#2: Addiction, Autism, Acceptance
I find myself drawn to issues surrounding mental health. Particularly in issues focusing on the recovery of addicts, and the care of the disabled. I am also very interested in the classification of addiction as a disability. Everyone seems to have an opinion on the subject. Substance abuse is often portrayed in the mass media as a very different monster than what we see in real life. Addicts are portrayed as those who have hit rock bottom and stayed there. They are thought of as the very scum of society, rare beings that exist only in the shadows. And while recent TV shows have shown some slightly different perceptions, the stigma around addiction, mental health, and mental disability still remains.
I am also interested in the awareness of other mental disorders such as anxiety and depression in all ages, how they affect different age and gender groups differently, etc. I am also interested in other disabilities like autism and its widespread awareness and acceptance.
“Walk in red” is an autism acceptance campaign run by Actually Autistic, a self-advocacy group of autistic adults and allies. It counters the “Light it up Blue” awareness campaign run by Autism Speaks. I, personally, find things to believe in in both campaigns.
The “Light it up Blue” campaign is widespread all around the world. It has done it’s job to bring the issue of awareness about, but the people at Actually Autistic feel that they have been neglectful in the way of acceptance.
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