds solace in her work as she discovers the organization Polaris.

Oftentimes the portrayal we get of autistic people tends to show them hating the idea of having relationships with other people. This is just an example of an overgeneralization of a characteristic that is on the spectrum. Although making relationships with people could be difficult and uncomfortable for someone on the spectrum, we see Dax seeking and maintaining relationships with a multitude of people throughout her life. This disregards that stigma that autistic people try to avoid others as best they can because usually that’s just a misunderstanding. Even though it might be more difficult for her to feel comfortable making friends, it is important to see that certain things motivate her to do it, similar to how neurotypical people think as well. For example, the author writes, “I went up and introduced myself even though making social is usually something I’d rather scrub a free public toilet than do; stomach-twisting lust is a powerful motivator” (dePackh, 3). As a reader, this gives us another aspect of how forming relationships is something that autistic people want, and Dax clearly expresses that interest in the story. She also keeps in touch with quite a few people in her life and create close and intimate bonds with Chill Dark, Gabriel Dark, and Tom Webster.

Selene dePackh creates an almost unusual portrayal of someone on the spectrum because it is not what we usually see in books and movies. A character is usually written explicitly as part of a pity story and heavily victimizes the character and writes about how they “overcame” their hardships with autism. As an example, in the story “Of mice and Men” by John Steinbeck, an autistic character named Lenny went through many moments that involved misunderstandings between him and another character. He was written as a character that was much more infantilized than Dax which deemed him unable to take care of himself, as well as fully comprehend the actions of others. Because of this, Lenny ended up murdering a woman because he didn’t fully grasp how powerful he was and ended up dying because of it. In the story “Troubleshooting”, even though Dax is met with hardships such as being forced into prostitution, discriminated against, and abused, we are given a much more hopeful narrative where the character takes control of her circumstances.

There are many depictions of autistic characters in shows where the main protagonist is usually a straight, white male. Similarly, a lot of the narratives end up creating a character who is more victimized than uplifted in the story. The author Selene dePackh introduces a protagonist in her story that is a refreshing take on the characterization of autistic people. Dax is a multifaceted character that is autistic but is also written with having characteristics that are extensions of that diagnosis. She is an autistic character that is written in a positive light because she represents a part of the spectrum that is overlooked. She also has attributes presented to us throughout the story that creates a hopeful dialogue and represents a positive outlook on the characterization of autistic people.

I pledge: Kenzie Ward

Word count: 1069

Citations

dePackh, Selene. Troubleshooting. San Francisco: Reclamation Press, 2018.