It's a blessing to meet other openly autistic people. We're all different, and yet we get each other. In fact, it turns out that several of my lifelong friends (there aren't that many) are autistic or otherwise neurodivergent.
What I'm coming to understand more and more each day, however, is how important "allies" are. My career would never have taken off if I hadn't found a mentor and ally in the great product liability attorney Paul Whelan, who didn't know I am autistic, but who knew me. I can look back on life and see other "neurotypical" allies and friends, though not too many. You can recognize them by the rainbow of friends who surround them--gay, straight, black, white, whatever. They invite outsiders in.
We should all do the same. We should recognize that our differences are what make us great, and are what should unite us.
