Warning: this is a rant post, so if you're not up to reading a rant, please stop reading now.Ok.... apparently we've got a national emergency, folks!*sigh* This time it's Autism York pressing the panic button in the name of "autism Awareness". (And they're using those irritating puzzle pieces to boot... but I won't go there... oh no I won't! My blood pressure will rise to dangerous levels if I do.)
Image and story courtesy of the Club 166 Blog
http://club166.blogspot.com/2009/08/could.html
The person who writes the Club 166 blog is Joe, a father of a child on the autism spectrum and he mentioned how he didn't want his children "exposed to such trash". I couldn't agree with him more!
Now on to my rant:
Despite what level of ability an autistic child has (extreme low functioning or very high functioning), this type of advertising is demeaning, promotes fear, misunderstanding and doesn't really help parents who may already have enough things to deal with on a daily basis than having their child compared to a kidnap victim. Is this how you would like another condition described? Diabetes? Downs Syndrome? Spina Bifida? Asthma? How would those kids feel?
As I've said here before, I've worked with victims of crime and this is also offensive to those who've suffered at the hands of people who really have abducted them and done terrible things to them.
Do people not think before putting such ads up?? Do they not see what kind of damage they are causing? Don't they get it yet?
Do they perhaps need an ABA therapist to say to them a few times "How would you like it if this is how societies were describing *you* or a medical condition that you have?"
Did you know that you can still raise awareness about autism without that kind of advertising?
Did you know that people will still know about autism and donate or whatever it is you want them to do without making autism look like the end of the world?
Quite a few agencies do it.... even autism ones.
Examples:
Autism Calgary Association - "Vision: Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) living meaningful and purposeful lives in a community that values them."
Autism National Committee (AutCom) - "dedicated to "Social Justice for All Citizens with Autism" through a shared vision and a commitment to positive approaches. Our organization was founded in 1990 to protect and advance the human rights and civil rights of all persons with autism, Pervasive Developmental Disorder, and related differences of communication and behavior."
Autism Society of Michigan - "The mission of the Autism Society of Michigan (ASM) is to assure full participation and self determination in every aspect of life for each individual. We will realize this vision by opening avenues of self advocacy and advocating on behalf of others in a way that values equity, respect, dignity and diversity in all communities. ASM is committed to empowering individuals with autism and their families by offering educational resources and materials, workshops, seminars and other services. ASM advocates that "Making Human Connections" in a supportive, integrated community is a right of all persons."
Autism Society of Edmonton Area - "The Autism Society of Edmonton Area (ASEA) is a non-profit organization founded in 1971 by a concerned group of parents and professionals. ASEA helps families and communities embrace and support people on the autism society throughout their lives."
It is possible!
If someone were to post an ad like this about a religion, a race or a philosophy "kidnapping" people and being a "national emergency", what would it be called?
Don't know?
Well, I'll tell you what it would be called: Hate propaganda.
Hate and propaganda. Nasty words, aren't they? They're even nastier when put together and we have many examples of how this kind of thing has not benefited people in human history, don't we?
What makes it right to publish or post hate propaganda at autism or autistic people? This is part of the reason why the word autism makes my skin crawl. Isn't that awful? A person should never be brought to the point where they cringe at a word that describes a medical condition. I don't cringe when I say I have IBS or a thyroid issue. I don't have to hide that from my boss or the rest of my community.
I do have to hide the A word from them and I feel a sense of shame and disgust when I hear that word. I would likely have more acceptance if I said I was gay or something!
Why?? Why should I be ashamed? Why should I hide in "the closet"? Why should I hide it? That comes from many, many years of seeing autism described as the end of the world, a fate worse than death, wrong, worse than bird-flu and cancer, etc. and I'm sure I'm not the only autistic who feels that way.
Hate is not a family value, nor is it one that should be used to raise awareness about anything. It does no one any good!
Yes, autism is frustrating for us all... those of us who have to live with the joys of being autistic, parents and families that have to put up with the frustration of having a child that doesn't communicate or behave the way they do, and many more people I'm sure. It's not fun. It's not a picnic. It's also not the end of the world.
Does it deserve hate propaganda? Do autistic people deserve to have these ads pointed at them in attack? Do parents really need more of this negative crap to deal with?
Common sense, some courtesy and a thought about how this may be affecting other. That's all I'm asking for.
Back to Joe for a moment. He wrote this letter which I think would be of benefit for folks to see:
Dear Sirs/Madams:
As the father of a child on the autism spectrum, I am writing to express concern about the York, PA ASA chapter’s billboard campaign that associates autism with being kidnapped. I happened to notice one of your billboards while taking a vacation in Pennsylvania. This campaign is reminiscent of the 2007 Ransom Notes campaign that was undertaken (and subsequently removed) by the NYU Child Study Center in New York City.
Comparing people with autism to those who are kidnapped is not only factually wrong (my son hasn’t been kidnapped, he’s right here in front of me), but is demeaning and offensive to those who are autistic. Rather than “creating awareness”, I can only see the logical end result of such an ad campaign be one of creating fear, misunderstanding, and disrespect towards those who are autistic.
In Medieval folklore the image of a changeling was used to describe children with then misunderstood medical disorders or developmental disabilities. Fairies or trolls were thought to have kidnapped the “normal child” and left the changeling in its place. One would think that in the 21st century we could get past such folklore, and deal with reality.
Putting up ads that show such disrespect towards autistics will certainly not result in greater acceptance and integration in either the school environment or the community. As an organization that ostensibly has been set up to serve the needs of the autistic community, I urge you to immediately remove the ads. Furthermore, I strongly encourage you to consult with autistic self advocates before formulating future ad campaigns.
Thank you for your time, and I hope to hear from you soon.
More on this ad campaign from an autistic point of view:Did you think we'd seen the last of billboards describing autistic children as kidnap victims when the Ransom Notes ads were taken down in 2007? Well, as Joe just blogged, there's plenty more of the putrefying stupid where that came from. This time, the culprit is the York, PA chapter of the Autism Society of America. E-mail address is pa-york@autismsocietyofamerica.org and the chapter president is Amy Wallace. Time to let her know what we think of that tired old stolen child changeling garbage.
The good news is that Autism York has 'seen the error of its ways' thanks to some notes written to them by parents and autistics alike and are going to pull the billboards. (See the response Joe got below):
Dear Friends in the Autism Community,
Regretfully it has been brought to the attention of the Autism Society of America – York Chapter – that our recent billboard campaign has caused undesirable confusion within the community. The intention of the billboard campaign was aimed at generating awareness to the general public and was in no way created to cause a malicious stir within the community. As a parent of a severely affected nine year old with Autism I can truly understand your passion regarding advocacy and respect for our children.
We thank you for your thoughts and concerns. I apologize for the misunderstanding and want you to know we will promptly remove the billboard posting.
Respectfully yours,
Amy Wallace
President ASA York
Anyway, it's 1:47 in the morning and I have to get up for work in the morning, so I'm signing off here.
Just when it looks like people are getting it, more of this stuff shows up. Two steps forward, one step back...
