As an autistic librarian, I wish to express my appreciation to ALA President Cindy Hohl for sharing her experience as a person who is living with autism spectrum disorder (Spectrum of Leadership, American Libraries, March/April 2025). Autistic library workers still face barriers to being fully visible, fully accepted in libraries, a fact recently documented through Kelley McDaniel’s articles in ALA/APA’s Library Worklife (December 2022 and January 2023). President Hohl’s willingness to openly describe herself as a person with autism, makes it that much easier for autistic people like me to share our authentic selves.
Submitted as a letter to the editor, American Libraries magazine
Author’s note: When writing this letter, while I described myself using “identity-first language,” I made the choice to refer to President Hohl with what seemed to be her demonstrated preference for using “person-first language.”
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