Survivor advocates are especially busy during April because it’s Sexual Assault Awareness Month. We are honored to share this time with Autism Acceptance Month. It creates the perfect moment to discuss the connections between disability and gender justice while centering Autistic Survivors.

What is Autism?

Autism is a neuro-developmental disability that allows Autistic people to understand and experience the world differently from non-Autistic people. While each Autistic person is unique, Autistic people generally communicate, move, sense, and process information in their own way. 

People with developmental disabilities, intellectual disabilities, or both are over seven times more likely to be survivors of sexual assault. That’s one of the highest rates of sexual violence for any group in the United States. 

Gender, Disability, and Trauma

Many Autistic women, girls, and/or transgender people experience violation. In a study including nearly 700 Autistic adults, 72 percent were survivors of sexual harm, other unwanted sexual experiences, or physical assault. 

Why are these experiences so common? It may be because abusers take advantage of the social differences and trauma histories of disabled people. Research tells us that many Autistic people have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). This is likely due to past abuse and systemic harms like ableism, misogyny, racism, and heterosexism. These unjust realities of our society make violence seem normal. 

Trauma can also come from “therapy” that tells (or even forces) Autistic people to behave in certain ways to align with social norms. Any approach that teaches a person to ignore what their mind and body tell them can lead them to doubt their own thoughts, wants, and needs. To make matters worse, it sets the stage for sexual harm.

Expecting people to put norms set by others above their own mental and physical comfort is dangerous. It raises the risk of sexual abuse because it undermines the right to decide what happens to your body (known as bodily autonomy). It also undermines consent—a person’s freedom to say yes or no to sexual activities, and the right to change their mind.

Sex Trafficking and Marginalized Groups

Sex traffickers look for vulnerable people to manipulate and abuse. They often go after survivors of abuse, women and girls of color, LGBTQ+ youth, and people experiencing poverty. Because Autistic people often have trauma histories, are more likely to have diverse gender and sexual identities, and face job discrimination (with an 85 percent unemployment rate), they are targeted by sex traffickers.

Traffickers further abuse disabled people by exploiting their public benefits, caregiving needs, and difficulties with communication. Similar to traffickers who target Black women and girls, abusers use social discrimination to their advantage. For example, due to ableism, disabled victims may be less likely to be believed when reporting harm and asking for help. Unfair ideas about who should be believed and who is worth protecting make disabled women and girls of color especially vulnerable. 

Supporting Autistic and Disability Communities 

If we want a world free from exploitation, we must create disability and gender justice. To get there, we have to meaningfully include disabled survivors in anti-gender-based violence efforts. Here are a few ideas on how you can support disability justice work and partner with Autistic people: 

• Check out Autistic-led organizations like Autistic Women & Non-Binary Network and Autistic Self Advocacy Network.
• Find local disability-led organizations by visiting Disability Lead and the Illinois Self Advocacy Alliance: The Alliance. 
• To learn more about centering disabled survivors and preventing violence against disabled people, join the movement to End Abuse of People With Disabilities. 
• You can also view past materials on sexual harm and disability from the Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault.

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CAASE Advocates for All Survivors 

CAASE is on a mission to end sexual harm. To create the greatest change and best support survivors, we break down inequity and focus on those most impacted, including disabled people. Our work includes policy reform, prevention, community engagement, and legal services. Click the title below to learn more about each of our programs.

Public Policy and Advocacy

We advocate for local and statewide policies and laws that expand options for survivors of all identities. For example, CAASE supported the Keeping Youth Safe and Healthy Act. This law created inclusive, age and developmentally-appropriate standards for Illinois public schools that teach sexual health and safety. It requires affirming instruction for marginalized groups like disabled, LGBTQ+, and pregnant and parenting students, as well as survivors of gender-based violence. 

Prevention Education

We reach thousands of youth each year through our sexual harm prevention education program. Our workshops include discussions on sex trafficking, victim blaming, and consent. 

Community Engagement

Survivors deserve supportive, healing spaces. Our community engagement work provides a platform for survivors to connect and change how people and systems respond to sexual harm.

Legal Services

Our attorneys provide free legal services for survivors of sexual assault, sexual stalking, and sex trafficking with any background or identity who were harmed in Cook County, IL, and are aged 13+. Our attorneys assist survivors in criminal and civil matters.

CAASE published this piece on April 6, 2023. It was authored by Tayler Mathews with assistance from Hayley Forrestal and Madeleine Behr. Learn more about our staff here.