Guiding Principles
The Autistic Voices Oral History Project committed to following best practices and ethical principles set forth by the Oral History Association: https://oralhistory.org/oha-statement-on-ethics/.
Autistic Voices is a partnership.
We treat interviewees, partners, and each other with care, dignity and respect.
The interview is at the heart of what we do.
The interviewee’s story is the interviewee’s story. We respect the right of the interviewee to tell their story in the way they want it told.
Traditional styles of oral history interviewing are not always the best fit for Autistic people. This project challenges conventional approaches to oral history, which have historically been designed from a neuro-normative perspective and exclusive of neurodivergent ways of thinking, processing, and communicating. Autistic Voices oral history interviews are Autistically designed to ensure mental and emotional comfort and to reduce stressors.
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Interview questions are provided in advance of the interview. You have control over which questions are asked.
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Interview questions are as direct as possible.
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Before your interview, we ask for consent to ask follow-up questions.
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We offer multiple methods of interviews to be captured (video, audio, written).
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You choose who interviews you, either someone on our team or someone close to you.
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We encourage interviewees to choose their preferred sensory friendly space to conduct their interview.
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Eye contact is not an expectation.
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Open stimming during the interview is encouraged.
We respect the level of disclosure and identity that participants choose to share in their interview and honor and protect privacy to the greatest extent possible.
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Interviewees have the choice of sharing their interview via video, audio, or written testimony.
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Interviewees can use their real name or a pseudonym.
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Including interviewee location in the metadata record accompanying the interview is optional.
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Interviewees can request redaction of anything they say in their interview that they decide they want to keep off the record.
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We actively seek feedback from interviewees and the Autistic community in making the project as safe, welcoming and accessible as possible to all participants.
