A few years ago I found Nayyirah Waheed book Salt. One poem particularly has had an enduring impact on me.
some people
when they hear
your story.
contract.
others
upon hearing
your story.
expand.
and
this is how
you
know.
- Nayyirah Waheed
Since reading these words 4 or 5 years ago I've thought a lot about expansion and constriction, what it looks like to expand around my own pain and experiences (vs constrict), and what it looks like to expand and take in other people's stories and experiences. I also think about this in conversation a lot-in today's world we're having a lot of constricted conversations, and the expansive ones feel less common.
I was struck by your sentence, about how this sentiment is used as a way of shutting down conversations. "Nothing About Us Without Us" was intended to be about expanding the conversation to include Autistic voices. And yet it's become a call for constriction-- constricting the conversation to shutting out parents. I've also become a bit uneasy with the use of this phrase--how it is used to discard helpful information from professionals with decades of experience and perspectives coming from non-Autistic family members. And for me, it goes back to this idea of expansion vs. constriction...thanks for helping me make that connection today through reading your words. This was really poignant.
A few years ago I found Nayyirah Waheed book Salt. One poem particularly has had an enduring impact on me.
some people
when they hear
your story.
contract.
others
upon hearing
your story.
expand.
and
this is how
you
know.
- Nayyirah Waheed
Since reading these words 4 or 5 years ago I've thought a lot about expansion and constriction, what it looks like to expand around my own pain and experiences (vs constrict), and what it looks like to expand and take in other people's stories and experiences. I also think about this in conversation a lot-in today's world we're having a lot of constricted conversations, and the expansive ones feel less common.
I was struck by your sentence, about how this sentiment is used as a way of shutting down conversations. "Nothing About Us Without Us" was intended to be about expanding the conversation to include Autistic voices. And yet it's become a call for constriction-- constricting the conversation to shutting out parents. I've also become a bit uneasy with the use of this phrase--how it is used to discard helpful information from professionals with decades of experience and perspectives coming from non-Autistic family members. And for me, it goes back to this idea of expansion vs. constriction...thanks for helping me make that connection today through reading your words. This was really poignant.