Joe Biel

In honor of Autism Acceptance Month, I wanted to make a shoutout to someone who inspired me to accept who I am and know that a disability should not negatively define me: Joe Biel. In the world of Autism avocation, the debate over whether autism is a disease or a developmental idiosyncrasy has created an emerging split between autism advocacy nonprofits. Acceptance and awareness is now a battle between aspies, autists, and neurotypicals as people with Autism have been attempting to take their diagnosis back into their own hands. 

That being said, Biel is a self-made business aspie and owns a publishing company (Microcosm Publishing) in Portland, Oregon. Biel’s story is atypical in consideration to the narrative of people with autism. It symbolizes the core difference between Autism Awareness and Autism Acceptance: the audience. Autism Awareness’s core audience is parents, and Autism Acceptance’s is people with autism. Awareness is about autistic children, and Acceptance is about autistic adults.

For years, Biel has realized this and has written about it in his zines Autistic Pride in a Neurophobic world, The Autism Handbook, and Autism and the Re:Spectrum of Human Emotions. In Biel’s case, he was diagnosed in his mid-30’s. Most people today who are diagnosed are between the ages of 3-5. Biel has been outspoken about how he has PTSD from decades of bullying and discrimination because he was “different.” 

While Autistics have had more resources provided to them than seen in previous decades (which is terrific), this also creates another problem. It distorts the reality of adults with autism and distorts the realty that autists can live on their own. Biel has written about this neglect in the Autism Handbook, and what surprised me the most is the average lifespan of someone with Autism is 36, the main factor being neglect (suicide, depression, anxiety). This is why Biel publishes and supports such authors as Dr. Faith G. Harper (who has a kid with autism) who stresses bringing support and therapy into your own hands. A majority of her readers have autism. 

For those of you, like myself, who have struggled or continue to struggle with accepting who you are (especially if you have Autism), look no further than Joe Biel and Microcosm Publishing. Biel’s mission of self-acceptance changed my life, and the books and zines that he has published while small are powerful. Autism acceptance is a new pathway for people with autism, and it’s one that can help steer the world in the right direction.