The Overgeneralized Subculture of My Learning Disablity and My Distinctive I..

December 22, 2008

I was diagnosed with Pervasive Developmental Disorder, a " high-

functioning " form of autism, twenty years ago. I was only a few years

old at the time, but officials who worked for the Connecticut

Department of Education gave me a very bleak outlook not too long

after the fact. They said I would never have the audacity to succeed

in a mainstream educational environment or, for the lack of a better

word, never be able to read and write as effectively and proficiently

as a " normal " student.

Well, you could now say that I proved them wrong. Throughout my years

in both secondary and post-secondary institutions, my individual

mobility has primarily enabled me to look beyond my autistic

limitations. As a result, I have received countless accolades for my

outstanding academic achievements and community service efforts in

return.

But is being an overachieving student and volunteer considered to be

an adverse social stereotype? To answer this rather provocative

question, I would have to say that today's multimedia-saturated

society has reinforced my perceptions of people with disabilities.

Popular culture has continually emphasized the mentally disabled as

what we would call " superheroes " who defy the odds to achieve a

somewhat considerate status of intellectual genius. One perfect

example of this is the 1988 -winning drama " Rain Man. " As you

may already know, the Dusitn Hoffman character in the film has a much

more severe form of autism than I have, and he does

fundamentally " change " once he reunites with his self-centered yuppie

brother (Tom Cruise). But, the film also pays particularly strong

attention to his unprecedented ability to crunch complexly arranged

numbers in just a matter of seconds. Wouldn't it be nice if the

filmmakers made a different flick that showed more of a disabled

protagonist's flaws as opposed to one's " genius " in an overwhelming

positive light? Well, I would have to say yes because I am just as

much of a complex creature as everyone else who either has or doesn't

have the same medical condition I have....

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