Operating a business that trades in the social capital of the autistic community to make profit, but fails to incorporate the autistic community in the leadership, management, or profit structure of that enterprise is simply theft.

It’s exploitation as well.

Companies which provide the services that Auticon sells are a dime a dozen. They’re everywhere. They’re nothing special.

Auticon builds a market differential, and its main selling point, through its employment of autistic people. THAT’S what makes them money. Us.

So, where is our share of the profit? I have yet to see it. What I’ve seen is a endless stream of PR pieces that only perpetuates this exploitation further.

Enough.

I’ve been subtle before, but let me now be blunt: this is an abusive business practice.

It’s time we speak out.

To be fair, business like Auticon are always started with good intent. In particular, Auticon pays its employees well and creates an environment appreciated by its autistic team. I’m not talking about that.

I’m talking about the larger business practice.

Auticon has no autistic owners. It has sub-companies and branches all over the world, yet it has no autistic people in its leadership or management team.

If I’m wrong, let me know. Because I’ve been asking Auticon FOR YEARS.

The social capital of the autistic community is extremely valuable (hell, it’s why a shitty organization like Autism Speaks is able to raise an obscene about of money each year). It’s been routinely used by non-profits to build power and businesses to build profit...

It would be one thing if this were an investment - if that capital was taken and used with our consent. It would be one thing if we provided oversight of that investment by being brought in to the leadership of non-profits, the management of business & via community engagement.

Yet, we are rarely consulted. That capital is simply taken from us and spent.

And autistic people, already marginalized and impoverished, are left struggling to build our own structures because our capital has been exploited by others who use it to dominate narrative and space.

I am not saying that these companies are evil. I am saying that these companies are mostly unconscious when it comes to this reality.

They don’t see it as exploit, as theft, because they are “helping”. That’s just as wrong. Disabled people don’t need a helping hand.

These companies, as evidenced in the piece I link to at the beginning of this thread, have little understanding of autistics as community and culture. To them (as with most of society), we’re seen as individuals with individual conditions.

But, we’re much more than that.

It’s our task as #ActuallyAutistic people to educate the world about who we really are. It’s by forcing others to deal with us as community where we collect & organize our power. It’s where we begin to see not just our self worth, but the worth of the autistic community in whole.

And once these companies realize they’ve been trading in our social capital, that can be a good thing (both for autistic people and these companies). By engaging autistic people in this reality, we can help them confirm that capital as investment and help turn greater profit.

Repayment on that investment can take many forms (it’s not like these companies can write a check to every autistic person). A company can deepen the public’s understanding of autistic culture, center autistic community in its narrative, elevate us in ways we desperately need.

In a bit of irony, that repayment only helps the company further.

If autistic people are a key to your business, wait till you see how key we can be to your strategic planning. There are great parnership opportunities here.

If we are to exploit anything, let’s exploit that.

In short: these companies are not evil. They just don’t know what they’ve got.

What an amazing opportunity for all of us to work together to change that.

#GoTeam