For Autism Awareness Month 2018: Why we need autistic politicians
Today ,Autism Awareness Month begins, although it should really be Autism Acceptance Month. And we should really be accepting and understanding autism throughout the year.
One area of life where autism is rarely even mentioned is politics, with the Westminster Commission on Autism Report not receiving significant levels of coverage despite the acclaimed Channel Four documentary "Are you Autistic?" (watch it if you have not yet done so) and only a handful of people diagnosed as being autistic (myself included) standing at election time (and almost always without success, unfortunately).
Why is it important we elect autistic (and other neurodiverse) politicians as well as neurotypical politicians?
Autistic people are as a rule honest, forthright, and stick by their principles more firmly than neurotypical people. Their strong attention to detail also helps them bring issues which would otherwise not get media coverage, such as when the late Robert Mason (an independent councillor in Belfast who was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome) exposed undeclared business interests by Roy Beggs Senior, Ulster Unionist MP for East Antrim from 1983 to 2005. There are also a few autistic councillors in the USA ("councilmen") that have been able to make similar achievements, however obscure.
Although social difficulties are the defining characteristic of autism, this does not prevent them from being effective political activists. In 2015, I was one of the first autistic Green Party parliamentary candidates and did well despite having been selected as late as the day the 2010-15 Parliament was dissolved (30 March 2015) and I later became the first autistic person to contest the leadership election of any major British political party, albeit for deputy leader rather than leader.
With Britain's next set of local elections occurring next month, and with Statements of Persons Nominated (SOPNs), let this be a year that councillors on the autistic spectrum can be elected and make their mark (especially if they are from the Green Party).
One area of life where autism is rarely even mentioned is politics, with the Westminster Commission on Autism Report not receiving significant levels of coverage despite the acclaimed Channel Four documentary "Are you Autistic?" (watch it if you have not yet done so) and only a handful of people diagnosed as being autistic (myself included) standing at election time (and almost always without success, unfortunately).
Why is it important we elect autistic (and other neurodiverse) politicians as well as neurotypical politicians?
Autistic people are as a rule honest, forthright, and stick by their principles more firmly than neurotypical people. Their strong attention to detail also helps them bring issues which would otherwise not get media coverage, such as when the late Robert Mason (an independent councillor in Belfast who was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome) exposed undeclared business interests by Roy Beggs Senior, Ulster Unionist MP for East Antrim from 1983 to 2005. There are also a few autistic councillors in the USA ("councilmen") that have been able to make similar achievements, however obscure.
Although social difficulties are the defining characteristic of autism, this does not prevent them from being effective political activists. In 2015, I was one of the first autistic Green Party parliamentary candidates and did well despite having been selected as late as the day the 2010-15 Parliament was dissolved (30 March 2015) and I later became the first autistic person to contest the leadership election of any major British political party, albeit for deputy leader rather than leader.
With Britain's next set of local elections occurring next month, and with Statements of Persons Nominated (SOPNs), let this be a year that councillors on the autistic spectrum can be elected and make their mark (especially if they are from the Green Party).
Great article 😀
ReplyDeleteThank you, Emma. Are you standing for election this year?
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