Small step big thought

Hey there readers! Do you wonder what it would be like, when two non speakers, armed with digital voices, sit down for a chat? Do we spill the tea about something interesting, or plan to meet IRL or just ideate about our vision to help the world understand us better? Well, wonder no more, for here I am, in a freewheeling chat with Elizabeth Bonker, the musical artist, who heads Communication 4 ALL , a non-profit that works in the space of promoting access to alternative mode of communication for non speaking autistics. Thank you Elizabeth, for taking time off your busy schedule, for this conversation  First of all, could you tell us one fun thing about yourself that no one knows about? Aditi, no one has ever asked me this question before, probably because I’m such a serious person. That reminds me of a story about fun that I’ve not told anyone about before. About 2 and a half years ago, I was watching TV with my family on a Sunday night and the phone rang. It was my mentor, Judy He...

  Have you ever wondered why Lord Rama is considered as an epitome of the ideal? Was it because he was picture perfect, without human follies? Or was it because he consciously chose to do what was right, his own conditioning notwithstanding? I would say it’s the latter, and here’s why: The story of Rama’s life is a testament to the fact that every living being is put on earth with a purpose; be that a squirrel, monkeys, eagle or two half brothers who were devoted to Rama’s mission in their own ways; Rama’s victory over Ravana would not have been possible without any of them. Humanity is diverse; and it is so with a purpose. Neurotypes like autism, ADHD and more are a normal part of human diversity - a diversity that has helped humanity evolve. Think Srinivasa Ramanujam, Einstein, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates- all autistic people who have contributed significantly to life as we know it today! Did Rama ever understand the nature of Kaikeyi’s relationship with Dasharatha and why was she s...

  It’s that season in autism land yet again when a theory that by no means provides any benefit to any autistic, but on the contrary paints the most marginalised of us as exotic psychics, is doing rounds; this time in the garb of a 14 episode podcast called The Telepathy Tapes. The theory postulating the existence of telepathy, or mind reading ability , in non speaking autistics is nothing new. This theory was first proposed by Diane Hennecy Powell, a neuropsychiatrist whose work on ESP and telepathic abilities that certain people with  autism and very high support needs possess can be best described as controversial. While there is very little to no scientific evidence to back this claim, with Dr Powell herself admitting that the population which is supposed to possess this extraordinary skill is also a group that is hard to conduct a study on, certain ‘ambitious’ stakeholders including parents, therapists and educators have continued to propagate that their autistic wards, t...

‘Homo sum, humani nihil a me alienum puto’, is a Latin quote that translates to, ‘I am a human and nothing human is alien to me’. This powerful quote is attributed to Roman playwright Terence, who was brought to Rome from Africa as a slave, but was eventually freed. This is a quote that was often used by Maya Angelou, the famous poet and activist, in her class, to drive home infinite possibilities of the human psyche. A quote so powerful, it talks about how every human being possesses whatever it takes to do what some other human being has done- be that something mundane, something brilliant, something inspiring or something that is pure evil. Yet, a larger chunk of humanity is not pure evil, because we make a conscious choice to not be evil. Such is the power of choice. Given this immense power of conscious choice that we humans possess, I sometimes wonder if defying labels and stereotypes, rising against odds or creating a positive impact is just a matter of choice. It probably is, b...

  Autonomy; it is an eight letter word that sums up the end goal that most parents envision for their children. It is also something that is organically and gradually achieved as a child grows into a teen , and eventually into an adult. Or, does it?!!! Welcome to autism land where the term ‘autonomy’ takes on a completely different meaning, or is conspicuous by its absence. If you find yourself wondering about the hard hitting statement that I just made, then it’s time to take a step back to understand what the life path of many autistics, especially those with higher support needs looks like. As with all other autistics, those with high support needs  too have an atypical sensory profile, except, out here the level of difference is so intense that it impacts the attainment of gross and fine motor skills, besides a delay or complete absence of speech. What this also entails for parents and primary caregivers is that they have to actively work with us to help us achieve these...

  It was not a typical Monday morning in the life of Vijaya Raghavan, the petite 65 year old with the eyes of a hawk and the uncanny ability to smell something unusual from a mile away . And to say that something was up with Meenakshi mami would be an understatement . After all , the entire colony knew that Meenakshi Iyer was unable to get over the demise of her beloved aathakar . No matter how hard the other women in the colony tried to include her in their activities and social gatherings , she just did not budge from her vow of leading a life of a recluse . Grief did that to people and who could understand it better than Vijaya mami herself , whose sole progeny , Ramya, had gotten married to her colleague Aaron; yes you heard that right ! Ramya married her American colleague Aaron in San Francisco   in an infamous semi South Indian farce of a   wedding   to which Vijaya and her aathakar Raghavan mama had been invited as guests ! Vijaya understood grief like no...