Amy Sequenzia

Amy Sequenzia is an American, non-speaking autistic, multiple-disabled activist and writer about disability rights, civil rights and human rights. She also has epilepsy, cerebral palsy, dyspraxia, and insomnia.

Sequenzia is a co-editor of Typed Words, Loud Voices, a book about typed communication. She is a frequent contributor to the Autism Women's Network and Ollibean.com. She is also a board member of the Autistic Self Advocacy Network and is on the board of directors at Florida Alliance for Assistive Services and Technology. She also writes poetry. She has presented in several conferences in both the United States and other countries, including the conference "Reclaiming our Bodies and Minds" at Ryerson University in Toronto. Her work is featured in books about being Autistic and Disabled.

In her own words: "I type to communicate. I began typing when I was eight years old, but for many years I did not type much because of seizures that made me very tired all the time, and because of lack of support. Today I cannot imagine being silenced again."

Disability Rights and Autism Activism

Sequenzia is deeply involved with the Neurodiversity movement and has been outspoken about the rights and worth of disabled people. She criticizes the medical model of autism. Sequenzia argues against attempts to cure autism, believing autism is an inseparable part of an autistic person's personhood. She supports all methods of communication a disabled person chooses to use and is a user of facilitated communication. She supports attempts to cure epilepsy.

Sequenzia uses identity-first language. She has written against the use of functioning labels as a person who is typically labeled "low-functioning". Sequenzia states that labeling individuals by what they "cannot do" causes others to judge autistic people unfairly and with prejudice.

Amy Sequenzia has criticized Temple Grandin for only focusing on and listening to high-functioning autistics, as opposed to low-functioning and non-speaking autistics. She has said that Grandin doesn't view those autistics as worthy of her attention.