Celebrating Blackness and Autism

Welcome back everyone! 🌟

In honor of Black History Month, we wanted to spend some time aplyifying black autistic voices. We streamed a podcast episode followed by an open discussion on the intersectionality between a Black and autistic identity during this week's general body meeting.

We listened to an excerpt of the podcast,

“EPISODE 187: MUSIC, AAC AND DISABILITY ADVOCACY WITH KAISHAWNA, A BLACK AUTISTIC DEAF MUSICIAN”

by Carolyn Kiel of the Beyond 6 Seconds Podcast, who intervied Kaishawna, a Black, deaf, and autistic musician. They covered topics on music, augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), and disability advocacy. As a deaf musician navigating the music industry, Kaishawna talks on the value of accessibility and representation in music. The conversation delves into the challenges faced by disabled musicians and the need for greater inclusion and support within the field.

Please view the full video and transcript here:

Beyond 6 Seconds: Interview w/ Kaishawna (Video)

Beyond 6 Seconds: Interview w/ Kaishawna (Transcript)

Here are some thoughts from our general members!

• "It is essential to listen to voices from people of color, especially when it involved concepts that directly impact them"
• "It is clear that masking is so important for Black people and people of color who are autistic or neurodivergent."
• "Masking and code switching must be exhausting to keep up with."
• "I wonder if code switching may be more vocal and conscious, while masking may be more unconscious. I guess it depends on the person."
• "The autism community uses non-speaking instead of non-verbal when referring to individuals that may communicate differently. It is important to keep this in mind when listening to Kaishawna's interview."

Today's discussion will be more open-ended rather than specific questions. Please share any thoughts you might have after listening to the excerpt of the podcast interview. Check out our instragram page for the post version of our weekly blog posts and future updates. Don't forget to subscribe down below so that you don't miss out on upcoming posts!👩‍💻