The Survivors Issue

de Joe Biel, Temple Grandin, Eliot Daughtry, Aaron D. Poliwoda, Andrew Coltrin

**The power of autistic pride in a neurophobic world** The life expectancy of autistic people is 36 years old. The most likely cause of this is suicide. Autistic people are being killed in massive numbers by the disability of how society treats us. This zine collects stories of people who have defied these odds and lived past 36. It shares wisdom for how we did it and offers narrative about both what that process was like as well as tips and important things to understand if you care about one of us. More importantly and perhaps surprisingly, the most effective way to reduce suicide is to talk about it. This way people who are having suicidal feelings can normalize talking about it with you instead of the fear of bringing it up. Talking about suicide does not increase risk or efforts. It's the one true way to save lives.