it has to be said...

ok, so i've seen discussion after discussion about the new Autism Speaks video called I am Autism...& i wanted to share my thoughts as well

take a sec & watch it...i'll wait...



how does it make you feel?

how do you think it would make you feel if you were Autistic?

yeah, i think the ending part about family always being there, supporting their Autistic child, is great...but seriously - what is this video trying to say?

the same thing Autism Speaks has always been about...finding a "cure" for this horrible "disease"..."fixing" our Autistic kiddos - making them "normal"...finding out what causes Autism so that we can stop other Autistics from ever being born!

say what?!

i posted a video last week that was made in response to the current Autism conversation going on in the media...there's even a group on Facebook called Autistics against Autism Speaks (which i'm a proud member of)...tons of the blogs i read on a regular basis (who's authors also happen to be Autistic themselves) have weighed in on the topic

i've never been a supporter of Autism Speaks...other advocate moms clued me in to their nonsense in the very beginning...here's some reasons why:

-Despite claiming to be a non-profit charity, many employees and execs at Autism Speaks are payed over $100,000 a year - some as high as $600,000 a year!

-Autism Speaks does not have even one Autistic person on the board of directors or even employ one Autistic person, they have said this is because it would be "inappropriate"

-Prenatal testing (which Autism Speaks support and fund) will KILL many Autistic people, despite the fact the greatest minds in the world where thought to be Autistic (the majority of people on the Autism spectrum do not want a cure or prenatal testing)

-Autism Speaks have sued many Autistic teenagers for doing nothing more then expressing their views or parodying the Autism Speaks website

-Autism Speaks tells people that Autism is a horrible disease which must be cured, and basically refuse to acknowledge the existence of high-functioning Autism and Asperger's Syndrome

-Very little money donated to Autism Speaks goes towards helping Autistic people & their families: according to their 2008 annual report, only 4% of their budget goes towards the "Family Services" grants

-While the bulk of Autism Speaks’ budget (65%) goes toward genetic and biomedical research, only a small minority of Autism Speaks’ research budget goes towards research oriented around improving services, supports, treatments and educational methodologies, with most funding going towards basic research oriented around causation and genetic research, including the prospect of prenatal testing

it makes me sad to know that some big name celebs are supporting this "charity"...& probably don't even really know what exactly they're supporting...i wish they'd read this & read this before signing up...before they endorse Autism Speaks 1 more second & gear any more parents to newly diagnosed Autistic children down that sad, lonely & misinformed path

"The answer is not to create a world in which the word Autism is met with terror, hatred and prejudice. It is to work to create a society that recognizes the civil rights of Autistic people and others with disabilities. It is to work to create a world in which people with disabilities can benefit from the supports, the services and the educational tools necessary to empower them to be full citizens in society."
-Ari Ne’eman, president of President of ASAN (the Autistic Self Advocacy Network), a non-profit organization of adults and youth on the autism spectrum

once again...
NOTHING ABOUT US, WITHOUT US!!!

*edited to add this article published on 10/7/09*