Aspies For Freedom

Article entitled "Is There Hope for Autism?"
Did anyone read this?  It was in Parade magazine on Sunday 2/4.  If you did, just wanted to know your thoughts.  A supplemental article was written by the founder of the "beloved" Autism Speaks...she has partnered with the UN and designated April 2 as "World Autism Day".
See Parade.com for more info.

"PARADE?!? you read parade magazine?!"~ Stewey

Yes.  And by the way, if I wanted someone to make fun of me, I could walk outside my house...I didn't write a thread to be someone's source for laughter.

Actually I think he was quoting family guy, not intentionally making fun of you.

Oh, Family Guy... Well, guess that reveals just how "out of the loop" I am!  
Sorry I got so mad--I am always misunderstanding others!

SF = ♀

Autistic Pride Day is at 18th of June right?

That sounds right.  I guess she's trying to organize an even bigger event.  My concern is that she's promoting autism awareness with the hope of a cure, rather than "world autistic pride".

Who is the "she" who is organizing the bigger event?

What I meant was that SoccerFreak is female which I said because Puckorz refered to her as "he".

"She" is the founder of Autism Speaks, who wrote a supplemental article to go with the main one in last weekend's Parade Magazine...
And yeah, I saw that SoccerFreak is female.  =)

Oh...sorry.

Something tells me that I really don't know how bad it is.

I know!  Larry King has been doing some specials on Autism, and my friend told me to watch.  But of course the theme was hope and a cure... It drives me crazy!

Here's the resolution that creates the World Autism Awareness Day:



United Nations A/RES/62/139
General Assembly Distr.: General
21 January 2008
Sixty-second session
Agenda item 66 (a)
07-47211

Resolution adopted by the General Assembly
[on the report of the Third Committee (A/62/435)]
62/139. World Autism Awareness Day

The General Assembly,

Recalling the 2005 World Summit Outcome(1) and the United Nations Millennium Declaration,(2) as well as the outcomes of the major United Nations conferences and summits in the economic, social and related fields,

Recalling also the Convention on the Rights of the Child(3) and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, (4) according to which children with disabilities should enjoy a full and decent life, in conditions which ensure dignity, promote self-reliance and facilitate the child’s active participation in the community, as well as the full enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms on an equal basis with other children,

Affirming that ensuring and promoting the full realization of all human rights and fundamental freedoms for all persons with disabilities is critical to achieving internationally agreed development goals,

Aware that autism is a lifelong developmental disability that manifests itself during the first three years of life and results from a neurological disorder that affects the functioning of the brain, mostly affecting children in many countries irrespective of gender, race or socio-economic status, and characterized by impairments in social interaction, problems with verbal and non -verbal communication and restricted, repetitive behaviour, interests and activities,(5)

Deeply concerned by the prevalence and high rate of autism in children in all regions of the world and the consequent development challenges to long-term health care, education, training and intervention programmes undertaken by Governments, non-governmental organizations and the private sector, as well as its tremendous impact on children, their families, communities and societies,

Recalling that early diagnosis and appropriate research and interventions are vital to the growth and development of the individual,

1. Decides to designate 2 April as World Autism Awareness Day, to be observed every year beginning in 2008;

2. Invites all Member States, relevant organizations of the United Nations system and other international organizations, as well as civil society, including non-governmental organizations and the private sector, to observe World Autism Awareness Day in an appropriate manner, in order to raise public awareness of autism;

3. Encourages Member States to take measures to raise awareness throughout society, including at the family level, regarding children with autism;

4. Requests the Secretary-General to bring the present resolution to the attention of all Member States and United Nations organizations.

76th plenary meeting
18 December 2007


_______________
1 See resolution 60/1.
2 See resolution 55/2.
3 United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 1577, No. 27531.
4 Resolution 61/106, annex I.
5 See International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, tenth revision
(subcategories F84.0 and F84.1), endorsed by the forty-third World Health Assembly in May 1990.
A/RES/62/139

I know that the Wright's, and their daughter, were the principal speakers at the adoption of this resolution, but I've been researching all morning and I'm not so sure they had all that much to do with the initial inception or the creation of the bill itself.

The wording of the bill sure seems a lot more oriented toward rights than epidemics. I know Autism Speaks can't stay out of the spot light, or resist taking more credit than they deserve, and I suspect they were the only ones the ambassador of Qatar noticed when they looked for someone to speak at the ceremony, but I'm not seeing how the World Autism Awareness Day belongs to Autism Speaks.

You know, there's not going to be a lot of times when the world says "Wait a minute, we need to make a SECOND Autism Awareness Day so that the other folks get a say, too!"

We're going to have to start fighting back against this crap! I say we EMBRACE World Autism Awareness Day, and Autism Awareness Month, and use them like the AS people aren't even there. Maybe even accuse them of grandstanding and trying to co-opt our Day for their own money-making purposes.

I don't see why Autism Speaks should get to spin everything their way.

I was unable to get my company Diversity Team to dissavow the Autism Speaks Autism Walk. They plan to send a team of walkers. Now, I have to find a way to educate them for the future in some way besides pouting. So, I'm planning on making a big thing about Autism Awareness Month and the World Autism Awareness Day. I plan to write more articles for the newsletter that tell them to use these times to recognize the human rights of autistics. I'm also looking into making orange and blue bracelets with "a difference - not a disease" and flogging them on eBay to counter the Autism Speaks campaign.

I recommend we don't turn our back on this stuff, even if it's tainted by some dirty hands. If we don't start claiming our place in the public mind, we will someday find ourselves with no place in the world at all.


By the way, wasn't there once an (inter)national group that was gathering all the neurodiversity sites and groups together? Where did it go? We need one badly. Do we need to create another, so there's someone other than Autism Speaks to speak for us on a national/international/governmental level?

I'm getting tired of being spoken for.

Thank you for your passion, and your devotion to our cause.  I hope you do make those bracelets--if so, let me know.  I want one!