In May 2023, I graduated from John Jay College of Criminal Justice with a Master’s in Human Rights.
I vaguely intended to look for avenues to publish my thesis, but between starting a new job and life in general, never got around to it; so, in the name of Doing Something Useful with it, I’m posting it here.
Abstract:
Unlike the larger disability rights movement with which it is aligned, the history of Autistic-led advocacy is limited to the last thirty years. In this thesis, I use peer-reviewed papers, first-hand accounts, and historical examples to examine how the exclusion of Autistic adults from diagnostic criteria effectively obviated the development of Autistic communities and organizations and paved the way for a parent-dominated movement; and the parallel role of changing diagnostic criteria and a popularly accessible Internet in the subsequent rapid evolution of Autistic advocacy, including the eventual role of Autistic advocates in redefining diagnostic criteria. Following the researched portion of the thesis are preliminary materials and notes toward the development of a comprehensive oral history of the Autistic Self Advocacy Network.
Jay Edidin 