Black, autistic activist Kayla Smith wants to see people like herself on TV
Black, autistic activist Kayla Smith wants to see people like herself on TV

Kayla Smith, who is autistic, joined Twitter about five years ago, just hoping to "find some people".Now, she has nearly 12,000 followers.She's called out representation issues on podcasts, collaborated with the Disability Rights Network...and shared her life experiences on YouTube.She even created her own hashtag, #AutisticBlackPride, which she uses to communicate her message online.Smith told In The Know that she created the hashtag after she first started educating herself...about how autism has historically been diagnosed.The hashtag is now used widely by activists, influencers and disability organizations.Smith points to shows like "Atypical" and "The Good Doctor" as examples...of what many Americans imagine when they think of an autistic person.In both shows, that person is a white man.“There’s some progress in representing people like me [on TV], but I just wish it was more"