Autistic people gather in Rio de Janeiro to celebrate Autistan Day

In line with celebrations of World Autism Awareness Day – created by the United Nations (Him) for the 2 avril, the Diplomatic Organization of Autistan, a non-profit institution with several locations and supporters around the world, promoted Autistan Day in Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro, last Sunday (31).

On this occasion, autistic people from different states of Brazil, in person and virtually, discussed topics of their free choice in various round tables. Among the debates were topics such as neurodiversity, le diagnostic, prejudices, autistic women and self-acceptance.

The person responsible for the event was the Frenchman Eric, 54 ans, who ranked this day as the hardest day of their life. There were more than 10 hours spent on call management and transmission, carried out simultaneously on YouTube and Facebook, to be watched in different locations in Brazil.

Dialogues

Embassy of Autistan - Autism Magazine

The idea for Autistan Day came just two months before the event itself. Despite the lack of time, Eric managed to bring together different autistic people in different positions in autistic media activism – such as YouTuber Leonard Akira, la podcaster Erika Ribeiro et l'adolescent Zeca Szymon – to talk about topics that interested them.

“They were very collaborative, very patient, very nice. This is the magical effect of Brazil, people are more human, more open, kinder and kinder. Brazil, in my opinion as a Frenchman, is a very advanced country in terms of rights for autistic people”, he declared.

The event started at 11 h. and continued until 21 h 30. The day was divided into short presentations, discussions and comments, and also included details about Autistan – a metaphorical concept of an autistic country. What's more, the public was able to follow the show on the organization’s YouTube channel and Facebook page.

The proposal, selon Eric, was complicated to execute. “There were more 10 volunteers, but the event required a lot of technology, interactions and it was extremely difficult. We're not used to doing such complicated things with a computer.", he said.

Originally, the event had to be linked to the Olympic GamesAutistan, thati took place simultaneously in Belgium. However, transmission problems led to schedule changes. Despite the impasses, Autistan Day maintained the participation of all planned autistic people.

“I was very stressed and I was afraid of having technical problems, but this is my way of doing it. Because when you think too much, so you think it's impossible and so you do nothing. But we managed to do something really cool and solve problems together.", he added.

Support

It is impossible to dissociate the Embassy from Autistan, physical site of the Autistan Diplomatic Organization, of Eric figure. After leaving France after the Paris attacks in 2015 and having rented an apartment of 45 m² in Copacabana in February 2017, the space receives and supports autistic people from different regions of the country with its own resources.

Eric, in the past, was a traveling figure and with many stories. He was in publishing 2003 de Guinness World Records, he went to countries like Russia, Egypt and Kazakhstan, he is multilingual, he was a DJ for 15 ans, and adapted to social life as much as possible. For more than two years in Rio de Janeiro, he said he was happy with the change and avoids appearing in photos.

The Frenchman lives with Shree Ram, a young Nepalese man whom he met during one of his trips to Nepal and who accompanies him in Autistan and in Brazilian life. “We have a friendship we could not have imagined. He's like a brother from another mother. We are very happy here”, he declared.

A neurodiverse helper in Eric's life is Ludmila Leal, who has an autistic brother and has generally collaborated in the organization. “This is the way for Humanity. The only way to make peace, it’s that people accept each other and put themselves in the other’s place”, she says of the importance of differences.

It was with the intention of understanding other autistic people that Eric made as many adaptations as possible for guests.. Geuvana Nogueira, For example, is part of the Autistic League (« League of Autists »), has dietary restrictions and traveled from Campo Grande to Rio. In the capital, she was assisted by the organization and other autistic people present.

To Rio de Janeiro, Geuvana said she faced challenges. “I stepped out of my comfort zone, it was delicate. But I believe that when we can accept ourselves and see ourselves as autistic, the other autistic person is not difficult. It's like everyone already knows each other.

Eric recalled the mission of Autistan. “We want to collaborate with anyone, whether they are autistic, families or organizations. We are an autism organization, extra-nationale, which is not linked to any country, with a global vision to support national activists.

Participants in the online broadcast of Autistan Day 2019

Stories

Behind the scenes of Autistan Day gave rise to meetings and experiences for participants. Erika Ribeiro, podcasteuse pour Erika’s Small Talk, recognized the event as something of a turning point in his “coming out” saga that dragged on for a significant portion of his 39 ans.

“I was diagnosed at the height of my career at the age of 22 ans. I went to law school, I worked, and it gave me abnormal mental confusion. I sought psychiatric help and ended up being diagnosed with ADHD and Asperger's. I finally decided to come and show myself! »

Most event attendees were adults, with the exception of Zeca Szymon, a teenager from 14 ans, accompanied by her mother, Magaly Botafogo. On the other hand, Geuvana has two adult children, and sees her position as something different from most non-autistic mothers.

“One of them doesn’t live with me. When he comes home, there is a very big nuisance. I hate being kissed, and I'm suffocating. And you no longer identify yourself [like his mother], but he's your son, you like him. But I'm learning to deal with it. I raised them to have their own life. This is not my life, It’s theirs.”, she explained.

Youtuber Leonard Akira said autistic potential should be harnessed. “Autism, from parents, is considered a taboo and a limiting factor. They think about all the difficulties the child will have in life and the discrimination. If a parent has a more optimistic view of the child, he sees the advantages and disadvantages of this condition.

Ludmila, who followed it all behind the broadcast cameras, approved Autistan Day. “The more events there are that show different ways of living, spend, to live together, to accept, the better it is. [We must] end intolerance, which spreads throughout civilization, and right now it's of utmost importance.

Introverting Podcast — episode on Autistan Day

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Tiago Abreu
http://www.introvertendo.com.br
Journalist, autistic and creator of the podcast Introvertissant (« Introverting »).

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More details about the participants

Presentation of Autistan, autism, of the Diplomatic Organization of Autistan, of the concept of Autistan Day and “Autistan Day” events 2019 » to Rio de Janeiro.

(Introduction to the event 31/03/2019 At the Autistan Embassy in Rio de Janeiro)

Welcome to Autistan !

1/ What is Autistan?

The word “Autistan” (translated as Autistão in Portuguese) is simply a name, invented by our French autistic friend Josef Schovanec, in 2014.

This name literally means “the country of autistic people”, as “Kazakhstan” means “the country of the Kazakhs”.

A “country of autistic people” or a “world of autistic people”, it's a metaphor for speaking, in reality, specific things about autistic people: different ways of seeing the world, different ways of thinking, special sensitivities and qualities, original creations by autistic people, etc.

When you can “enter the world” of an autistic person, for example when she explains her thoughts, ses passions, his works, etc., or simply, without speaking, share one’s “inner peace” or “innocence”, you will move towards a “mental frame of reference” very different from your usual frame of reference, that of the “standard normal world”. So, after this experience, you will have the impression of having taken “a trip to Autistan”.

The use of the name “Autistan”, like a sort of “virtual country”, allows more things than with just the word “autism”, because “Autistan” gives a notion of “place”, and it’s very interesting for autistic people, because, throughout our lives, we always feel like we are strangers, without any “place of our own”, the impression that in every social place, in every social situation , you will have a problem, discomfort, etc. which is very close to reality, Unfortunately.

So, the idea of ​​a “country for autistic people”, even virtual, can help autistic people have hope, to start to trust, which is essential to stop feeling more or less “inferior” or “sick” or “people with a disorder”, or “carriers” of something, etc.

Autistan is a virtual or metaphorical country, but it's not an imaginary country, because all this really exists, contrary to, For example, in the land of the Smurfs (that we could call “Smurfistan ») , which only exists in the imagination.

So, the word Autistan is a way of naming something that exists: Autism, which is not an imaginary thing.

If we try to go a little further, to obtain less “virtual” things with Autistan, we have several possibilities.

– First of all, there is the notion of “autistic people” or “autistic nation”, which is logical because autism has something genetic and hereditary, and we believe that autistic people are born autistic, which corresponds to the etymology of the word “nation”, and also, although each autistic person is particularly unique (which is the result of our resistance to normalization), we also have things in common, specific to autistic people, which means that an autistic person from one country will understand many other autistic people from other countries, when we can place ourselves beyond the “social or cultural layer”, that is to say closer to Autistan, of our nature.

– Secondly, if we want to seek some sort of “physical country” for autistic people, we don't need to get a piece of land on the planet, because it's difficult, but also because we want to be able to live anywhere on the globe, like others (but with respect for our sensitivities and differences), without segregation; Thus, we can simply say that each “personal place of an autistic person”, every “autistic shelter” (like a room) can be considered a part of the “overall physical space of Autistan” : just state that, to have a few square meters that “belong” to Autistan. For example, ici, every square meter (rented) of the first physical Embassy of Autistan in the world is a “territory of Autistan”, even if it is not official according to the usual conventions.

– Thirdly, we can say that autistic people are mentally in Autistan when their thoughts are “in autism”, far from social standards and social communication.

This way, Every autistic person has their own piece of “Autistan”, usually without knowing it.

When we speak of the “world of thoughts”, we are talking about consciousness, and even more abstract things.

There are very abstract things, without anything material, but which exist in reality, like love.

When you are “lost in thought”, when you “come back to reality”, you don't know how long your "mental journey" lasted, nor where your “self” was exactly …

So, autistic people's thoughts and mental references may be "in reality", but with a non-social approach, different, or they can also be further away from material things, and closer to spiritual things, closer to the truth, purity, etc.

This way, we can also see Autistan as a kind of “perfect mental country”, or a space of truth, of purity and natural harmony, not subject to the rules of the material world that we can sense with our body, that is to say the 3 dimensions, and time.

2/ Autism : the fundamental importance of understanding the difference between autism and so-called “disorders”

Autism and “disorders” (or related difficulties) are two different things.

– Autism is the specific nature of autistic people, who is “protected” from what I call “Non-Autistic Disorders” [or “Non-autism disorders”].
The autistic person, if she is “authentically autistic”, less adapted or modified by social conventions, will mentally live in a sort of “natural frame of reference”, with a more personal and more original personality, and more in harmony with nature, the order, to justice, the truth. She is more sensitive, et en même temps elle a une sorte d'”self-protection against absurdities and social vices, of which “normal” people are victims, Unfortunately, living in an artificial social system, disconnected from nature, of the truth, etc.

– Autistic people who do other things than that, like a lie, just do non-autistic things, not representative of autism, because the most authentic autistic people don't even entertain the idea of ​​lying or doing things to feel superior, to manipulate, to try to imagine what others think of them, etc, Unfortunately, which I don't blame, because they are victims of this perverted social system.

– So-called “autistic disorders” are simply the result of the overall conflict between the two frames of reference. (the natural, autistic, and the artificial, non-autistic).

Since autistic people cannot (and should not) adapt well to the artificial system (dangerous for everyone), they have problems, suffering, crises, due to the lack of understanding of all this on the part of people living in the standard social system (which shows each day a little more that it is false).

– There are also “disorders” which are very subjective, for example the fact that they prefer to be isolated without communicating too much is considered a “disorder” only because of the current social system which is based on a sort of hyper-communication mode where everything is “social”, but in reality the natural preference for solitude is not a disorder, but just a way of being, which is no less valid than wasting time in constant gossip and social conflicts.

I'm not saying that autistic people prefer solitude in general., but to prefer to leave solitude, get closer to the “social waste”, this system of society really has a lot to do, to appear attractive to us…

– Once we understand that ultimately so-called “autism” is just a “non-autistic concept”, and that the “normal” system has a lot, many flaws and should not dictate our lives, then we can start to overcome and live better, with the acceptance of autism, not as an illness or disorder to be accepted, but like our different nature, which is no less worthy than the other differences. Only the current social system is wrong, not people.

– So, we have the right to respect for our differences, of our original approaches to life, of what we call autism. And since all this forms a sort of “world” specific to autism, we can call this world “Autistan”, and see how this tool can help our cause.

– Recognize that each autistic person lives more or less in their own world, or its own frame of reference or system of values, it's simply recognizing the truth, and there's nothing wrong with that; but that doesn't mean autistic people want or should live like that, isolated, because as we have the right to be different (like any living being), we also have the right to inclusion, to a life without more suffering than others, to a happy life, which is almost impossible at the moment, due to the general block between autism and non-autism, general incomprehension, due to the fact that non-autistic people believe that the only way to be happy would be to adapt to the standard system, and that autistic people should “erase their autism”, live as non-autistic, which unfortunately many of them do (with a lot of pain), which is total nonsense.

– On the contrary, autistic people should strive to preserve their original qualities, to explain all this, and to obtain the necessary adaptations from the “normal system”. While many people prefer to adapt to a normal system, it is not enough to force those who cannot and should not: it would be a form of what I call the “dictatorship of normalitarianism”.

– So, we must strive for reciprocity in adaptations: autistic people can make adaptation efforts (without erasing their autism, that is to say their autistic nature and their qualities), but also the social system must make efforts to correct their defects, and so that everyone can benefit from it: autistic people with less suffering, and non-autistic people, with a less rude life, less absurd, less violent , with fewer problems, less injustice, less fear of everything, etc.

– In other words, better understand autistic people, and our sensitivity, and taking it into account at the level of the social organization of “normal” countries should logically produce positive effects for all..

3/ Autistan's diplomatic organization

– Autistan is just a name, the name of the country or world of autistic people in the metaphorical sense, but to do concrete and useful things, we have the Autistan Diplomatic Organization, who tries to do everything possible to explain these things and to improve relations between all groups or bodies who want or should help autistic people to have a better life, a dignified life, that we deserve.

– Since our Organization is not involved in the internal conflicts of each country, we can propose our visions, our tools, our support when possible, complementary to what already exists, when it is useful, and with a holistic approach that can help public authorities better understand the importance of the demands of domestic activist groups (autistic people and parents), for example when we show that it is similar in other countries.

– So, the necessary political struggles are made by the national groups of the countries: this is not the role of our Organization, who only tries to achieve a global and universal vision of all this, and propose concepts, useful frameworks and tools, to improve the lives of autistic people around the world, which benefits all living beings in general.

4/ The Ambassadors and Embassies of Autistan

– Having Ambassadors and even a physical Embassy here is very important to show that our Organization is not just “an idea that looks nice”, but something concrete, made to serve.

– And it’s also good for the self-esteem of autistic people, when they know that what we do exists, that there really is at least one place made by and for autistic people, without depending on anyone, this helps them feel stronger, further from this idea of ​​“deficiency” which makes us live like “defective people”, Who, very obviously, is a huge problem for living happily and for wanting to adapt to a society that sees us as walking defects.

– For this reason, the general public can also “wake up” when they discover this “Autistan Embassy” concept., because it would make no sense to create, For example, a “Canceristan Embassy”: Thus, it helps people break away from standard thoughts about autism.

– I will not speak further about the Autistan Embassy in Rio de Janeiro,

of us Ambassadors,

on our goals,

of our list of Fundamental Rights of autistic people,

nor of us explanations about autism,

because you can see all this on the pages of the site Autistan.org

5/ Autistan.net

There is also the site Autistan.net, which is “the network of autistic people around the world”, that is to say the site of the “people of Autistan”. It all starts little by little.

6/ Autistance.org

Autistan is very abstract, and helps in a relatively symbolic way, in the long term.

But we also have a concept of concrete mutual aid, called Autism, with the site Autistance.org.

Autism is a word formed from “autistic” and “assistance”.

This concept is based on the idea that every autistic person needs a personal support network, what is obvious, but what is almost always missing.

With this tool, we want to help families establish these personal networks for their children, to organize help with volunteers and to better share information, the advice, etc. and also for emergency situations (for example crises, or when an autistic child is lost).

This is all a lot of work, that we are trying to start, from scratch.

There is also a first Autism Club, independent but in harmony with Autistan, which starts here in Copacabana.

7/ Autistan day

– Autistan Day is a global concept, imagined to have our own “Autism Day, in conjunction with World Autism Awareness Day 2 avril, which was created without consulting autistic people (a bit like the creation of a world women's day which would be entirely designed by men …).

– In general, associations around the world that follow the “official” day have this “defectological” approach to autism, like with the autism ribbon, which spreads an idea of ​​“disease”, and there are a lot of autistic organizations that don't like that, obviously.

– In general, standard ideas about autism are woefully wrong, which prevents the necessary reciprocal adaptations. For example, when the dictionary speaks of “people suffering from autism” : non, autistic people do not have autism, they suffer from the consequences of the lack of adaptations and understanding of autism on the part of the non-autistic social system.

8/ Autistan Day events in 2019

– Since this concept of Autistan Day is new, This year, we only have a few events that try to be in harmony with everything I've explained in general.

– In Belgium, today the 31 mars 2019, there is an event called “Operation Blue Socks, on the way to Autistan », in the Royal Park of Brussels, with various activities and conferences, with Josef Schovanec (the creator of the name Autistan, who is our godfather) and with the Autistan Ambassadors in Belgium and France.

– In Brazil, We have today this round table at the Embassy of Autistan, with you autistic people from Brazil who accepted our invitation to this little adventure, and where you will be able to express yourself as you wish.

This is just a first experience; we have never done this before, and technically it's a bit difficult, we will see.

Maybe it will be one of the very few, or perhaps the only international event organized entirely by autistic people.

– In Czech Republic, today there is also a mother of an autistic boy, who really likes the concept and who also organizes an “Autistan Day” meeting.

– And theand so on 7 next April, we will have a stand Autistan in the big event “ Day of Good Deeds 2019 » in the Ipanema Girl’s Park, near the Rock of the Arpoador, organized by tied, a volunteer organization that helped us with both events.

I hope I have summarized the essentials to understand Autistan and Autistan Day ; thank you very much for your attention, thank you also for the courage to try new things, welcome to the “Autistan Day” event 2019 » at the Autistan embassy in Rio de Janeiro !

Eric LUCAS

Founder of the Autistan Diplomatic Organization

Video on Autistan Day and Good Deeds Day with the Volunteering Organization tied, the 07/04/2019 to Ipanema, Rio de Janeiro :

Concluding video of Autistan Day transmissions