Jeffrey, 22 years old, stands at a kitchen door installed for his protection.
Jeffrey, 23 years old, holds a clothes line in his hallway.
Jeffrey sits in his Medicaid-funded bed, which is built like a safety crib for his protection.
Jeffrey's mother, July, points at his high school graduation portrait.
Jeffrey sits in his living room as he scratches his face.
Jeffrey gazes as he sits in an Access-A-Ride bus on his way home from a doctor's appointment.
Jeffrey, 23 years old, turns off the light in his hallway.
Autismo is a documentary photography project about how autism affects people and families who are from the Dominican Republic.
Autism is a neurological and developmental disorder that impairs a person's ability to socialize and communicate with others. Autism is also one of the most common yet misunderstood disorders that can affect anyone and anywhere at any time.
However, the way that autism (and disabilities in general) affects people's lives can vary greatly depending on their age, race, ethnicity, national origin, citizenship status, socioeconomic status, sex, and gender. In other words, even though autism does not discriminate, some people with autism can be disproportionately mistreated, underrepresented, or discriminated against depending on how they look and where they come from.
Most Dominicans in particular are Black and Brown people living in poverty, both in the Dominican Republic and abroad. Living as a Dominican citizen and immigrant can already be economically difficult. Living as a Dominican with autism, or living with someone who has autism, can compound those difficulties.
Services are scarce for people with autism and other disabilities living in the Dominican Republic, partly due to a lack of resources and political will, but also due to a culture of shame and stigma surrounding the diagnosis. There are more services available to people with autism in the United States, but immigrants have a difficult time accessing them due to language and cultural barriers. These issues can contribute to a cycle of poverty for families living with people with autism.
This projects aims to:
- Educate people about autism and disability, and the diverse backgrounds of those affected
- Challenge the myths, shame, stigma of autism & disability
- Challenge mainstream narratives on autism & disability that focus on high-functioning, upper-class White men
- Support better laws, resources, and services for people with autism and disabilities
