The irony of accessibiliy

What do you do when your instructor assumes that everyone has "handwriting" ability and sends out this announcement? The irony is that this is a Disability Studies class where accessibility plays a prominent role.  My poor fine motor and motor dyspraxia means I have not mastered the art of basic handwriting let alone drawing.

Advocacy Day for Access and Independence

Event by ABLE-South Carolina

Recording at https://youtu.be/O4sd30F_9bk I'm on at 2:16:51 

Event Site: https://unlockingbarriers-sc.org/?fbclid=IwAR19-TeohFuvq2rnxLdCVObxGe1l8l5doQ0WT4s-upGSbSuf1cC-C_hCmb4#:~:text=Save%20the%20date%20for%20April,responsible%20as%20the%20pandemic%20continues

Blast from the Past - Vagaries of English Phraseology

 https://www.dailycal.org/2019/04/07/vagaries-of-english-phraseology-a-personal-essay/?fbclid=IwAR0NVna3qNWZLdQdG6RMm683Qp0ecFik7w3c35I7EZifyCVhAPdGLy4Zj8w

Haas Scholar Reception

A sleepy and groggy me attended the 430am Indian Time (4pm PST) reception for the incoming Haas Scholars. Over zoom of course this year. 83 people logged on alum, faculty, guest, and Bob Haas. In addition to the common programming, we fielded questions about our upcoming research in breakout rooms.

also no picture taken on the event. 

hsp.berkeley.edu/

CAT-Q measure to measure camouflaging in autistic females.

The Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire (CAT-Q) was introduced in 2019 by Laura Hull and colleagues. 

What is Camouflaging

 Camouflaging involves modifying one's behaviors, such as suppressing stimming, forcing eye contact, or preparing jokes or phrases in advance, to conform to societal norms or to mask traits that might be socially stigmatized. This behavior is reported to be more common among autistic females and is hypothesized to contribute to the underdiagnosis or late diagnosis of autism in this group. 

What It Measures

The CAT-Q aims to quantify the effort and strategies employed by autistic individuals (particularly focusing on females or those assigned female at birth, AFAB) to camouflage their autistic traits.CAT-Q measures the discrepancy between the individual's natural autistic behaviors and the behaviors they exhibit in social contexts, essentially capturing the social coping strategies that are not naturally aligned with their intrinsic autistic characteristics.

The CAT-Q is a self-report questionnaire, meaning that it relies on individuals' own perceptions and reflections on their behavior. Respondents rate their agreement with various statements about their social strategies and experiences on a Likert scale. This approach allows for the collection of subjective data on camouflaging behaviors, which are inherently internal and personal.

Submeasures: 

The questionnaire is divided into multiple items that assess various dimensions of camouflaging, such as:

• Masking: Efforts to hide autistic characteristics.
• Compensation: Strategies to offset difficulties in social situations (e.g., memorizing social scripts).
• Assimilation: Efforts to fit in with others by copying or mimicking non-autistic behaviors.

References

1. • Hull, L., Petrides, K. V., Allison, C., Smith, P., Baron-Cohen, S., Lai, M. C., & Mandy, W. (2019). Development and validation of the Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire (CAT-Q). Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 49(3), 819-833. doi:10.1007/s10803-018-3792-6
   • Hull, L., Lai, M. C., Baron-Cohen, S., Allison, C., Smith, P., Petrides, K. V., & Mandy, W. (2020). Gender differences in self-reported camouflaging in autistic and non-autistic adults. Autism, 24(2), 352-363. doi:10.1177/1362361319864804
2. • Cassidy, S., Bradley, L., Shaw, R., & Baron-Cohen, S. (2018). Risk markers for suicidality in autistic adults. Molecular Autism, 9(1), 42. doi:10.1186/s13229-018-0226-4
• Livingston, L. A., Colvert, E., Social, A., Happé, F., & the EU-AIMS LEAP group. (2019). Good social skills despite poor theory of mind: Exploring compensation in autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 60(1), 102-110. doi:10.1111/jcpp.12886

Related Posts

Masking & Camouflaging.

https://uniquelyhari.blogspot.com/2021/09/cm.html

Triple Bind and Masking in Autistic Females

https://uniquelyhari.blogspot.com/2021/04/triple-bind-masking.html

Masking as an evolutionary advantage

https://uniquelyhari.blogspot.com/2020/04/masking-as-evolutionary-advantage.html

CAT-Q measure to measure camouflaging in autistic females.

https://uniquelyhari.blogspot.com/2021/04/cat-q-measure-to-measure-camouflaging.html

Dont Cant Wont - Masking Camouflaging

https://uniquelyhari.blogspot.com/2021/05/dcw.html

Kollu Paati

 This artwork from the 1920s-1930s, still in its original frame, was made by my Padmasini Kollu-Paati (great grandma) - died 1958. She was quite the entrepreneur, ran her small home based milk business, and has even made speeches to mobilize other women to join the Indian Independence Movement. 

Some of the relatives from that branch of the family run the Gandhi Ashram in Selam, Tamilnadu. Another aunt of my grandpa went off to live and do social work with Harijans in the villages, which is pretty progressive for a femail from a conservative Brahmin family of that era.

Fossil

 My late Raghavan Thatha liked to collect fossils. This is not a piece of wood but actually a fossil and as heavy as a stone. How cool is that. 

Harrapa Artifact

My late Raghavan Thatha (grandpa) worked in archeology for a while. Replica of an artifact - Harappan seal from the Harappa archeology digs from the time of the Indus Valley Civilization. 2600BC-6000BC

Tongan Kava Bowl

My late Raghavan Thatha (grandpa) also spent many years in Tonga. Tonga is one of the last remaining Polynesian monarchies in the world. This is a Tongan Drum and a Tongan Kava Bowl. Thatha & Paati (grandma) have been to many traditional Kava ceremonies.

Lunch Appetizer

 Lunch Appetizer was Corn Soup made by Paati

 

 

Watching Paati prep the soup. 

Tree Cup

Afternoon snack of Dosa with Muruga Sambar made by Paati, accompanied by Green Tea with Lemon and honey in a cup that's shaped like a tree trunk.

 

Remote Instruction, International Edition

So I'm in India for a few weeks. 

Remote Instruction, International Edition

Remote Instruction at the table your parent used during their schooling. No laptops back then!!

A Variety of Kozhukattai Experience

The tiffen scene in Chennai is quite interesting.

I had multiple varieties of kuzhutattai for breakfast. Kuzhukattais are traditionally steamed rice balls with sweet or spicy stuffing inside. They just got more creative. The white one is made with palm sago, there were ones made with Ragi (Millet) and also upma kuzhukattai.


A variety of spice and sweet Lip-smacking and finger-licking varieties.

Murunga's Three Feet Long

Freshly harvested Murunga Drumsticks (Moringa Olifera). Murunga's are loaded with good nutrients right from Vitamin C to antioxidants with many parts of the plant used in ayurveda meds. I've never seen a muruga drumstick this long before - its over 3 feet long. And these look fat and juicy too, when cooked.

I'm think I'm getting a yummy Murunga dish from Paati (grandma) tomorrow. Can't wait.

Competitive Cats

The cats at my grandma's place are seriously competitive. It saw me hugging grandma and demanded - as in meowing away loudly and pawing the rug and couch - to be be given room on the couch so it could get in on the love.

There are actually 2 cats here, one on each floor and each possessive about its territory. The downstairs one (Chinni) never goes up and vice versa for Feather. The upstairs cat is quite old and decides to meow away in the middle of the night for food.

And did I mention the visiting fellows. A couple of cats turn up at the backdoor several times a day and meow for food. My Paati promptly feeds them. These cats never venture inside else they face the wrath of the house cats.

They are too funny. LOL

Lifelong Learning

My Paati (grandma) likes languages and at 82 doing courses on conversational Sanskrit. Got distinction in her last exam too.

No cats competing for this Paati's attention. Lol

Healthy Idly's

Breakfast today was healthy Bajra Idly's

The Ubiquitous Masala Dosa

Evening tiffen was Masala Dosa with sambar and chutney served on a banana leaf

and filter "Kapi" (coffee) served in a tumbler and dabara (saucer)

April 15 - Tamil New Year
Happy Tamil New Year Everyone. Its the herald of spring.

My first Tamil New Year in Tamilnadu!!

An elaborate and delicious naivedyam lunch made by Paati (grandma) and Athai (aunt) with mor kuzhambu, kootu, 2 karamadhis, vadas, green mango pachadi, carrot payasum and more. Delicious and served on on a freshly harvested banana leaf from the garden.

It usually rains on Tamil New Year and the weather did not disappoint. Complete with Thunder. Rain is considered auspicious, means things will go well.

Where do the Autistic Crips Go?

In a few months, the California wildfires will be back.

We don't realize how much more disabling the climate change is for the disabled

Where Do the Autistic Crips Go?

I’m an autistic crip with sensory disabilities.

One of my many labels, too many to recount. 

Crips are not priority when natural disaster strikes.

2005 

... Katrina Disabled abandoned by caretakers

2018 

...Paradise CampFire, more of the same. 

We are ever the forgotten, not-accounted-for divergents. 

September 2020, 

...Bay Area Skies glowed red

Nuclear orange sky from countless wildfires. 

Evacuations were abound even with Covid around. 

It just was not safe to social distance at home. 

An autistic crip, I will just call him Zee 

Wildfires by his home, the air not fit to breathe.

He had legs to walk out, his was a different disability

But where would Zee go, evacuation is hardly easy

A shelter was not a place he could hang out. 

Sensory sensitivities, food allergies, social anxiety, compromised immunity. 

…. On top of sheer uncertainty. 

Where oh, where can autistic crips go?

Shelters are planned for the non-crip mindbody

Smoked filled air, but my home not in path of fire

Zee came, stayed a few days with me. 

It was not easy but it was better than a shelter.

Zee had a place to go for this round of emergency

The fires came close but his home did not catch fire. 

He was able to go back to his own home eventually

But where did the other autistic crips go?

Where will I go if this happens to me?

Next year, 

... the wildfires will be back.

Prepare and plan, says the authority?

Pack a bag with all that you need.

But...

How do you prepare for something like this?

How does one prepare sensory sensitivities and anxiety?