I write from the perspective of a white nonbinary neurodivergent queer who grew up in the middle class of the United States. I have always been encouraged to ask difficult questions and expect answers. The opportunity to safely pursue answers to difficult questions is a privilege that is not extended to all people, especially Black, Indigenous, and other people of color (BIPOC). My opportunity to develop my identity as a scientist—a critical thinker and asker of questions—exists because of the oppression of the Indigenous peoples of the Haudenosaunee, Missisaugua, Erie, and Susquehanna, whose land I have occupied to do my work. My education by a land-grant university has contributed to the systemic oppression of Native peoples, and I work within academic systems that continue to underserve BIPOC. Therefore, I commit to using my privilege, which includes my scientific practice, for the benefit of people who are marginalized and oppressed.

To the people who participated in this reported study: Thank you immensely for trusting me with your stories. I am honored that so many of you expressed gratitude and enthusiasm about my work. I hope to broaden and strengthen my relationships with the autistic community and to foster respect for autistic people among non-autistic researchers and clinicians.

I am especially grateful to Rachel Dorsey for her contributions to the present study and to my understanding of autism.

To my parents: Thank you for always accepting and supporting the kids you had, instead of trying to make us into some other kids you may have wanted. I want to encourage all people to approach each other that way.

To my brother: I admire and respect you so much. I’m excited about the kind of adult siblings we are growing up to be. Thanks for always being there when I need you.

To my mentor, Diane Williams: Thank you for being the teacher who appeared when this student was ready. Your dedication to my wellbeing throughout this time of intense academic and personal growth has made all the difference. In addition to developing interesting research questions and paradigms together, I have learned so many important lessons from you about how to be a person among people.

To my committee members, Krista Wilkinson, Carol Miller, and Susan Strauss: Thank you for nurturing my research and my thinking. Your questions and recommendations have challenged me in the very best ways. I am so lucky to have worked with you all and so proud to earn my PhD with an all-women committee!

To the Department: I have found such wonderful mentors at Penn State, both official and unofficial. It’s been a privilege to work with such supportive faculty and staff. Thank you all for helping me grow as a researcher, an advocate, and a human being.

Special thanks to Olivia M. Sarracino, Temitope R. Agbaje, and Zouheir Kabbara for your help with transcripts, coding, and reliability… and especially for your patience.

I am extremely grateful to everyone in my local and long-distance support networks for helping me along this PhD journey. The problem with naming anyone is inevitably omitting someone, so I’ll leave it at this: If you have shared your home, a meal, or a conversation with me during my process of getting here, you contributed meaningfully to my success and the completion of my doctoral degree. Thank you.

Original source: Coburn, K.L. (2021). Spoken narratives by autistic adults of under-represented genders.