Unmasking Autism: Discovering the New Faces of Neurodiversity

by Devon Price

So many of us had been taught we had to hide ourselves. Yet the more we joined in community with one another, the less pressure to mask we felt. By spending time with other Autistic people, I began to see that life didn’t have to be all hidden anguish. When I was around other Autistics, I was more able to be blunt and direct. I could ask for accommodations, such as dimming the lights or opening a window to dilute the stench of somebody’s perfume. The more other people around me relaxed, spoke passionately about their special interests, and rocked in place excitedly, the less shame I felt about who I was, and how my brain and body worked.

Before I started unmasking, I felt cursed, and almost dead inside. Existence seemed like one long slog of faked enthusiasm. Now, though life can still be difficult, I feel incredibly alive.

Conforming to neurotypical standards can earn us tentative acceptance, but it comes at a heavy existential cost.

Refusing to perform neurotypicality is a revolutionary act of disability justice. It’s also a radical act of self-love.