Typically, the color red on a nation’s flag symbolizes bloodshed in battle for independence while gold stands for wealth and resources.
Today, those colors patterned in a diamond represent power, strength, perseverance and first place as a new flag was raised at Jones Beach State Park for all people who are neurodivergent, waving in a renewed acceptance vow to the autism community.
“In 2021, I had an idea that a society with such vast scope and diversity should have a flag–a flag to symbolize strength because we all have strength here. We’re neurodivergent. We all know that. We face obstacles every single day,” said Joshua Mirsky, creator of the New York State Neurodiversity Strength Flag. “This is a victory for all of us, all neurodivergence. When I had a vision, I knew that I had to pursue it, not just on my behalf, but on behalf of all of us, on behalf of a massively disenfranchised population who needed hope, especially nowadays when there is so much division all over the place. We need unification as a country. It is my sincerest hope and belief that through this flag we can begin to [weave] the fibers of a blanket of unification that we could cover the world.”
New York State Office for People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) Commissioner Willow Baer noted that “These are not just colors. They are a statement that neurodivergent New Yorkers are seen, valued, and essential to the fabric of our communities,” she said. “Awareness alone is not enough, and access, while an important first step, is not enough. People need to feel welcome. People deserve to feel respected, and most importantly, people should always feel like they belong.
“That’s what Autism Acceptance Month is about, to me. Not just awareness, but informed acceptance. Not just recognition, but celebration. And that’s why we’re here today, to make sure neurodiverse New Yorkers know that you belong, that you are celebrated, and that you play an important role in all of our communities. New York’s Neurodiversity Strength Flag is more than a symbol. It reflects the perspectives, the experiences, and the leadership of people with autism.”
OPWDD also raised the Neurodiversity Strength Flag at its office and other locations. But Jones Beach is home to Mirsky.
In an exclusive interview with Able News, Port Washington resident Mirsky recalled walking the boardwalk to a certain flagpole and asking himself when he would be able to see a flag he identified with.
“I’d stop there and I’d always look up and I’d go there at weird times of the year when no one was there and I’d say, ‘You see that flagpole? I’m making a flag one day and it’s gonna be flying there and every single other flagpole in the world,’” he said.
When there is a will, there is a way and the 2021 dream of eradicating the stigmas that have unjustly held the neurodivergent community back, was simply started with some oil pastels, paper, a ruler and a meeting with a state senator.
Joshua Mirsky, creator of the New York State Neurodiversity Strength Flag, stands with New York State Office for People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) Commissioner Willow Baer and other officials as the new flag is ready to be raised at Jones Beach on the first day of Autism Acceptance Month. Photo credit: Christopher Alvarez.
After meeting with the senator, Mirsky rushed to the art shop one day after work to get the supplies he needed. The design for the prototype of this flag has been on Mirsky’s mind for a while; he told Able News. When arriving to his desk at his apartment, the first thing he drew was a diamond to signify value because autistic people have always known the value they have that others don’t see, Mirsky said. “People who are different always get respected. Autistic people have this gift. And flying this flag, eventually society will know our value too.”
The idea that other movements like the Pride flag had a symbol to celebrate and were successful in society, but nothing was created for neurodiversity, consumed him. He said he put it at the center of everything until it became his everything.
Autism is a communication disorder that comes in three stages and affects an estimated 1 in 31 children and 1 in 45 adults in the United States today, according to Autism Speaks, an organization dedicated to helping autistic people reach their full potential.
Children with autism are bullied at three times a higher rate than those with other disabilities. Nearly 80% face disproportionate risks of physical, verbal, and cyberbullying.
Mirsky was no different; getting kicked around, choked, detention time at school and being looked down upon for envisioning a more inclusive and accepting future.
Along with the Neurodiversity Strength Flag raising, Commissioner Baer awarded Mirsky with a proclamation on behalf of Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office declaring April as Autism Acceptance Month in New York. “Awareness sounds like a disease and I think wording’s the first part of the problem,” Mirsky said about the importance of going from awareness to acceptance. “If you start talking about something as a disease to be cleansed, you’re never gonna address the problem.”
The problem of “misrepresentation and people who follow the stigmas,” he said. Autism Speaks represents itself with a blue puzzle piece as their logo, a symbol that many autistic supporters of the flag, in attendance, booed because it frames autism as a disease that needs a cure, and not representing autism the right way.
That is why the movement of “ditching blue” has taken force. On April 2nd, landmarks throughout New York State, including Niagara Falls, will ignite and shine in the colors of red, white and gold.
“We need to stay and show that we’re not second class, we’re first class just like everyone else,” he said.
With teary eyes, Commissioner Baer said that her New York State’s Autism Spectrum Disorders Advisory Board made a recommendation to change the colors because “they saw blue as being a sad color.”
Democratic representative of New York’s 3rd congressional district, Tom Suozzi has been a supporter of the flag since 2022 and displays it at his congressional office. And, the Museum of Disability History in Albertson proudly displayed the flags outside the museum’s entrance.
Despite these small milestones, Mirsky says he still feels like a “warrior in a war, which is not yet won. I am still in battle mode until we get not just all New York State but the world,” he said. “So, the future generations will never need to experience the hardships of today, I fight.”
His mom, Karen, is Mirsky’s biggest supporter and to her, today was “incredible and powerful, and he’s going to make a difference.”
HAPPY AUTISM ACCEPTANCE MONTH TO EVERYONE