The Autistic Self-Advocacy Network

Autism Speaks Denounced by over 60 Disability Groups

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Published October 08, 2009 @ 08:19PM PT

By Ari Ne'eman, ASAN President.  More than 60 national, international, and local disability rights organizations have signed onto a letter condemning the organization Autism Speaks for exploiting those it purports to help. The letter was released on Wednesday, October 7 by the Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN), the leading advocacy organization run by and for Autistic youth and adults speaking for themselves. The letter's signatories include the Arc of the United States, TASH, the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law and the National Council on Independent Living, and it calls on Autism Speaks' donors, sponsors, and supporters-including Toys ‘R Us, Home Depot, Fox Sports, and Lindt Chocolates-to end their support for the organization.

The joint letter highlights a pattern of behavior on the part of Autism Speaks beyond any particular instance, but it was instigated following Autism Speaks' most recent fundraising video, entitled, "I am Autism". The disability community reacted in horror to the "I am Autism" campaign, which presents Autistic people as kidnap victims and burdens on their families and local communities.

ASAN held a protest in Portland, Oregon on September 26 that received widespread local press coverage, including segments on the news broadcasts on two local television stations, KPTV-12 (Fox) and KOIN-6 (CBS). Additional protests are being organized for Sunday, October 11 in Columbus, Ohio, and for Sunday, October 18 in Boston, Massachusetts. ASAN is also organizing a large protest at an Autism Speaks-sponsored concert at Carnegie Hall in New York City on Tuesday, November 17. Singer Bruce Springsteen and comedian Jerry Seinfeld are headlining the concert.

This blog entry was excerpted from a longer statement at http://www.autisticadvocacy.org/modules/smartsection/item.php?itemid=60

Individuals who wish to sign onto the letter can do so at our petition site: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/AutismSpeaks

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