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Mel Baggs

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Mel Baggs
Baggs in 2008
Born
Amanda Melissa Baggs

(1980-08-15)August 15, 1980
Mountain View, California, U.S.
DiedApril 11, 2020(2020-04-11) (aged 39)
Burlington, Vermont, U.S.
Other namesAmelia E. Voicy Baggs
Alma materDe Anza College
Simon's Rock
Known forAutism advocacy
YouTube information
Channel
Years active2006–2020
Genre(s)Autism advocacy, vlogs
Subscribers7.99 thousand[1]
Total views4.91 million[1]
Last updated: July 19, 2020
Neurodiversity paradigm
Philosophy
Organizations
Events
Issues
People
Films
Criticism

Amanda Melissa Baggs (August 15, 1980 – April 11, 2020), also known as Amelia E. Voicy Baggs, was an American autistic and non-binary blogger who predominantly wrote on the subject of autism. Baggs used a communication device to speak and had been referred to as low-functioning.[2][3][4][5] They died on April 11, 2020.

Work

Baggs created a website titled “Getting the Truth Out,” a response to a campaign by the Autism Society of America. They claimed that the ASA's campaign made autistic people objects of pity.[6] They also spoke at conferences about disabilities, and worked with Massachusetts Institute of Technology scientists that were researching autism.[7]

In January 2007, Baggs posted a video on YouTube entitled In My Language[8] describing the experience of living as a person with autism, which became the subject of several articles on CNN.[9][10][11] Baggs also guest-blogged about the video on Anderson Cooper's blog[12] and answered questions from the audience via email.[13] About Baggs, Sanjay Gupta said:[10]

[They] told me that because [they don't] communicate with conventional spoken word, [they are] written off, discarded and thought of as mentally retarded. Nothing could be further from the truth. As I sat with [them] in [their] apartment, I couldn't help but wonder how many more people like Amanda are out there, hidden, but reachable, if we just tried harder.

Video artist Mark Leckey admitted that he is, in a sense, envious of Baggs' empathic relationship to inanimate objects.[14] The singing at the beginning of Leckey's video Prop4aShw is from Baggs' In My Language.[15]

Baggs described themself as genderless and nonbinary[16] in their writings. They also advocated for a consistent definition of autism awareness, claiming that awareness was misrepresented by both parents and some advocates. They wrote articles in two online blogs: ballastexistenz and Cussin’ and Discussin’.[6]

Baggs said they named their first blog ballastexistenz to show that people like them were capable of living a worthy life, since it was a historical term used to describe disabled people as incapable.[16][7]

Personal life

Baggs was born in Mountain View, California on August 15, 1980 and attended De Anza College and Bard College at Simon’s Rock.[6] Baggs moved from California to Vermont in order to be closer to a friend in 2005.[17][18][6]

Several classmates of Baggs have found the presence of their alleged impairments to be unusual, subsequently claiming that Baggs "spoke, attended classes, dated, and otherwise acted in a completely typical fashion." Baggs did not dispute those details online, but claimed a loss of all functional speech in their 20s. Additionally, other autism advocates have also questioned the validity of their diagnosis.[19][20][6]

Baggs claimed that augmentative communication is somewhat common among autistic individuals, though they also supported the use of facilitated communication and other scientifically discredited alternative therapies.[21] Baggs claimed to use FC, and that Fey, their cat, was their best facilitator as Fey moved their limbs around.[22]

In addition to autism, Baggs had also claimed to have been diagnosed with and wrote about numerous other syndromes and disabilities, including bipolar disorder, dissociative disorder, psychotic disorder, and gastroparesis.[23]

Baggs died on April 11, 2020 at the age of 39 in Burlington, Vermont; their mother said that the cause of their death was believed to be respiratory failure.[6]

Selected works

  • Baggs, Mel (2020). "Losing". Autistic Community and the Neurodiversity Movement: Stories from the Frontline. Springer. pp. 77–86. ISBN 978-981-13-8437-0.[24]
  • Picard, Rosalind W.; Smith, Joel; Baggs, Amanda. "Toward a voice for everyone". MIT Media Lab.[25]
  • Baggs, Amanda (February 21, 2007). "Why we should listen to 'unusual' voices". CNN.
  • Baggs, Amanda. "In My Language" (YouTube, 2007)[26]

References

  1. ^ a b "About silentmiaow". YouTube.
  2. ^ Wolman, David (February 25, 2008). "The Truth About Autism: Scientists Reconsider What They Think They Know". Wired. Retrieved February 29, 2016.
  3. ^ "Autism Movement Seeks Acceptance, Not Cures". NPR. June 26, 2006. Retrieved December 23, 2013.
  4. ^ Erin Anderssen. "'Autistics': We don't want a cure". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved December 23, 2013.
  5. ^ "Kindergartners Vote Classmate With Disabilities 'Off the Island'". Digitaljournal.com. May 24, 2008. Retrieved December 23, 2013.
  6. ^ a b c d e f Genzlinger, Neil (April 28, 2020). "Mel Baggs, Blogger on Autism and Disability, Dies at 39". The New York Times. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  7. ^ a b Smith, Harrison. "Mel Baggs, influential blogger on disability and autism, dies at 39". Washington Post. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
  8. ^ Baggs, Mel (January 14, 2007). "In My Language". YouTube. Retrieved February 23, 2007.
  9. ^ Gajilan, A. Chris (February 22, 2007). "Living with autism in a world made for others". CNN. Retrieved February 25, 2007.
  10. ^ a b Gupta, Sanjay (February 20, 2007). "Behind the veil of autism". CNN. Retrieved February 25, 2007.
  11. ^ Abedin, Shahreen (February 21, 2007). "Video reveals world of autistic woman". CNN. Retrieved February 25, 2007.
  12. ^ Baggs, Mel (February 21, 2007). "Why we should listen to 'unusual' voices". CNN. Retrieved February 25, 2007.
  13. ^ Baggs, Amanda (February 22, 2007). "Amanda Baggs answers your questions". CNN. Retrieved February 25, 2007.
  14. ^ "Jonathan Griffin, A Thing for Things, Frieze, Issue 160, January 2014". Archived from the original on June 14, 2015.
  15. ^ "Mark Leckey". We Find Wilderness. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
  16. ^ a b Padgett, Donald (April 29, 2020). "Mel Baggs, Noted Non-Binary and Autistic Blogger, Dies at 39". Advocate. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
  17. ^ "Living With Autism In A World Made For Others". CNN.com. Retrieved December 17, 2014.
  18. ^ "The Language of Autism". Well.blogs.nytimes.com. February 28, 2008. Retrieved September 29, 2013.
  19. ^ Amy S.F. Lutz (January 16, 2013). "Autism neurodiversity: Does facilitated communication work, and who speaks for the severely autistic?". Slate.com. Retrieved September 29, 2013.
  20. ^ Abreu, Belinha S. De; Mihailidis, Paul (2013). Media Literacy Education in Action: Theoretical and Pedagogical Perspectives. Routledge. pp. 41–42. ISBN 978-1-135-12372-7. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
  21. ^ Baggs, Amanda (June 26, 2006). "Autistic AAC Users". Ballastexistenz. Retrieved July 26, 2019.
  22. ^ Baggs, Amanda. "Real Supports: What works, what doesn't" (PDF). Autism National Committee. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 6, 2019. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  23. ^ Baggs, Mel. "Feeding tubes and weird ideas".
  24. ^ Baggs, Mel (2020). Losing. Springer. pp. 77–86. doi:10.1007/978-981-13-8437-0_6. ISBN 978-981-13-8436-3. Retrieved May 10, 2020. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
  25. ^ Picard, Rosalind W. "Toward a voice for everyone". MIT Media Lab. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
  26. ^ Garden, Rebecca. "In My Language". medhum.med.nyu.edu. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
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