ASAN-OSU/Central Ohio protested Autism Speaks

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This was sent out as a press release prior to the protest. Nothing about us without us!

Autistic People

Protest Upcoming Autism Speaks Walk

Citing exploitation,

Autistic students announce, “Autism Speaks doesn’t speak for us!”

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

Columbus, Ohio – September 21st, 2009 – The Ohio

State University/Central Ohio chapter of the Autistic Self Advocacy Network

will be protesting the upcoming Autism Speaks walk for autism at today’s OSU

Student Organization Involvement Fair. Citing Autism Speaks’ support for

eugenics, its unethical advertising practices, its failure to include any Autistic

people in its decision-making process and its extraordinarily high executive

pay, Autistic activists from ASAN-OSU/Central Ohio will hand out flyers and

educate OSU students in the first of many actions designed to draw attention to

Autism Speaks’ exploitation of those it claims to serve.

 

“We're protesting because Autism

Speaks, despite its name, does not speak for autistic people. In fact, it

excludes them from all levels of its top-down decision-making process,”  said Yergeau, lead organizer for

ASAN-OSU/Central Ohio. “My position as an autistic student at Ohio State is

continually fraught, for example, because of organizations like Autism Speaks.

Imagine, upon viewing an Autism Speaks PSA that compares being autistic to

being in a fatal automobile accident, what professors, colleagues, and students

assume of autistic individuals.”

 

Discontent with Autism Speaks’ policies of exclusion,

eugenics and profiteering unbefitting a non-profit has been building for years

amongst adults on the autism spectrum. The Autistic Self Advocacy Network, the

leading advocacy organization of adults and youth on the autism spectrum

themselves, has been a leading voice in the call for change.

 

“In addition to promoting the idea that to be autistic is a

fate worse than death in its advertising and fundraising materials, Autism

Speaks has executive pay rates far out of step of the rest of the autism

community and light years away from the financial opportunities of those they

purport to serve,” said Ari Ne’eman, President of the Autistic Self Advocacy

Network. Autism Speaks’ highest paid employee, Chief Science Officer Geraldine

Dawson, is paid in excess of $600,000 annually, a sum greater than the total

amount of money raised by the Columbus walk last year.

 

The Involvement Fair is from noon to 4 PM on the OSU Oval at

Oval Drive South. ASAN activists will be circulating through the Fair

distributing educational materials as well as offering students an opportunity

to sign the Pledge Against Eugenics (attached), calling on OSU President Gordon

Gee to end his support for the upcoming Autism Speaks fundraising walk.

 

Contact Information:

Yergeau

Cell: +++++++++++++

E-mail: myergeau@...

 

 

 

Secondary Contact:

Ari Ne’eman

Phone:

E-mail: aneeman@...

 

About ASAN:

 

The Autistic Self Advocacy Network

(ASAN) is a non-profit organization run by and for autistic people. ASAN's

supporters include Autistic adults and youth, those with other distinct

neurological types and neurotypical family members, professionals, educators

and friends. ASAN was created to advocate for support and services to

individuals on the autism spectrum while working to change public perception

and combat misinformation by educating communities about the autism spectrum.

Our activities include public policy advocacy, community engagement to

encourage inclusion and respect for neurodiversity, quality of life oriented

research and the development of autistic cultural activities and other

opportunities for autistic people to engage with others on the spectrum.

The Pledge Against Eugenics:

 

Dear President Gee and the Board of Trustees:

 

We, the undersigned students, faculty, staff, and community

members, urge you to reconsider your support of Autism Speaks. Autism Speaks is

an organization that does more damage to the lives of autistic people than good

through its unethical advertising, support for eugenic research, and

unrepresentative leadership. We here pledge to refrain from supporting Autism

Speaks, and we encourage you do to so as well, for the following reasons:

Autism

Speaks claims to speak for autistic people without a single autistic

person on its board of directors or leadership committees. This is far out

of line with the mainstream of the disability community, where individuals

with disabilities work side by side with family members, professionals,

and others to achieve quality of life and equality of opportunity.

Many

autistic people and their families find Autism Speaks’ advertising to be

offensive. Their ads compare a life on the autism spectrum to a car

accident, being struck by lightning, a terminal illness, and other fatal

situations. Rather than work to decrease stigma and increase respect for

autistic people, Autism Speaks’ advertising fosters pity, shame, and fear,

suggesting that our very lives are mistakes and burdens.

Autism

Speaks’ fundraising goes toward genetic research aimed at developing a

prenatal test with potentially eugenic applications. Given the fact that

92% of fetuses that test positive for Down Syndrome are selectively

aborted prior to birth, we are concerned by the prospect of a similar

result with respect to the autism spectrum. This is an issue of ethics and

discrimination, wholly separate from typical abortion politics. We believe

that money raised in the name of autistic people should go toward

opportunities for quality of life, not toward our elimination. Autism

Speaks’ research agenda is overwhelmingly focused on causation and

prevention rather than research initiatives that might support quality of

life for all autistic people.

As the

president of the largest university in the country, your support of Autism

Speaks sets precedent for other colleges and universities. We worry that

other universities and other university leaders will follow suit and

continue support for an organization that seeks to “eradicate,” in the

words of Autism Speaks co-founder Suzanne , autism and autistic

people. While we applaud your desire to help autistic individuals and

their families lead productive and fulfilling lives, supporting Autism

Speaks does no such thing.

 

We recognize that your desire to make Ohio State a center

for autism excellence is well intentioned. However, supporting Autism Speaks

will not make our university a leader in disability rights or equality of

opportunity, but rather a leader in unequal representation, eugenics research,

and flagrant ableism. In signing this petition, we announce that we will not

participate in the Autism Speaks walk for the aforementioned reasons. We call

upon you to heed our concerns and those of many other people with disabilities,

family members, professionals, and countless others. Simply put, we call upon

you to end your affiliation with Autism Speaks.

 

-- Ari Ne'emanPresidentThe Autistic Self Advocacy Networkhttp://www.autisticadvocacy.orginfo@...

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