The month of April is the World Autism Awareness Month. The message “Autism and Humanity — Every Life Has Value” is intended to affirm the dignity and inherent worth of all autistic people like myself.
Yet awareness is not enough in our community — my own experience has highlighted several instances of exclusion.
Recently, I sought to join a community called “Shoutout SG” set up by Azure Lee, an Academic Coach at Singapore University of Social Sciences and a community changemaker, just earlier this year. Azure Lee also runs the community “3 of Us”, which has been going on for many years. Both are communities which pride themselves of being an organic community where people can share anything with one another and enjoy one another’s company.
However, one day Azure Lee quietly blocked me from all platforms of Shoutout SG and 3 of Us, despite barely interacting with me, nor have I interacted much with anyone in the platforms. He has also blocked all my social media platforms, preventing me from trying to get through to him.
I sought help from mutual connections to get through to him, asking him for an explanation for his unjustified actions. After much pressure from the connections, he finally relented and arranged to speak with me at one of the 3 of Us sessions on 12 April 2026.
Azure Lee explained that although he does not know me well, he has heard about my history from some of his acquaintances, and given my history he would not like to take the risk of letting me stay in his platforms. He refused to share more details at it will reveal more details of his acquaintances who knew me.
He also explained his rationale for not giving me a heads up and blocking me from trying to reach him, being that he has banned several others for the same reasons and he has no time for disputes with too many people, with the hopes that I understand his point of view.
The plan for the session was such that he gathers feedback from the facilitators at my table, and using the information to back up his decisions of proceeding ahead with the full ban on his platforms.
After the session, the facilitators at the table put a good word for me, seeing my drive for improving my posture to avoid making anyone uncomfortable, despite my challenges being an autistic individual.
However, despite the good word he also acknowledged, he expressed, in a sympathetic-yet-ironic tone, that he would proceed with the ban, given his priorities of his communities’ comfort and his personal knowledge of my history through his acquaintances, and that he would block me again after the message.
Azure Lee 1st Message: Hey Andrew, thank you for sharing your reflections on the session. It’s clear you took away some valuable insights, especially from the guidance Suria provided. It’s encouraging to see you taking those perspectives to heart.
I’ve given this a lot of thought and I feel the weight of the decision I have to make. While I truly wish you well on your journey to connecting with others, my primary responsibility is to the well-being and comfort of the entire ‘3 of Us’ community.
Based on recent interactions and the current atmosphere of the groups, I believe the best path forward is for you to have some time away from these sessions to focus fully on the personal work you’ve started. Because of this, I will be moving forward with the ban for Empathy Circles and Shoutout.
Please know this isn’t about wishing you ill. It is about recognizing that you need a different environment to recover and work on these skills right now. I hope you continue to reflect on Suria’s advice as you move forward.
Azure Lee Last Message: I hope you’re able to focus on your personal growth and find spaces that support you. Suria mentioned that he sees potential in your growth. I hope you won’t let him down.
I will be blocking this account on Telegram after this message.
Take care
Azure Lee is only one of the many individuals in our society who ostracise people with autism in such a manner, but he is the only one who is willing to be upfront.
Many others act as discreetly as him initially, not out of spite, but out of deliberate consideration like he did, but few were brave to admit for fear of repercussions.
I hope that my story serves as a reminder that the best way to support the autistic community is through a warm invitation, and I hope that genuine changemakers and groundups out there do not discriminate an individual unjustly from personal vendetta in the way that Azure Lee did in his 3 of Us and Shoutout SG platforms. True inclusivitiy should reveal itself through actions.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of sGlobalNews.com. This article is a personal account shared in the public interest in conjunction with World Autism Awareness Month (April 2026). All individuals mentioned have been given the opportunity to respond. Readers are advised that this content deals with themes of social exclusion and discrimination. SGlobalNews.com is committed to providing a platform for diverse voices, including those of individuals with disabilities.
