Playing the A Card

Making reference to you or your child's autism diagnosis (as a form of disability) in a conversation with a service provider (or customer service representative) to lend greater urgency or import to your request, complaint or request for policy exception. Derived from similar term "Playing he Race Card", an idiomatic phrase that refers to exploitation of either racist or anti-racist attitudes by accusing others of racism.

I can't believe I had to wait in line for 30 minutes to pick up an item at Best Buy that was supposedly ready yesterday. After 10 minutes my son had a meltdown from the sensory overload of spending so much time in the bright, loud store.

You could see employees standing around doing nothing while I waited in line. When the manager working the desk made a comment that 'someone was a little cranky' (instead of apologizing for the inappropriate wait), I almost lost it. I'm still pretty angry but at least I got a $50 gift card after I complained to corporate, Playing the A Card.