“Child psychologists who said ‘John prefers to play by himself’ were dead wrong. I played by myself because I was a failure at playing with others. I was alone as a result of my own limitations, and being alone was one of the bitterest disappointments of my young life.”
― John Elder Robison, Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger's
Please join us for a special event on Monday, Oct. 7: A conversation with author and neurodiversity advocate John Elder Robison
John has led a fascinating life. He's an author, photographer, educator, neurodiversity advocate, automobile aficionado, and business owner. Earlier in his life, he designed special effects guitars for the rock band KISS.
Another thing: He was 40 years old when he was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
In a December 2019 interview with Ability magazine, John said:
I grew up with autism before it was recognized in folks like me, who were articulate and verbal. In school, I was put in language lab to repeat phrases endlessly. to improve my speech. I was put in counseling for emotionally disturbed kids because “emotionally disturbed” was the word for autism, OCD, and such back in the ’60s. But I attended the same social studies or math or English or whatever classes as everyone else in my school.
Now, instead of putting kids in programs like I was in, people are put into this whole “special ed” track. Special ed can mean that you are with a bunch of kids for whom collectively the teachers have very low expectations, and you’re ridiculed by the other kids who aren’t in special ed. And the last thing you want is to be in special ed, you don’t want anything to do with it.
That’s an example of how we are singled out and treated worse than in my day in school. And that’s, I believe, a mistake that we make in the conduct of special ed in America. I don’t think we should have special ed. I think we should have accommodations as people need them. But I think that to the extent possible, everyone should be together.
His several books offers insight into his experience growing up with undiagnosed Asperger’s and how it affects his daily life.
“And now I know it is perfectly natural for me not to look at someone when I talk. Those of us with Asperger's are just not comfortable doing it. In fact, I don't really understand why it's considered normal to stare at someone's eyeballs.”
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“My conversational difficulties highlight a problem Aspergians face every day. A person with an obvious disability — for example, someone in a wheelchair — is treated compassionately because his handicap is obvious. No one turns to a guy in a wheelchair and says, “Quick! Let’s run across the street!” And when he can’t run across the street, no one says, “What’s his problem?” They offer to help him across the street.
With me, though, there is no external sign that I am conversationally handicapped. So folks hear some conversational misstep and say, “What an arrogant jerk!”
I look forward to the day when my handicap will afford me the same respect accorded to a guy in a wheelchair. And if the respect comes with a preferred parking space, I won’t turn it down.”
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“Neurodiversity is the idea that humanity is by nature neurologically diverse – we have different ways of thinking that are founded in structural brain differences – and that diversity is essential to our success as a species.”
We hope you'll join us for what promises to be an interesting conversation with John in October.
7 p.m. Monday, October 7, 2024
Conversation/Q&A Page Hall - University at Albany Downtown Campus
135 Western Avenue, Albany NY 12203
Free and open to the public.
Books will be sale and a signing will follow the conversation
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