Autism Activism Movement in Brazil: Contingency Analysis and the Pacto pela Neurodiversidade (Pledge for Neurodiversity)

Ableism, the bias against individuals with disabilities or mental disorders, remains a relatively unfamiliar concept within the Brazilian context. Also, neurodivergent criteria are not clearly defined, which reflects in a diagnosis culture, on the one hand, and a weakening of the neurodiversity perspective, on the other. This article used a documentary-based research aimed at making a cultural analysis to elucidate the historical trajectory of the Neurodiversity Movement in Brazil through the lens of cultural contingency analysis, which culminated in a cultural intervention proposal. Results indicated two relevant historical junctures: (1) the emergence of the activism movement, marked by parents of autistic children appealing through media by sent letters to garner support—considered a cultural cusp; and (2) the ascent of self-advocacy within the neurodiversity movement, with autistic individuals assuming central roles in this societal paradigm shift. Drawing on this historical analysis and guided by an intersectional outlook, we introduce the Pacto pela Neurodiversidade (Pledge for Neurodiversity), composed by ten actions aimed against ableism. This article underscores the significance of interventions that, instead of coercing individuals to conform to an ableist societal framework, emphasize cultural changing grounded in the principles of cultural contingency analysis.