Blue
Light it up in blue and share some quotes on Autism Awareness Day. Reuters

It’s time to light it up in blue in observance of Autism Awareness Day. For the eighth year, autism organizations are celebrating April 2 -- and all of April -- with fundraisers and special events that raise awareness of the condition. To show support for those with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), wear something blue and hang some lights of the same hue. Even though more than 70 million people worldwide have autism, the showing of support by wearing blue helps connect people in the ASD community by letting them know they’re not alone. To mark Autism Awareness Day this year, relevant quotations of authors and celebrities appearing at BrainyQuote and Good Reads have been posted below.

1. “Mild autism can give you a genius like [Albert] Einstein. If you have severe autism, you could remain nonverbal. You don’t want people to be on the severe end of the spectrum. But if you got rid of all the autism genetics, you wouldn’t have science or art. All you would have is a bunch of social ‘yak yaks.’” -- Temple Grandin

2. “I look at autism like a bus accident, and you don’t become cured from a bus accident, but you can recover.” -- Jenny McCarthy

3. “Autism doesn’t have to define a person. Artists with autism are like anyone else: They define themselves through hard work and individuality.” -- Adrienne Bailon

4. “To measure the success of our societies, we should examine how well those with different abilities, including persons with autism, are integrated as full and valued members.” -- Ban Ki-moon

5. "When enough people care about autism or diabetes or global warming, it helps everyone, even if only a tiny fraction actively participate.” -- Seth Godin

6. “Sometimes people say that kids with autism aren’t capable of love. That’s ridiculous. My son loves deeply. He just doesn’t communicate well.” -- Claire Scovell LaZebnik

7. “People think about autism as something with kids. Well, those kids grow up.” -- Jason Katims

8. “If you have autism in the family history, you still vaccinate. Delay it a bit, space them out.” -- Temple Grandin

9. “If they can’t learn the way we teach, we teach the way they learn.” -- O. Ivar Lovaas

10. “Autism is part of my child; it’s not everything he is. My child is so much more than a diagnosis.” -- S.L. Coelho

11. “Do not deny people with autism, accept them for then their abilities will shine.” -- Paul Isaacs

12. “‘So is there a cure?’ I asked. ‘It’s not a disease,’ he explained. ‘It doesn’t need curing. It’s just how you are.’” -- John Elder Robison

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