Podcast Recommendations: Autistic Voices in Podcasting
April is Autism Awareness Month
We’re Listening to Autistic Voices in Podcasting
Each week at EarBuds Podcast Collective, we send a weekly themed list of podcast picks. Each week’s picks are curated by a different person. And anyone can curate a list. Sometimes, we put out those lists as blog posts. Curator Carolyn Kiel wanted to shine a light on podcast creators with autism.
Curator:
Carolyn Kiel, host of the Beyond 6 Seconds podcast
Why this theme?
Most of the public narrative and conversation about autism is dominated by non-autistic people, such as parents of autistic children and autism experts. It’s much rarer that we get to hear directly from autistic people about their life experiences. Since April is Autism Acceptance Month, I thought this would be a good time to curate a list that spotlights autistic podcasters, professionals and content creators, featuring episodes where they discuss their own life experiences. By listening to autistic voices, I believe we can eliminate a lot of the misunderstanding and bias about how autism is viewed and discussed.
The five episodes on this list feature autistic hosts and/or guests on podcasts that are still actively releasing new episodes. Hopefully, these episodes will help neurotypical podcast listeners expand their understanding of the autistic experience (as I have), and help autistic listeners expand their community and connections.
As a non-autistic person, I recognize how important it is to listen and lift up the voices from that come from within the autistic community. I have spoken with and worked closely with a friend of mine who belongs to the autistic community on this piece.
Neurodiverging (by Danielle Sullivan)
Autistics Don't Lack Empathy. (In fact, we've got more than enough):
There are still many unfortunate and pervasive stereotypes about how autistic people think and behave. One of the cruelest stereotypes is the misconception that autistic people don’t have empathy. In this episode, podcast host Danielle Sullivan, an autistic parent of autistic and ADHD children, shares some of her experiences with how this myth has harmed her social interactions and sheds light on what this alleged “lack of empathy” really is.
My Friend Autism (by Orion Kelly)
Many autistic people have been told that they “don’t look autistic.” This is not a compliment; instead, it is likely the painful result of masking – where people hide the autistic behaviors that come naturally to them, in order to fit in and be accepted in a neurotypical world. On this episode, autistic content creator Orion Kelly shares his personal experiences with masking, what it is (exhausting) and is not (a desire to deceive), and what it’s like to be forced to hide your true self just to fit in and avoid rejection.
Beyond 6 Seconds (by Carolyn Kiel)
The Life Autistic with Hunter Hansen:
This is my interview with autistic content creator Hunter Hansen, who shares his experiences as an autistic adult on YouTube, Instagram and his blog, “The Life Autistic.” I first discovered Hunter through his funny and entertaining Instagram Reels, and then quickly became a fan of his blog and YouTube channel as well. In our conversation, Hunter talks about his decision to start blogging and creating videos about his autism (after suppressing his autistic traits for years) and his advocacy goals to help companies create better workplaces for autistic employees in a variety of jobs (not just in coding and tech!). He also shares how he maintains his consistency and creativity, and how he balances content creation with the rest of his life as a working professional, husband and father.
Uniquely Human (by Dr. Barry Prizant and Dave Finch)
Autism and the Complexities of Intersectionality with guest Morènike Giwa-Onaiwu, Ph.D:
This podcast is co-hosted by Dr. Barry Prizant (a speech-language pathologist and autism researcher) and Dave Finch (a bestselling author who is on the autism spectrum, and the owner/operator of the studio that does this podcast’s production and sound design). The podcast also features music by Matt Savage, an autistic jazz musician and composer.
The most common depiction of an autistic person in popular culture is a white boy or man. However, autism occurs across all races, gender identities and ethnicities. This episode explores autism and intersectionality in an interview with Dr. Morènike Giwa-Onaiwu, a Black autistic woman, educator, writer, public speaker, and global social justice advocate. The discussion focuses on intersectionality around race, gender identity, and disability with examples from Morènike’s own life -- specifically, the challenges she has faced in the healthcare and education systems.
Noncompliant – the podcast (by Anne Borden King)
“Often, autistic people are seen as inspiring for overcoming ‘autism,’ not for overcoming the obstacles that the world puts around them”: Interview with journalist Eric Garcia:
Noncompliant – the podcast describes itself as “a podcast about neurodiversity and human rights.” It is hosted by Anne Borden King, co-founder of Ontario’s autistic self-advocacy organization, Autistics for Autistics. Her guest on this episode is Eric Garcia, a journalist on the autism spectrum, who discusses public policy as it relates to autism, media bias in autism coverage and the challenges and recent triumphs of the autistic rights movement.
I included this episode on my list because it gives a comprehensive overview of these topics and provides insight into how American society’s concepts and portrayals of autism have been established, enforced and challenged over time. It highlights how the narrative about autism is dominated by non-autistic voices and why some organizations have risen to prominence in the public eye despite endorsing practices that are damaging to the autistic community. Although autistic people have not historically had many opportunities to tell their stories publicly, this episode also discusses how the rise of social media has helped mobilize autistic activists and communities to effect more change than ever before.
I hope that these recommendations help introduce you to a variety of autistic voices. If you’re looking to explore beyond this list, feel free to check out these other works of autistic content creators:
Autastic published a list of ASD-Friendly Podcasts a few years ago with a selection of podcasts made by autistic adults for autistic adults.
If you’re also a fan of video and blog content, check out this video by autistic YouTuber IndieAndy that highlights 30 autistic content creators.
Get in touch: beyond6seconds@gmail.com /// @Beyond6S on Twitter /// @beyond6seconds on Instagram
Self promo: Carolyn hosts the Beyond 6 Seconds podcast (www.beyond6seconds.net), which goes beyond our six-second first impressions to feature the extraordinary stories of everyday people. Since 2017, the podcast has featured interviews with more than 120 entrepreneurs, CEOs, creatives and media personalities.
Aside from hosting and producing her podcast, Carolyn works as an employee training design manager at a Fortune 500 company and enjoys singing a cappella music with her friends.
Hey, readers! Did you enjoy this blog post? We wanted to combine two of our favorite things: podcast listening and guest contributions. Do you have an idea for a blog post that combines podcasts with your favorite things? Let us know! We’d love for you to write a guest blog post for us!
