In this cultural hypertext project, I present my research on the perspectives, values, and ideals of a subculture of autistic people. I understand this culture to have particular ways of living, communicating, and philosophies that separates them from other autistic groups and “normal” people. For this culture, the Internet is an adaptive mechanism  where group norms, perspectives, and values are maintained in various online environments and they are no longer oppressed by the set of practical attitudes, intellect, and habits of mainstream cultures.

I chose autism culture as a starting point for my project because I have friends whose children are autistic and I have witnessed the social stigmas and prejudices these families endure daily.

In my research I found one study in particular by Joyce Davidson, which compares the importance of technologies for communication for people on the autism spectrum to the linguistic breakthrough of sign language for the hearing impaired . Also on the Internet is an incredible amount of support and advice for parents of autistic children and, I found countless numbers of medical and mental health professionals, and political activists with definite ideas about what to do with autistic people and whose goals are to end the disease or  find a cure.

What I was not aware existed was the division among the autism community. There exists a sub-culture of family members and people with autism who embrace their uniqueness.