The first time we met I was truly just enrobed in the gentle and kind nature of Callum Howes.  You may know him as Adulting with Autism, but Callum has just launched a rebrand after many months of thinking through exactly how he wanted to do this and I am excited to share Callum’s new account name is…

Autistic_Callum_

He and I, along with many of our autistic friends, have navigated some of the most difficult challenges you can face as advocates together.  We were all out there doing it alone trying to make a difference in the world for our community and for ourselves, and we kept running into things we weren’t sure how to best handle.  We didn’t want to make a mistake and we wanted to be inclusive, honoring and authentic, but we were all also scared, often bullied and sometimes targeted brutally by others who were also afraid, hurt, scared and feeling alone.   So we came together.  We came together apprehensive, scared, unsure and needing community with others who were going through similar advocate challenges.

Please join us this Saturday on YouTube for the Live Premiere of #ShineALight Autistic Advocate Panel  where Mind Your Autistic Brain with Social Autie has brought together advocates who are sharing in a variety of spaces and in some very unique ways.  We will be sharing our insights and tips into how you can begin your own self advocacy work this year AND I have a fabulous surprise to get you speaking on stages and in groups to share your personal journey so don’t miss this event.  Sign up HERE to get the link emailed directly to your inbox:  https://socialautie.ck.page/b77b708cd7

Meet Callum…

Social Autie: What is your specialty or focus area of Autism Advocacy?

Callum:  I try my hardest to keep my content fresh, diverse and energetic, so I like to explore a lot of focus areas, but most of what I write and create would fall under “common autistic thought processes” or “common autistic life experiences”.

Being LGBTQ+, I also like to explore autism in the context of LGBGQ+ identity. It feels beautiful and validating exploring this intersection.

Social Autie: Why did you begin advocating for yourself and others?  What makes this personal to you and Your Big Why? 

Callum:  Truthfully, I started advocating because a voice entered my head at 11.30pm on 1 July 2020 and told me to! It felt like divine intervention and was too powerful to ignore. I didn’t have any particular motivations at this stage.

But, as soon as I actively began my advocacy journey, I thought more deeply about my goals and motivations and discovered that I wanted to raise awareness about autism from the perspective of an autistic person, and encourage autism acceptance in a way that promotes positivity, authenticity and realism.

Social Autie: What is/are the top tip(s) or insight(s) you have discovered for advocating for a) others and b) yourself?

Callum:  Wow, so many! I’m always learning, making mistakes, re-learning and developing new insights.

My tips are to:

- Be truthful to yourself and follow your heart - don’t create content that doesn’t feel right to you or isn’t truthful to your story.

- Don’t let anyone else tell you that your perspective or understanding of your situation or experiences is invalid or inferior.

- Don’t worry about pleasing everyone - it is impossible.

- Pay attention to what others and doing and learn from them. The perspectives of other autistics - especially those of a different race, culture, gender, age and sexuality to yourself - are invaluable.

- Don’t pressurise yourself - remember, you never have any obligation to advocate. All that you do adds value, but it shouldn’t be a crushing burden upon you. Sometimes it is wise to *not* advocate, as other circumstances make it extraordinarily difficult or dangerous to do so.

- Don’t be deterred by gaslighting, ableism or naysayers, even if you ordinarily value their opinion. Your perspective has worth and just because it looks different to most other people’s perspectives, that’s not to say it’s wrong. 

- Don’t worry about being perfect - nothing and nobody can claim to be perfect. What matters is the strength and integrity of your message.

- If you plan to create content, Canva is a lifesaver - especially if you’re not a natural with technology (which need not deter you, as tools like Canva can pick up what you drop).

- Have fun with it! Explore, create and try new things.

You can find Callum on Twitter and Instagram @Autistic_Callum_