Aspies For Freedom

Hello all.  I don't really spend much time on these forums, but I thought I'd drop in and tell you all about how the University of Chicago Aspie club, Odds & Friends, is going to be spending our Sunday this week, and invite anyone who's in the Chicago area to come join us.

We are going to be holding a small demonstration at Soldier Field at the CAN walk.  We don't have a permit in hand quite yet, but I have spent the last two months on the phone with just about every branch of city government there is, and we will probably have one by Sunday.  We will have t-shirts that say "Celebrate Neurodiversity" on them available to everyone who comes to demonstrate, and we will all be making our own signs. If you would like to be part of our demonstration, you MUST email me at antieuclid@gmail.com so that we can go over the code of behavior and I can get your tshirt size.

If you live too far away or are daunted by the idea of a noisy environment like the average demonstration, you can still be there in spirit! We are collecting statements from people on the Spectrum that we can print onto cards and give to our neurotypical volunteers to distribute as representatives of Spectrumites who couldn't be there in person.  Again, please send statements to antieuclid@gmail.com.  A sample statement can be found at the end of this message to give you an idea of the length/tone we're going for.

So, if you have any questions whatsoever, feel free to email me (I don't get a chance to check this board very often, so if you post it here I might not see it)  My email address is, once again, antieuclid@gmail.com.

Sincerely,
Wiley Sherer


Sample statement:

Hi. I'm Wiley.  I'm a student at the University of Chicago, and I'm also autistic. I'm here today because one of the first things I saw about autism after I was diagnosed was a Public Service Announcement produced by Cure Autism Now, saying "Autism is like someone sneaks into your house and steals away your child's mind and personality, leaving their broken body behind."  And all these years I'd been assuming that I had a mind and a personality.
Cure Autism Now has repeatedly used rhetoric in their public portrayals of autism that is highly offensive to adult autistics, and has repeatedly refused to allow adult autistics to play any role in the organization.  When I went to one of their meetings to tell them about AskAnAspie.com, a website I was organizing to help parents of autistic children, I was treated with hostility and scorn simply because I was an adult autistic. They cannot claim to be trying to help autistics when they refuse to listen to what we have to say.

I am an adult autistic. Cure Autism Now does not speak for me, and I will not let myself be silenced.

So glad you will be able to be there antieuclid.
TheASman is hoping to be there too, and hand out AFF leaflets.

Can somebody tell CAN actually closer refers to adolescent neurotypicals and how they are? :lol:

I gmailed you awhile ago. I havent heard backi

so guys how did it go.

It went pretty well.  My friend Lui and I wound up being the only ones there, but we held up our sign and answered people's questions.  I'd say about 70 people came up to talk to us, and a good two thirds of them came up with a "What the (*&^$ are you doing here" attitude, and I'm very proud to say that there were only five people who left with the same attitude.  And a lot of people thanked us for explaining our position and said it was important that we be heard.  There were a couple of teenage boys who decided to make their point in support of CAN by tearing our sign in half and scratching my arm, but luckily we had tape and he had short nails so neither posed a serious problem.  

Unfortunately there were also a lot of people who just gave us the finger from a distance and didn't come talk to us, and even though I think we did a good thing and that I shouldn't let it upset me, I do feel guilty that I upset people without having the opportunity to explain my position.  I really don't like knowing that I had a negative impact on people who were just there trying to help their kids. My general anxiety level is still several orders of magnitude higher than usual, and pretty much since the protest I've been curled up in my hammock stimming.  But unpleasent as it's been, I think that on the whole everything turned out pretty well and I'm proud of what we managed to do.

Very well done, did you get any photos?

Can I quote your post for a press release?

Even though there were only two of you, you must have made an impact, the ones that gave you the finger are showing their ignorance.

Hi

I will email you and AMY on a couple of issues. But Congrats!!!!! I was actually accused by some of imaging the hostile reaction from the NAAR walkers.  Well i was not there and the same happened. I really think that it was important that I was not  there but for the next one I will be.  

This is fantastic.  It is a shame they have to be so hostile. We are really on the same side. We all want to help the disabled or lower functioning. But eliminating based a prenatal test smacks of eugenics