Background: Despite recent developments in the field of multimodality and disability there are only a few attempts to incorporate its theoretical developments for the study of disability and autism. Purpose: The present paper addresses this gap by attempting to explore the multimodal practices of an autism activist in a video posted in the popular YouTube media. Method: Drawing on an integrative multimodal design, it proposes a novel exemplar for identifying the complex interplay between the identities pronounced and their association with the underlying multimodal resources used. Results: Through a detailed analysis, the paper shows how the activist enacted a range of identities situating herself in differential positions with regards to the mainstream understanding of autism. Examining the role of the wider semiotic resources used but also the interplay between them, the paper tries to reshape the understanding of the social actions depicted by the activist. The use of such means as a way to contest the conventional societal views about autistic activities is discussed. Conclusions: Overall, the paper considers the intricate relationship that exists among meaning making resources, their use in multimodal (inter)action and the inevitability of escaping hegemonic discourses which secondarily delimit autistic lives through their pathological associations.
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