Disclaimer

All opinions and views stated on this site belong solely to Corina Lynn Becker, and do not represent or reflects the views and opinions of any organizations, unless otherwise specified.

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Puzzle-less Autism Awareness Ribbons

For the longest time, I've been bothered about the autism awareness ribbons and other products displaying puzzle pieces. As a lot of autistics say when we object to it, we are not puzzle, we are people. So, since I've been aware of why it is offensive, I've been avoiding using it for any autism-related images.

Except my Anti-puzzle graphics for protesting Autism Speaks and other organizations.

However, I wanted an autism awareness ribbon that anti-puzzle autistics and other community members could display and use. So I made one, using the concept of my Neurodiversity infinity mobius and the spectrum part of Autism Spectrum.


[Edit April 2, 2013]
!!!!!!!STOP AND READ BEFORE YOU USE!!!!!!!
PLEASE READ THE CONTENTS OF THIS BLOG BEFORE YOU USE!!!
I am neurodiversity/Autism rights advocate; I do not support Autism Speaks, Age of Autism or any theories regarding Autism that is not based on science-based research.
Anything regarding cause and vaccines, toxins, chelation, HBOT, etc, is NOT SUPPORTED ON THIS BLOG AND THEREFORE, NOT GIVEN PERMISSION TO USE MY IMAGES, INCLUDING MY RIBBONS

If you use my ribbons and images, please credit them to me.  Failure to do so, and failure to support autistic-perspectives and rights with how you use my images will result in my retracting permission to use all of my images, including my autism awareness ribbons.  
Automatically, if you support Autism Speaks, you do not have permission to use my images. 

This images are for Autism Awareness, Acceptance, and Neurodiversity.  If you are confused whether the way you will use them fits this, please READ THE CONTENTS OF THIS BLOG BEFORE USING!!!!!

Thank You [/edit]



Actually, I made two, and I've uploaded them so that people may use them freely. Also, I've made some shirts, car stickers and other products using the design, available on my zazzle store. (all proceeds goes towards my tuition fund; I'm applying to the Disability Studies program at Ryerson University, and it kinda costs a lot for someone on social assistance). The textless are below.










7 comments:

  1. Hai Corina,

    First, very nice ribbon. Now about the puzzle. Puzzling is what we do, with every breath we take.
    A puzzle is what we are to people withou autism.
    So, the puzzle is allright, but boring. I think also that when we take the arches from McDonalds people get confused, so it is with the puzzle logo. Tip!! take the theme and simplify it.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Rob,

    The problem is that a lot of the times it comes to mean that there are 'pieces' missing from us, and that suggests that we are less than whole, and thus less than human. This fosters negative stigma towards autistics, and promotes an ideology that because we are less than human, we do not require the same rights and freedoms as "real" humans. Which in turn, justifies abuses and human rights violations, neglect and murder towards autistics.
    Not to mention fosters a reluctance on the part of service providers to meet the needs of autistic individuals.

    And yes, I've considered modifying the puzzle theme to be something less offensive, but the underlying attitudes in the puzzle piece still remains. Hence why I refuse to use it, and work on the theme of the wider autism spectrum.

    This blog and my mission, after all, is to eliminate negative stigma and stereotypes.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I avoid anything with puzzle pieces too for exactly these reasons.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I've displayed your ribbon on my blog with a link. I'd never thought about the 'having a piece missing' interpretation of the puzzle piece ribbon, so thanks for the explanation.

    ReplyDelete
  5. My friend Rachel feels the same way as you. She has created a response too: http://www.journeyswithautism.com/2010/08/24/on-puzzles-privilege-and-missing-pronouns/

    -Isabel

    ReplyDelete
  6. I never thought about it as that way....that we have a piece missing. I always thought it was more about how our minds work. Puzzling over things and solving things...I wonder if they meant it in an offensive way...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I don't have the examples on hand right now, but if you look at the history of how the symbol has been used, it was devised by parents and professionals to reflect "the puzzling nature of autism", complete with images of children with puzzle pieces missing from their head.

      Delete

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