Archive of Our Own

'How are you today, Cisco?' Jesse asked, confused about the red, seeing as she'd coincidentally decided to wear a red shirt as well. 

Harry looked at the three of them and shook his head. 'I don't even want to know what's going on.'

'It's Autism Acceptance Day!' Cisco announced brightly. 'The day where autistic people reclaim Autism Awareness Day from that purported charity Autism Speaks.'

'Yeah, I've heard about them,' said Harry. 'They aren't very charitable if only four percent of all money raised goes to actually helping autistic families. They're not much better in Earth-2.' He folded his arms. 'But what I am curious about, Ramon, is what it's got to do with you.'

'Well...' Cisco awkwardly tucked a lock of hair behind his ear. 

'Oh, I see.' Harry nodded in understanding without Cisco having to say anything. 'Carry on then. We've got work to do today.'

'Hey, has anyone seen Barry?' asked Jesse. 'Only he's late.'

'Oh, Barry's always late. He thinks his connection with the Speed Force gets him anywhere on time, even if he wakes up ten minutes late for a dental appointment.' Caitlin chuckled. 

'That's uh... well, that's true about Barry.' Cisco took his phone from his pocket. 

'So.' Jesse raised an eyebrow. 'Autism Acceptance Day."

'Yeah. People aren't very accepting of autism here on Earth-1,' Cisco explained. 'They'd rather look for impossible cures and prenatal testing so the baby can be aborted.'

'Isn't that eugenics?'

'It is, yeah.'

'And that's why you don't like Autism Speaks?'

Cisco nodded. 'One of the reasons.' 

'One of the reasons?' Jesse asked. 

Barry zipped into the Cortex wearing all baby blue clothes. 'Hey guys! Don't forget to Light it Up Blue today! Seeing as you're all wearing red, that is.'

'That's another reason.' Cisco sighed. 'Barry, come on, man, I thought we were friends.'

'We are friends, Cisco. I have no idea what this is about.'

'Well, it's not about Zoom.'

'It's about your clothes, Barry,' Caitlin spoke up. 'You're making Cisco feel uneasy and... well, it's a bit hostile.'

'Why?'

'Well, today is Autism Acceptance Day.'

'I know, and I'm lighting it up blue -'

'Barry, it's harmful. Cisco's upset.'

'Autism Speaks chose blue because more boys are diagnosed than girls,' Cisco explained. 'White middle-class boys, specifically. They don't think that it's the ableism of doctors diagnosing these kids who don't believe that girls and people of color can be autistic.'

Barry raised an eyebrow. 'Cisco?'

'Barry, I'm on the spectrum,' Cisco said carefully. 'I'm autistic.' He took a deep breath. 'And it hurts me deep when Autism Speaks calls me "a crisis" or "a burden" and... "barely living".'

'Geez, Cisco.' Barry frowned. 'I didn't know that. Any of it.'

'They came out with a video called "I Am Autism" that is basically saying that autistic kids are a crisis and even compares it with diseases like diabetes and cancer and even AIDS.' Caitlin wrinkled her nose. 'I stopped the Light it Up Blue thing after Cisco showed me that. It's disgusting, offensive and untrue.' 

'They pulled that stunt on Earth-2 as well,' Harry interjected.

Jesse nodded in agreement.

'I guess some things here aren't so different after all,' said Harry.

'They did another video where a mother was saying how much she wanted to kill herself and murder her autistic child in front of the autistic child, saying she only stopped because of her non autistic child.' Caitlin shook her head in disgust.

'Yeah, that was Autism Every Day,' said Cisco. 'She kept saying what a burden her autistic daughter was to her. And the kid's just there. What's she gonna make of it?'

'They promote stigma, Barry. You've known Cisco for two years now. When has he ever come out as autistic to you?' Caitlin asked. 'His secret identity isn't Vibe, Barry, it's being autistic.' 

'You lied to me?' Barry glanced over at Cisco, who looked hurt. 

'I didn't lie, Barry. I just didn't tell you.' Cisco looked away. 'I was afraid that if I told you, you'd see me as nothing but a stereotype of - of those same stereotypes Autism Speaks perpetuate. A lot of the ways I've been treated is because of my autistic traits. Though it's a part of me - well, it is me. Without autism, I wouldn't be the Cisco Ramon that you know now. But those stereotypes make me uncomfortable sharing that.'

'So, why does Caitlin know?'

'I'm his doctor as well, Barry,' said Caitlin. 'And maybe I did treat him a little differently at first,' she admitted. 'Like I was afraid he was going to rock and flap and scream in my face, even though he was super friendly when we first met... then I actually saw him having a meltdown. All he did was cry in a closet and chew on my pen.'

'Because I couldn't figure out something with the mechanics of the particle accelerator,' said Cisco. 'Probably. I mean, it was so long ago I don't remember that anymore.'

'That's when I realized the stereotypes didn't belong to him. He was too high functioning.' 

'But, I put her straight on functioning labels as well,' Cisco said with a nod.

'I'm sorry, what are functioning labels?' asked Jesse. 'It's just I've never heard of that.'

'Ableist,' said Cisco without missing a beat. 

'What they are according to Autism Speaks, is that someone like Cisco would be considered "high functioning", while someone who is non-verbal or is unable to "pass as normal" would be considered "low functioning".'

'Yeah okay.' Jesse nodded. 'So, how is that bad?' 

'Because I might be able to do something one day and not another,' Cisco replied. 'I have to leave reminders in my apartment to... To comb my hair. To wash. It doesn't make me "a burden" like they claim. It makes me - well, those are my needs. I'm a human being, not less than.'

'Is that -?'

'The implication? No, they pretty much say it outright.'

Jesse shook her head. 'Oh wow, that's horrendous.'

'I-I didn't know, man,' said Barry. 

Harry put his hand up. 'Wait, do they support the ABA -'

'Yes, they do,' Caitlin said with a nod. 'And, personally, I think it's abhorrent.'

'ABA?' Barry questioned.

'Applied Behaviour Analysis,' Harry explained. 'A very cruel and unusual punishment, known to cause Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in many autistic individuals who have received it.'

'How so?' asked Barry. 

'Many ABA "specialists" withhold food and drink from autistic people in their care until they comply. Usually something like making eye contact,' Caitlin explained. 'It's abusive and awful. Parents see it as a way to make their autistic kids... not autistic.'

'But autism can't be cured. Only managed,' Cisco finished. 'In most ABA clinics, they treat us worse than animals.'

Barry brought his hand to his mouth. 'Oh, Cisco, you haven't...'

Cisco shook his head. 'No, I haven't. But I know of autistic people who have. The stories are horrible, Barry. And the guy who invented ABA called the core theory of it to be "forcing a change in a child’s outward behavior", and that it would "effect an inward psychological change". Basically he thought that forcing someone to act "normal", he would make them "normal". It's the same thing as gay conversion therapy.'

'And he also called autistic people "mentally crippled",' Caitlin added. 

'Yeah, he called me mentally crippled.' Cisco shook his head in disgust. 

'And in extreme cases of ABA, the autistic person is even electric shocked until they comply,' said Caitlin.

'That would be the Judge Rotenberg Center, which Autism Speaks is firmly aligned with,' said Cisco. 'They torture people there. It's horrible. Very grim.'

Barry looked to Caitlin. 'And you know about this?'

'Yeah,' Caitlin said with a nod. 'Cisco told me. Autism Speaks are awful. They just spread propaganda about children being stolen or missing -'

'Except I'm right here,' Cisco said with a small sigh. 'Put plain and simple, they're a hate group. There's a reason John Elder Robison resigned from his role for the organization. They liked to squash his autistic voice too.'

'John Elder Robison?' Jesse asked. 'That name sounds familiar somehow.'

'Yes, I believe Robison was on Earth-2,' Harry said with a sharp nod. 'He was the sole autistic person who worked for Autism Speaks, but resigned after he couldn't handle their vitriol.'

'Something like that, Harry, yeah,' Cisco said looking down at his phone. 'He uh... worked for them and resigned, saying that "Autism Speaks is the only major medical or mental health nonprofit whose legitimacy is constantly challenged by a large percentage of the people affected by the condition they target",' he read. 'Among other things.'

'He also wrote a book about his autistic experience called Look Me In the Eye,' Caitlin added.

'I... didn't know that,' said Barry. 'So why are you wearing red?'

'For autism acceptance - hashtag-are-you-aware-of-me-now,' Cisco replied with a shrug. 

'I got you.' Barry nodded. 'I'll be right back.' he said and zipped out of the Cortex. 

'For the record, Cisco, I don't care if you're autistic or not,' said Jesse. 'You're kind and funny and everything that awful organization says you're not.'

Cisco smiled. 'Thanks, Jesse.'

Barry zipped back into the Cortex, this time wearing a red sweater and jeans. 

'I left a note for Joe, Iris and Wally,' said Barry. 'Now I know all that, lighting it up blue is wrong. I don't want you cured or gone, Cisco. I don't know what I'd do without my bro.' He smiled.

'Me either, Barry,' said Cisco.

'Luckily for me, my Flash suit is red.' Barry chuckled. 'But I'll wear red today even when I'm out of my Flash suit.'

'That's all I could ask for, dude.' Cisco smiled back. 'That's all I could ask for.'