When will neurodiversity finally be accepted?

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Krafty is right about more information being out there being a key. That is true of anything unknown or misunderstood. I think, unfortunately, the fact that NTs look for and need an emotional reciprocation and style of communication which isn't very natural to Autism/Asperger's folks is what the main difficulty might be. The question is how to make something very alien to an NT seem normal and equal in its own right. Particularly when it's not something they feel. You can explain the pain you feel at loud noises or eye contact, but most will not be able to relate to this directly, even if they want to understand.

Arguably, human philosophy, religion, politics, and thought are shaped very much by the fact that there is no species or being with more power pushing us around. This can give us delusions about what we are and our importance in reality. Within humanity, you have this neurodiverse subset, and many NTs may understandably find this whole different perspective difficult to deal with because they don't understand it and it implies that they should change their view of themselves and what they know to be human. Think of the Wrong Planet phrase--imagine of aliens came here which had very different abilities and a wholly different way of communicating. That could scare any of us. So the more accurate information out there, the better. And, as Krafty said, educating what friends you can is probably the best thing, too. The more people that see you as a person, the better. That's all it's really about. Especially since NTs enjoy emotional bonding. I've often felt that some of the resistance to homosexuality is some fear on the homophobe's part that they will have to conform to that preference, when in fact homosexuals are not asking that. Likewise, many NTs may irrationally fear that a society that seems to be filling up with neurodiverse will expect those NTs to change, when the truth is neurodiverse people are probably just looking for understanding and acceptance.

I'm tired of being treated differently for something I can't help, especially if I don't even know what I'm doing wrong.

When do you think people will finally accept and understand what it really means to be autistic?

I don't sense that Goofy has a "victim complex."

I sense that she's tired of being treated like a freak--because she really isn't a freak. She's just like everybody else. She needs love and kindness--because she gives out love and kindness.

It's not that simple. Most normal people think that autistics are literally lunatics. Few NTs are aware of the existence of mild ASDs(Asperger's, HFA). Aspies are probably the most obscure minority that has ever existed.
Sexual diversity is becoming more and more acceptable, but neurodiversity will never be recognized or accepted.
Unlike LGBT, autism is a complex difference that normal people can't understand. But most importantly, being an Aspie causes you to be in conflict with society all the time. A gay man can be socially accepted, but an Aspie man can't.

You give wise advise, Lukecash.

My mother is Jewish.

I don't expect NTs to change, I just expect them to be more forgiving and understanding of my quirks. Just because someone is autistic doesn't mean they're bad and deserve to be abused. They deserve love too.

I'm very sorry if I gave the impression that Goofy herself had a victim complex. What I mean to do was warn against a victim complex, and explain that there is only a certain amount of progress we can expect because of neurological gap.

She's growing up in a world where many groups of people single others out and senselessly tear them down. It is a torrent that assaults basically everyone and all of us, "NT" or not, need to develop a positive self definition as the basis for our self esteem and satisfaction.

Also, Goofy, if you want to do better with people you are going to need to learn, learn, and learn some more about social interactions. The more you learn, the better you will do. You're faced with a choice: do you want to fight down bitterness for the rest of your life or continually fight to be more functional for the rest of your life? Neither is easy, and neither is very fair. I understand why many people on the spectrum hate this idea and feel like they have change themselves. So much of it comes down to how well you can cope and the question of whether you feel changing this or that is really a change of your inner self.

Are you your autism? Does it feel like a violation to change this or that? No one can decide this for you and it will have a direct effect on your success and happiness in life, success and happiness being things you have to define for yourself along with a healthy understanding of responsibility. It's a hard world that you're growing up in, and I can say from personal experience that I am okay with all of the changes I've made in the five decades I've had.

But most of all, let me say that I feel for you Goofy, and yes you do deserve to be loved. You can supply that love yourself, but you ought to be loved by other people too. There are people out there that can and will accept you, and we at WP aren't going anywhere in the foreseeable future either.

Does it feel like a violation to change this or that? No one can decide this for you and it will have a direct effect on your success and happiness in life, success and happiness being things you have to define for yourself along with a healthy understanding of responsibility. It's a hard world that you're growing up in, and I can say from personal experience that I am okay with all of the changes I've made in the five decades I've had.

The fact that we are Aspies is our problem, not society's problem. Nobody is obliged to tolerate our weirdness. Sad, but true.

It sounds to me as though you would have us all learn to wear masks when around NTs. That is not acceptance. That's assimilation.
Yes it feels like a violation, and sometimes even worse than that.
That's great that you are okay with all of the changes you've made in five decades. How about you stop assuming or expecting other people to be just like you and okay with the same changes you're okay with?

Your success at conformity or assimilation into social structures does not make you better than the rest of us.

I think many here have already tried their best to do what they can to cope; some to the point of destroying themselves, and some are just tired and at the end of their ropes.

Instead of hoping for the ability to compromise oneself to an even greater level, many are just hoping for some more acceptance and understanding, and a little less socially driven abuse.

For myself, I honestly do not want the NTs to have to change themselves for me. I'd much rather see a separate space created for the NDs where there is much less built-in structural conflict. Then when NDs feel like compromising to interact with NTs, then it will be completely their choice to do so willingly, and not a forced situation like that of a prisoner interacting with a prison guard (keyholder).

What I mean to do was warn against a victim complex, and explain that there is only a certain amount of progress we can expect because of neurological gap.

She's growing up in a world where many groups of people single others out and senselessly tear them down. It is a torrent that assaults basically everyone and all of us, "NT" or not, need to develop a positive self definition as the basis for our self esteem and satisfaction.