Hi cross-disability twitter! I deeply appreciate the solidarity y’all are showing the autistic community right now. I want to ask you to engage with this beyond just “they cast a non-disabled actor!” Here’s why: 1/10

(1): Nonspeaking people are some of the most marginalized folks in our community. Nonspeaking actors exist, but it is incredibly rare for them to be hired, even compared to other disabled actors. This has real consequences for them, and makes them invisible. 2/10

By talking generally about Sia hiring a “non-disabled” or “non-autistic” person, we contribute to that erasure. We should be centering this inequity explicitly, and naming that Sia should have cast a *nonspeaking* person. 3/10

(2): Sia has said it would be “cruel” to have cast a nonspeaking autistic person. This response is specifically and deeply rooted in societal ableism against nonspeaking people and people with the most significant developmental disabilities. Name that. 4/10

(3): Despite being a disabled person herself, Sia doesn’t appear to know about workplace accommodations--or doesn’t think they apply to nonspeaking people. She certainly isn’t familiar with works like Pixar’s Loop, which shows that this can be done, and done well. 5/10

(4): The casting is the LEAST of our problems. Autistic people do not appear to have been consulted in any meaningful capacity on the creation, writing, or directing of this story. The script appears to promote guardianship. 6/10

The actress prepared for the role by watching videos parents put online of their autistic children melting down, exploiting our most vulnerable moments. Sia is attacking and insulting self-advocates who raise concerns. The problems are endless. 7/10

(5): Most of this stuff is very heavily rooted in specific kinds of ableism encountered by nonspeaking/autistic/ developmentally disabled people--and sometimes wielded against us by other disabled people. That matters. Name that. When you erase that, you perpetuate it. 8/10

(6): When pieces are written about this--and they will be--I want to see them written by nonspeaking people, first and foremost. Start thinking now about how you can boost those voices. That’s what will most powerfully flip this script. 9/10

(7): Let’s use this moment to promote nonspeaking/AAC user voices! Here are some powerful advocates I follow right now--if I’m missing you, drop your name below!
@jordynbzim
@HariSri108
@endeverstar
@semispeaking
@SnoringDoggo
@gosuperdonnie
@rrw1957
@Communica1st
10/10

And I'm already kicking myself for forgetting folks like @AAC_Autistic! I will almost definitely be back to this thread with more folks I forgot. Please add your name if I am missing you, or others if you think of folks!