Mapping the social geographies of autism – online and off-line narratives of neuro-shared and separate spaces |
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| Authors: | Hanna Bertilsdotter Rosqvist Charlotte Brownlow Lindsay O’Dell |
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| Institution: | 1. Department of Sociology , Ume? University , Ume? , Sweden;2. Ume? Centre for Gender Studies , Ume? University , Ume? , Sweden Hanna.Bertilsdotter@soc.umu.se;4. Department of Psychology , University of Southern Queensland , Toowoomba , Australia;5. Faculty of Health and Social Care , The Open University , Milton Keynes , UK |
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| Abstract: | This paper draws together empirical work that has been produced by the authors in two different autistic spaces: the Swedish magazine Empowerment produced by and aimed at adults with autism, and English-speaking autistic communities online. While the two points of data collection are quite different, there are important points of commonality that enable us to explore central issues concerning autistic and neurotypical space and the meanings assigned to these in different contexts. The paper aims to introduce the notion of social geographies of autism, based on talks among adults with autism and a social movement to promote autistic identities, giving examples from our previous work that has spanned both online and off-line spaces. Key issues discussed in the paper include a focus on autistic political platforms and the carving out of both social and political spaces for people with autism. In doing so, neuro-separate and neuro-shared spaces must be negotiated. |
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| Keywords: | disability geography people with autism neuro-separate space neuro-shared space online communities self-advocacy press |
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