About Being Considered "Retarded"

I made this video after seeing a number of things: Other disabled people rushing to prove that they were not some thing called "retarded," being referred to here as a "mong" and other such words myself (on and off YouTube) as well as seeing lots of pointless ridicule directed at people with developmental disabilities, and being asked questions about what it's like to be considered "retarded" in casual contacts with people, or to "look retarded", whatever that means. I explore these questions, and the prejudice and dehumanization that surrounds cognitive disability of all sorts, in my video. (Yes, this is a serious video, not poking fun at people.) Apologies for the splicing, the construction noises in the background, etc, that's to do with the equipment I have to work with here at the moment. This video is captioned.

Category:

People & Blogs

Tags:

• autism
• autistic
• autie
• retardation
• developmental
• disability
• disabled
• self-advocacy
• prejudice
• dehumanization
• stereotype

[BadMrsDalloway]

I agree with what your saying and enjoyed the vid:) Thanks for uploading! I hope I don't offend anyone here, but I'm a little confused. From your typing and what your saying, your as intelligant as the next person, so why would you be diagnosed as "retarded"? If I put what I'm seeing of you on screen with what I'm reading you say, I would "label" you as more autistic. Also, is the voiceover a computer speaking typed words, or is it you?

[silentmiaow]

It's a computer speaking typed words. I'm not (and never have been) diagnosed as "retarded", but I am referred to that way pretty often by just random people, sometimes also by medical professionals who haven't seen me type (a certain ultrasound tech comes to mind, who described my cognitive abilities as "infantile" when dictating results to someone), but as a diagnosis. This video was mostly addressing the way ordinary laypeople use the word, and YouTubers in particular.

[charmcitycupcake]

You have a remarkable and beautiful skill--regardless of any kind of perceived disability--for truly and precisely transposing that which you mean to say into that which others need to hear in order to comprehend you. This is something all artists, from poets to musicians, struggle to learn, and while I do not know whether it was made easier or harder by your autism, or was not affected by it at all, you have a rare and stunning gift for it, "le mot juste." Thank you for sharing it with us.

[lauraflis]

I am a teacher working with non-verbal pre-school aged students with ASD. You have opened my eyes. Please share how you learned to type and any advise you would give to someone trying to teach "neuro-typical" communication to non-verbal kids with ASD. By the way, your videos have been a miraculous tool in helping us Neuro-typicals understand your language. Thank you!

[hateman1234]

Stop whining you man-lady creature. It's true, you should have been drown at birth. Retarded people are just never going to amount to anything, Accept it. So please shut up with that damn robot voice...

[pokekidjosh]

whats wrong with you do you half to talk with that computer cues if you do im so sorry

[shmexybunny]

This is a weird thing to say, but I really connected with how you interacted with the cat. sometimes I feel like i have a completely different connection with animals. i can read their movements, know their reactions to things before it happens, they're almost always clear to me, however, with people, you never know. I dont trust people because of past occurances, but perhaps there is my problem. Thank you for that video Amanda. I appreciate you.

[JesusDwarf]

LOL funny stuff

[cali727]

Oh, that's a female. No, I'm not trying to be mean it just surprized me.

[davidnee]

Amanda is so talented!!

[sarahbellydancer]

I refuse to use this word when describing anyonwe who is Autistic because I know that they are not. It would infuriate me beyond words to think that someone would ever say such harsh words about my nephew who has Aspergers.