We made the choice to grow flowers at Blawesome because we wanted to attach beauty to a population that has not often been associated with beautiful things; and while that’s our truth, it’s also a relatively uncomfortable thing to say. Raimee was diagnosed with autism in 1998, when the national statistics were still 1 in 10,000, when doctors believed that the label should be accompanied by an apology and a list of all the things we should never expect our son to be able to achieve, when people at Target, the grocery store, or just on the street felt it was appropriate to advise me on how my son should behave, and when principals of elementary schools applauded teachers for their “resourcefulness” when it was discovered that they were teaching special education students in an old bathroom in the basement of a building (and yes, that’s actually true).
There was no autism awareness or acceptance month, I’m not sure that the term “neurodiversity” even existed, and there were no laws or systems in place to provide access to supports or services if your insurance refused to cover them, which they almost always did.
It would be so nice to think that we have moved beyond those days, and in many, many ways we have. But when over half of the country votes for an administration that would give a man a platform to publicly diminish and dehumanize individuals with disabilities, and in particular, autism, it is obvious that we still have such a long way to go towards dismantling the harmful stereotypes that are being used to define what it means to live, work, and be on the spectrum.
And it breaks my heart.
And I just needed to say that.
To all of my autistic and developmentally disabled friends who get out of bed every morning and move through the day being your unique, brave, and magnificently authentic selves, I’m honored to be an agent of change alongside you. You are valued, and you are mighty. And you are the flowers that have always made my world and my life so incredibly beautiful.