Vestiges of Disability

This collection of poetry consists of two parts, marking a chronological transition from disability to empowerment. The first, ‘Big Yellow Buses’ and ‘The Dead of Winter’, address the consequences of growing up without an autism diagnosis, including themes of bullying, isolation, and despair. The second, ‘Autistic Bunker’ and ‘Atlas Unbound’, focus on life after receiving a diagnosis, including its effect on authenticity, purpose, and change. The temporal progression from the confusion and hardship of undiagnosed childhood and adolescence to the self-awareness and community integration of adulthood indicates a profound transformation in personal identity. By evoking the visceral and cognitive dimensions of autistic experiences across lifespan development, these poems reiterate the importance of awareness, acceptance, and community connectedness, which remain tantamount to supporting the health and wellbeing of autistic individuals currently and in the years to come.