Sue Rubin is living her worst nightmare, as expressed in her film Autism is a World through her dependence on others and being viewed as different in society. She has autism and is unable to communicate by herself, as she has to rely on the assistance of her various helpers and her facilitated communication devices. Rubin is aware that she is different from others around her, as she deals with extreme outbursts and uncontrollable movements. When Rubin was very young, she was self-abusive, in which she would bite herself and slam her head against the wall due to her noticed differences from her peers and family members. Rubin considered herself to be a "non-person" when she was unable to communicate at all, but says that she was always treated well by her family members, peers, and school. She is grateful for all of the help, love, and support that she has received but continues to struggle with her independence.
Rubin is an intelligent and brilliant woman. Even though she could not express her own thoughts until the age of 13, she was aware that she was unable to communicate like her peers and family members. This is why her true intelligence was shown when the facilitated communication devices were provided, as Rubin was now able to express the thoughts in her brilliant mind. However, some people question the validity of facilitated communication since it is believed that the "intelligence" being measured is the intelligence of the aide and not the autistic individual. Rubin's speech at the Syracuse University's Conference of Educators and People with Autism was very interesting, as one of her helpers read the speech Rubin had prepared with her facilitated communication device. In this speech, Rubin expresses how her purpose for this speech and her life's work is to "enlighten individuals to the potential of their own voices." This is very much applicable to individuals with and without autism. This means that everyone has his or her own voice and should use it for communication and to help others.
Autism is a World relates to the film Deej, as both grapple with contrasting concepts of independence and dependence. When DJ Savarese was very young, he was lucky to have found a loving family, as he had been previously abandoned by his birth parents. Savarese has been an advocate on behalf of non-speaking autistic people as he successfully made his way through high school and college. Rubin and Savarese's life stories have several overlaps in which both of these individuals lived some of their lives not having the ability to communicate, and later became able to do so through facilitated communication. Even though facilitated communication provided them with the ability to express themselves as well as some form of independence, Rubin and Savarese continue to struggle with always having to rely on others. Facilitated communication allows for them to express their thoughts and feelings, but in order to do so, they often need assistance from a peer or helper.
Rubin's film provided a first-hand perspective into the mind of an autistic individual. Oftentimes, society does not understand what it is like to be autistic, and this film provided some insight on Rubin's life with autism. This is not to say that people without autism now fully understand what it is like to have autism, but they may now be more aware of the struggles that people with autism deal with in their everyday lives. It is important that films like this continue to be made so that society can gain this further awareness of life with autism and strive to provide more effective and successful services to those with this disability.
Rubin is an intelligent and brilliant woman. Even though she could not express her own thoughts until the age of 13, she was aware that she was unable to communicate like her peers and family members. This is why her true intelligence was shown when the facilitated communication devices were provided, as Rubin was now able to express the thoughts in her brilliant mind. However, some people question the validity of facilitated communication since it is believed that the "intelligence" being measured is the intelligence of the aide and not the autistic individual. Rubin's speech at the Syracuse University's Conference of Educators and People with Autism was very interesting, as one of her helpers read the speech Rubin had prepared with her facilitated communication device. In this speech, Rubin expresses how her purpose for this speech and her life's work is to "enlighten individuals to the potential of their own voices." This is very much applicable to individuals with and without autism. This means that everyone has his or her own voice and should use it for communication and to help others.
Autism is a World relates to the film Deej, as both grapple with contrasting concepts of independence and dependence. When DJ Savarese was very young, he was lucky to have found a loving family, as he had been previously abandoned by his birth parents. Savarese has been an advocate on behalf of non-speaking autistic people as he successfully made his way through high school and college. Rubin and Savarese's life stories have several overlaps in which both of these individuals lived some of their lives not having the ability to communicate, and later became able to do so through facilitated communication. Even though facilitated communication provided them with the ability to express themselves as well as some form of independence, Rubin and Savarese continue to struggle with always having to rely on others. Facilitated communication allows for them to express their thoughts and feelings, but in order to do so, they often need assistance from a peer or helper.
Rubin's film provided a first-hand perspective into the mind of an autistic individual. Oftentimes, society does not understand what it is like to be autistic, and this film provided some insight on Rubin's life with autism. This is not to say that people without autism now fully understand what it is like to have autism, but they may now be more aware of the struggles that people with autism deal with in their everyday lives. It is important that films like this continue to be made so that society can gain this further awareness of life with autism and strive to provide more effective and successful services to those with this disability.
