Definitions and Beyond

There are many ways to identify. Everyone is different and that’s good! But sometimes that is confusing. This guide, “Definitions and Beyond,” will explain some of the ways people identify. Why is this important? Because many parts of being LGBTQ+ are like being a self-advocate with a disability! Part of self-advocacy is being proud of who you are. With this guide, you can be a self-advocate for LGBTQ+ people too. You can help make the world a better place for LGBTQ+ people!

This guide will talk about things like:

  1. What being LGBTQ+ is
  2. The different ways people can identify and present themselves
  3. What different kinds of discrimination against LGBTQ+ people there are
  4. What stereotypes are and why they are bad
  5. How to find community and support if you feel bad about being different

And more!

The toolkit is available in two versions:

Our Easy Read edition. The Easy Read version uses pictures along with large text, and has more white space.
Download the Easy Read version of “Definitions and Beyond.”

A Plain Language version without accompanying graphics.
Download the Plain Language version of “Definitions and Beyond.”

For more Easy Read and Plain Language resources, check out the Resource Library at AutisticAdvocacy.org.

This resource was created by the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, in collaboration with the National Alliance of Direct Support Professionals (NADSP) and the Burton-Blatt Institute (BBI) at Syracuse University. This work is made possible due to generous funding from the New York State Developmental Disabilities Planning Council (NYS DDPC).