9/22/26 - Autism, mentorship, and the blessings of a wheelchair

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The “Profound Autism” Label Hurts Autistic People

Autistic Self Advocacy Network - September 17, 2026

"This is not just about the words “profound autism”. The ideas that made people start using the words “profound autism” are the big problem. Separating people with many support needs into a different group hurts them. It hurts the people who love them. It can also hurt people who don’t get put into that group. And it hurts the autistic advocacy movement. We must fight for a world where all autistic people can make choices about our lives and futures."

My own thinking is itself divided on whether disability groups need more differentiation or less. By habit I am a classifier. I tend to think in terms of different types and gradations of people and experiences – not to judge or rank them, but simply to better understand them. At the same time, one of the things I hate most about disability culture is when disabled people try to lift themselves up or get attention by differentiating themselves from other disabled people. I used to do this myself. When I was a teenager, I would go out of my way to explain to new people that my disabilities were purely physical, not cognitive or intellectual. As I started participating more in disability life and activism, I not only learned but deeply internalized how corrosive and disgusting that kind of thing is. Now I balk at any hint of, "We're not like them!" or, "They get all the attention and we get ignored!" So, I am naturally inclined to side with ASAN and agree that it's better for all concerned to view autism as a diverse but essentially singular experience, and to oppose efforts to draw distinctions, regardless of the motivations. But my classifying tendencies persist. And sometimes I need reminding about precisely why it's not be good to talk about different "levels" of autism, or of other disabilities.

How to Seek a Mentor

Kelly Mack, Rolling with It - September 17, 2026

"Eventually, I realized I was never going to have an “officially designated mentor” in my life, so I had better seek out other forms of mentorship around me. Sometimes just some focused observations about the people in our lives (either direct contacts or one or two introductions away) can provide the guidance we are seeking. Here are some questions to ask ourselves, then ask the trusted people around us either for their thoughts or an introduction to another person who can provide insight."

I'm usually not fond of "self help" musings. But this piece is great. It's got excellent advice on how we as disabled people can assemble our own "mentoring" when the more formalized versions of those relationships aren't available. It also has me thinking about who, if anyone, has been mentors to me – and whether I have ever been a helpful mentor to other disabled people.

Study Finds Using a Wheelchair Highly Preferable to Immobilizing Pain

Jeremy Einbinder, The Squeaky Wheel - September 7, 2026

"In a medical science breakthrough that could be profoundly helpful for people who are consistently in excruciating goddamn pain all the f***ing time, a new study from Harvard Medical School has confirmed that using a wheelchair is highly preferable to immobilizing pain."

The fact that many if not most disabled people have positive feelings about their wheelchairs is probably one of the ways our thinking about disability differs the most from how non-disabled people think about it. It's one of the first of the basic "disability awareness" ideas I learned as a young disabled person – that a wheelchair isn't a tragedy or confinement, but means mobility and liberation if you can't walk easily, or at all. I learned that from experience when I used an electric scooter to get around in college. And in the last couple of years, I've re-learned that when I started using a manual wheelchair for indoor mobility, to supplement the walker I use when I am out. I could probably spiral into depression and anxiety about aging and lost physical capabilities. But apart from a fleeting thought or two along these lines, most of my thoughts on these mobility aids is how great they are and how confident, capable, and safe they make me feel. The phrase "wheelchair bound" has never made less sense to me than it does right now.

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