The start of something finished

Well, 2012 really sucked for the world of autism. Between 50 cent and his dumbass remarks on twitter, doctors placing a lower value on an autistic life, Jenny McCarthy calling autism moms “victims” if they aren’t trying to find a cure and what has to be the absolute worst, the media attempting to find a correlation between the Sandy Hook shooter and Aspergers.

Even for me personally, it really sucked as my wife decided we need to get a divorce… just before Christmas.

The good news? The past is the past. 2012 no longer exists.

This is 2013 and things are going to change.

Ignorance is being forced to apologize, the only moms that are victims are the ones that believe McCarthy’s stupidity. And the media were falling all over themselves with articles about how there is no connection between autism and violence.

As for Paul Corby and his heart transplant… I sincerely hope that the doctors received a good firm slap in the face and changed their minds. But I haven’t heard anything.

The autism community is getting the message out there. People are talking and when they’re wrong, there’s someone there to correct them.

Autism is not something to be feared, laughed at or used as a way to guilt moms into doing what you want them to do.

Not the media, celebrities, lynch mobs or even divorce can stop the wave that is heading towards governments, communities and audiences everywhere.

It’s a wave of truth, understanding, positivity and love that is a much needed set of emotions in this ever increasingly dark world.

It’s so easy to find the wrong information, to spread the wrong information, to be a hater and to ignore what you don’t want to hear.

But a force, such as the autism community is becoming, can’t be ignored and it can over come any misinformation that the media or celebrities can fling no matter how wide their audience is. In fact, the larger the audience, the more likely the backlash.

Don’t let up though. Don’t coast that wave.

Rise up out of your seat and correct those people that are getting it all wrong. Write and phone those media outlets, those celebrities, the government and anyone else that isn’t getting it right.

Shut down the haters, force the ignorers to listen and don’t give ignorance a free pass.

A lot went wrong in 2012 but a lot went right too. And I’m proud of most of the aftermath.

But more can be done. More can be achieved. More people can be reached. More that is broken can be fixed.

2013 might not be the end of the story but after what I’ve seen in 2012, I can see the start of the finish on the horizon.

People will accept all differences.

In the world around them, themselves, in our loved ones, in ourselves.

They’ll have to. Because we won’t stop.

And we’re just getting started.