It's been awhile since I've written, but it's time to dust of the ol' blog with the latest atrocity rearing its ugly head on the internet: "The Autism Acceptance Project" (Not to be confused with the original Autism Acceptance Project, which one of the finest organizations devoted to autism on this planet, in my opinion.)
Estee Klar, the founder of the original Autism Acceptance Project has much to say on her blog about the whole thing.
I commented on the blog of Ms. Zalzal, the creator of the imposter site, but it will likely be deleted, so I'm putting it here where only I can delete it (neener, neener):
I have spent many years speaking with and working alongside people on the autism spectrum and their parents (Parents being without an apostrophe because it is plural). What I have found is that non-autistic parents have no more of an idea about what living with autism is like any more than professionals do. Why? Because they are not autistic! Many parents will freely admit they have no idea what their children are going through. They just know what it's like being a parent. Just because you give birth to someone, it does not automatically mean that you know what it's like to be your child. That goes for any parent, not just a parent of someone on the autism spectrum. I'm married to a person on the autism spectrum. His parents still don't know squat about it!
Experts without autism are even less inclined to know about what autism is like. Sure, they have their pet theories, but do they really know what it's like? I have met two out of hundreds of professionals that I would even come close to saying have an idea about autism for what it really is. Most of them are making lots of money shilling their quack theories about. There's wisdom in the saying: "Never trust anyone who calls himself an expert. An ex is a has-been and a spurt is a drip under pressure".(Don't even get me started on movie stars and celebrities who think they're experts on autism because they have kids on the spectrum!)
It seems to me that you want to focus on the negatives experienced by parents, which is hardly acceptance of autism, in my opinion. If that's your goal, may you get whatever gratification you seek from it, but please don't call it "acceptance". I can think of far more appropriate adjectives. "Abelism" and "more senseless whining" come to mind. I'm not saying autism is fun and games all the time. Like everything, it's got its dark moments. It also has its amazing moments too. Most parents I've spoken to will agree.
Also, The Autism Acceptance Project (TAAP) is already a registered organization in Canada which has always consulted with people on the autism spectrum and even has people on the spectrum running the organization. (Something more organizations should start doing, IMO) Using their name and acronym is not only unethical, it is illegal.
Using it to promote a pity party for parents is just obscene.
If you are truly bent on bringing this "realistic picture" of autism to the world, why not have a look at any number of the major organizations out there? They're making tons of money on negativity while completely (and often blatantly) ignoring the opinions of those on the autism spectrum. You're not doing anything new. You're jumping on a very old and well-used bandwagon. One that I hope will lose its momentum very soon.
Two steps forward.... one step back. It's so tiresome.
