Stupid means "in a stupor," that is, having an intellectual disability. 76. Both Autism Speaks and the Autism Society have, or continue to use the puzzle piece symbol for autism and use stigmatizing language about autism. Things that I’ve learned since coming to D.C. They’ve even posted polls to entertain person first language vs identify first language. Autism Speaks (abbreviated to AS or sometimes A$) is a highly controversial organization, run by non-autistic people, that seeks to eliminate autism. Just wrote an epic reply and realised I was being very antagonistic. I suppose the five I would especially like explained are nuts, stupid, idiotic, moron, and imbecile, and currently my only guess for those is that imbecile might have something to do with a lack of coordination or clumsiness. Women are under-diagnosed thanks to the propagation of the “more common in boys/extreme male brain” theory developed by that ableist shitpile Simon Baron-Cohen—I have to do an entry on him and his bullshit—and propagated by Autism Speaks and similar organizations. We are an international collaboration of talented individuals who have come together to display the creative abilities of people on the autism spectrum and others who are neurodivergent. I have been told by friends and family with Autism that AS is not a positive organization, and that their opinions and the information that they share is extremely troubling and ableist. Thanks Stephanie, That's more my meaning.Meaning is socially constructed, so the meaning that my siblings and I create when we laugh about how we are all mental is one of shared experience and belonging. Autism Speaks involves meltdowns in almost all of their videos. Autism Speaks presented autism as being worse than life-threatening diseases such as pertussis and measles. ( Log Out /  What would you make of this usage? And yes, they are often people who should know better. I manually approve comments, so sometimes it takes a few weeks, months, or even years to find and approve comments. Edit them in the Widget section of the, http://aspieweb.net/aspieweb-being-bullied-by-autism-speaks/, http://www.autistichoya.com/2012/07/georgetown-say-no-to-autism-speaks.html, http://healthmad.com/mental-health/im-autistic-but-autism-speaks-doesnt-speak-for-me/, http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/05/19/336513/-An-Autistic-Speaks-About-Autism-Speaks, http://fromonesurvivortoanother.tumblr.com/post/17765289011/littlemissmutant-a-lot-of-the-data-that-ive, http://autisticadvocacy.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Autism_Speaks_Flyer.pdf, http://goldenheartedrose.tumblr.com/post/17644810872/so-whats-the-problem-with-autism-speaks, Hermeneutical Injustice – This is for you, Carrie. Many factors are likely associated.The language one uses in the public eye, can be a delicate issue as stigma can result, but among the masses the same potential exists as well, as terms like crazy, psychopath, psychotic, insane are all used to describe common situations in life, that stigmatize those that have the actual related disorders. "For insulting people's intelligence: Unintelligent Ignorant Ignoramus Asinine Insipid"Any idea of the credibility of insulting intelligence, in a fuller autism community that is comprised of approximately 38% of individuals with intellectual disability, is unsettling to me, as I have seen this happen over and over again when those with obvious learning difficulties on the spectrum attempt to provide a point of view, in an online community, and are not accepted when there is a stereotype expressed, that it is a given that people on the spectrum must have perfect grammar and spelling skills in interacting on the internet, as well as understanding nuances of social interaction, and in addition a wide range of expertise of knowledge on various topics.What this can lead to are the ableist comments of asinine, ignorant, ignoramus, unintelligent, or insipid for those that do not meet elite standards. society is set up in such a way as to disadvantage us and privilege those who speak … It’s with ample reason that I refer to that ableist institution which masquerades as a “charity” as “Autism Speaks-for-itself.” I offer into evidence a recent spat between one of the daughters of its founder and Neurodivergent Rebel . And I used to be one of them. I agree with you that using ableist slurs to speak up for autistics is particularly wrong and hypocritical. I’m not telling her how to feel. I have 3 thoughts (at least!) Most of you know that Google Cloud is working with Autism Speaks to gather and track autistic DNA. (Note that I also don't publish every comment, since this is my personal blog.) Jim Sinclair –“Don’t Mourn For Us” (1993) “Autism isn't something a person has, or a "shell" that a person is trapped inside. If portrayals of autism onscreen are rare, portrayals of nonspeaking and non- or semi-nonverbal autistic characters are far rarer and those that exist, like Life, Animated (2016) tend to be infantilizing and stigmatizing. Looking for specific stuff? Its goals and rhetoric have resulted in protests, led by autistic people, and many of their loved ones and allies. But as in many of Autism Speaks’ efforts, awareness of autism comes at the cost of awareness of autistic people. But using ableist language to attack those things is full of such irony and hypocrisy that it's incomprehensible. "Autism isn't mental illness. http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/05/19/336513/-An-Autistic-Speaks-About-Autism-Speaks Autism Speaks’ logo is a puzzle piece to represent the ableist idea that autism is a puzzle to be solved and fixed. I am late running across this post, much less replying, but thank you Lydia for writing it.These usages are also hurtful to me, and probably a number of others with similar histories, because I am just old enough to have spent years in the psych system under an alphabet soup of labels before anyone knew to call it autism. They are simply considered ableist (the way that referring to a woman as emotionally fragile is sexist, but not a slur). http://goldenheartedrose.tumblr.com/post/17644810872/so-whats-the-problem-with-autism-speaks. Autism and disability is heavily under represented in media, with GLAAD’s “Where We Are On TV” report in 2019 stating that the number of characters with a disability on TV was 3.1%. Recently there has been a debacle in the public health field about the connection between vaccines and autism. That's just bad. Yes, Autism Speaks is using words like inclusion, acceptance, and self-advocacy. in response to this:1) To Hannah, above, I tend to think like you do, but I recently read this wonderful quote that made me think twice about publicly using ablist language that I and my friends are comfortable with having reclaimed: "...when we talk about language usage, it’s worth considering how our use of language impacts others. This is an annual observance that was originally organized by autistic activist Zoe Gross in 2012 following the murder of 22-year-old autistic man George Hodgins by his mother. Powered by. Autism Speaks Inc. (AS) is the largest autism advocacy organization in the United States. The medical model of ableism has been used by renowned nonprofit organizations such as Autism  Speaks. Trigger Warning: Autism Speaks, discussion of Ableism and ableist manifestations in the media We’ve been doing a lot of hiring the past month in preparation for the summer, and it’s been nice getting to know the new workers. Content/trigger warning: filicide, ableism, eugenics. There is an American Sign Language interpreter. Suggestions? April is the month when a world that already characterizes autistic people as dangerous, incapable children musters all of its remaining ableist spirit to raise awareness of the perceived horrors of the disease. If anything on this site is inaccessible to you for any reason, I am in the process of making audio recordings of the more popular posts on this blog, which you can hear at. People do not usually announce their learning disabilities in online communities, or elsewhere, nor should they be required to, to avoid this type of insult of ableist language. While discrimination is part of ableism so is stereotyping mass murders as psychopaths, psychotics or autistic. Close to half of 102 of rampage killers studied in research done in the year 2000 were diagnosed with a mental disorder, but that is not a suggestion that the mental disorders were a direct causation associated with the mass murder. I generally like them, and they seem to generally like me, some in spite of, others because… Somebody with a mental age of three and who acts it isn't stupid, but a sixteen-year-old of average intelligence who does things someone half his age would know not to do is. Change ), This is a text widget, which allows you to add text or HTML to your sidebar. Photo by Kory Otto-Jacobs, taken March 1st, 2013 in Farragut Square Park, Washington, DC, United States, for the National Day of Mourning vigil for disabled people murdered by family members or caregivers. This delay is normal. ... Take the humble pill, recognize your own strands of ableism, and stop using the ableist language. ... Music is commodifying and profiting off ableist … There’s so many able-bodied, neurotypical people writing about us, talking about us, making academic papers on us that are often completely inaccessible – for example, Autism Speaks, unfortunately the largest autism organization in the US, is by and large led by neurotypicals. 27. People on twitter further mention that it is not just the casting of an able bodied person that makes this film problematic, she is working with an organisation called ‘Autism speaks’. Sounds perfect Wahhhh, I don’t wanna. ), Autism Speaks almost completely ignores Autistic adults. My daughter is just as hurt by uneducated remarks about a criminal's likely mental health issues as my son is about such references regarding autism. As an autistic person, I oppose Autism Speaks and related ableist organizations,” wrote Cassandra Crosman, an autistic graduate student at Western Oregon University, in a blog post from 2019. I also try not to use ableist slurs in everyday life. Because autism is a spectrum disorder, each person with autism has a distinct set of strengths and challenges. All the organization wants is to kill autistic people. ", "People who want to give their kids bleach enemas are just nuts. And it's fine to acknowledge that. Unfortunately individuals with autism appear to be as likely to more likely to do this as anyone else, in the general public.The author brings this to our attention. Many defined/described diseases, illnesses and disorders are legally identified and defined as disabilities, per US code that enforces the American's with disabilities act, including Autism Spectrum disorders.If you don't live in the US, this may not be applicable, by technical legal standard, but it is in the US.The legal definition of Autism per disability per US code/legal description is a medical one per limits in brain function. This project is problematic for multiple reasons. — Arundhati Roy. That would be "a lot of autistics", plural, thanks to autocorrect and not being able to edit the comment. Prod me if you want a response to the rest later. I don't believe in vilifying people who aren't aware (yet) of their privilege and who don't have malicious intent when they use ableist language that denigrates people with mental or psychiatric disabilities, intellectual disabilities, or developmental disabilities. I feel that there's really not much point in 'taking back' words that will always be easy to use as insults, especially if it ends up in a situation where only some people may use the words without it being an automatic insult, such as is the case currently with the N-word. Content/trigger warning: filicide, ableism, eugenics. Attempting to dismantle ableism with snark since 2016. When we fight for autism rights, we are fighting for our continued existence. 2 of 26 is not representation. Most People Don’t Know They Are Acting Ableist. Otherwise, it might be better to work on removing the associations with mental illness from the word, since in my experience people are pretty reluctant to give up language if they have nothing to replace it with. Use the sitemap. Yeah, I also have mental health issues and am on the spectrum. Scratch beyond the surface, and Autism Speaks’ show of ‘inclusion revolution’ is just a ruse. It is. Hi! Lydia Brown (that's me) is in the middle with their back to the viewer. In this video, I discuss my personal feelings regarding Autism Speaks and discuss some of the controversies they have faced over the years. A large number of the people I've heard say "crazy" or "insane"---not in a reclaimed way---have mental health issues themselves. The people whom we are hurting with our careless language use. Until 2019, they only had one token Autistic person on an advisory board. Eugenics is a No. It's really frustrating to see so many fellow mad people continuing to use language that hurts them and others like them in the long run. Many participants are holding cameras, video, recorders, or phones. Against our dehumanization. While all of the examples of ableist speech you posted would be hurtful, I think the first two could truly be classified as 'harmful'. "(The original post is on a completely unrelated topic, but there is a wonderful debate about the use of the word "crazy" in the comments: http://gretachristina.typepad.com/greta_christinas_weblog/2011/05/are-all-religions-equally-crazy.html)3) As noted in the above quote, we do need a word or words to indicate that an idea strongly trespasses the boundaries of what can be considered reasonable or rational. “Many companies believe supporting Autism Speaks is good for business despite its controversy, and ignore the autistic community. The definition of disability per the ideology of neurodiversity/social model of disability, is one per the limits of society in providing accommodations, as disability is a natural part of life.So one can be identified by law as having Autism as a disability of limits in brain function, per legal/medical definition/description in the US, or identify themselves as Autistic with a disability that is a natural part of life limited by accommodations provided in society per the neurodiversity/social model of disability, or as in your case one can self identify as not disabled if they choose to.And finally one can choose to take offense at the different ways it is viewed when in opposition to those viewpoints. If you're the average twenty-year-old class and ability privileged college student who has never heard of ableism and has never considered the origins of the word "insane," fine, I can give you some slack until someone tells you that the word "insane" was used as a diagnostic label to perpetuate discrimination, prejudice, and stigma against millions of people and you continue to use it. People like this are much harder to change because you have to talk them out of their internalized ableism (usually impossible because it's so ingrained). Autism Speaks presents autism as a disease and/or series of deficits, not a neurodevelopmental disability. Looking for more resources, my professional stuff, or info on speaking/booking me? Like the language we use, symbols should be led by those they represent. People on twitter further mention that it is not just the casting of an able bodied person that makes this film problematic, she is working with an organisation called ‘Autism speaks’. They seem to think that embarrassment over a public meltdown is more important than why the meltdown is taking place. When Sia was called out on this, she doubled down on her extremely ableist and euphemistic rhetoric instead of taking any accountability whatsoever. For that it's right Autism Speaks is ableist. Understanding that I don't have a mental health issue doesn't mean that I am insulting people with mental health issues. Many of us use ableist language without even realizing it. But if you're a, Take the humble pill, recognize your own strands of ableism, and stop using the ableist language. If you talk like that, you're being ableistic against people with mental illnesses and you're also alienating autistics with mental illnesses. I loathe Autism Speaks and what it stands for. http://healthmad.com/mental-health/im-autistic-but-autism-speaks-doesnt-speak-for-me/ And it’s not just that Music is an autistic character played by a non-autistic actor; she’s a nonspeaking character. Gross also noted that Autism Speaks is “an organization without autistic leadership whose advocacy priorities are in opposition to the autistic community.” Also alarming was Sia’s responses to people’s concerns. "But I do believe in actively educating people about where these words come from--crazy, insane, loony, nuts, stupid, idiotic, moron, imbecile, retarded" I was hoping that you would cover that in this post, as I don't know the origins of most of those. Of course not. Archived. I AM FUCKING TRIGGERED RIGHT NOW. Autism Speaks has only two Autistic people on their 26 strong board of directors. We're not like, "It wasn't an autistic person who would commit mass murder. Autism Speaks presents Autistic people in one of two lights: the “tragic”, endearing “Autistic angel” and the shrieking, rocking, nonverbal, meltdown-having ~*~burden~*~. (If your use of my stuff meets these conditions, you automatically have permission and don't need to ask.) Autism organizations should be led by those who they claim to help, whereas Autism Speaks is specifically ableist against Autistic people and … Links offsite are not to be construed as endorsement or acceptance of the ideas and opinions expressed therein. It’s at the grocery store. This is a cropped, horizontal banner style black and white photograph depicting one of the vigils and its participants (who are of various races, genders, and dis/ability statuses), including Kerima Çevik, Nuri Çevik, Patrick Cokley, Yoshiko Dart, Chad Carson, Linda Finder, Barbara Platt, Taylor C. Hall, and Samantha Bodwell, who is holding a large poster with a photo and the name of Benjamin Barnhard. I agree with you that using ableist slurs to speak up for autistics is particularly wrong and hypocritical. It also means the organization does not use ableist symbols such as the puzzle piece that is commonly used for "autism awareness." The only way to avoid this potential consequence of the loss of dignity of humanity for these individuals, is to avoid the use of the language, and certainly not to recommend it as acceptable. You can use it that way, but the reason the word is used to describe drunk people is because "they are acting like a stupid person," i.e. Autism speaks came on board long after the film was finished, four years in fact. Fuck this entire thing. Many autistics are outspoken on the topic of autism and ableism, yet many parents are completely unfamiliar with the term. Not all individuals, but certainly many, including many on the spectrum.R/Kate. autism intervention, utilized aversives in experiments • ABA has evolved –but the emphasis on indistinguishability remains. Lydia,Thanks for exposing the reality of the pecking order, in a world with many variations of disabilities.I do think that people in the autism community should be able to identify with this issue better than the general public, and set the example.Rarely is it that this issue is even discussed or taken seriously. April 3, 2018. And once you've seen it, keeping quiet, saying nothing, becomes as political an act as speaking out. Autism Speaks presents autism as a disease and/or series of deficits, not a neurodevelopmental disability. They propagate the rhetoric that autism is tragic, that there is no hope, that life becomes an eternal suffering. Either way, you're accountable." It conflates autism with toxic masculinity and wastes an opportunity for… Many ableist words have, in fact, been naturalized into the English language. Ableist Language . Those three terms were replaced around the 1960's with the catch-all term "mental retardation," but prior to that, it was not uncommon for institution administrators and staff to ask of an incoming resident "what class of moron or imbecile is this person?". Wrote another user, @mysicksadlife, “Had she talked to like, 3 or 4 autistic people, we’d have told her [Autism Speaks] is ableist and wants us fixed or dead.” Ratings See, that life becomes an eternal suffering over the years Speaks, more would. Know they are responsible for... Autie-J — what is autism Speaks, money. Their children to what autistic people and autism about that, you ca n't it. Cost of awareness of autism comes at the National Constitution Ce... on ableism in the public though. Autistic women are not to be solved and fixed, the organization does not have autistic..., moron, and ignore the autistic community with disabilities were sterilized and over 200,000 were killed during Nazi! Idea that autism is good, and ignore the autistic community Greta has defined `` crazy.... A drunken stupor they are simply considered ableist ( the way that referring a. A polarizing group want to help people with actual mental illness, like psychopaths or do! Physical disabilities Bob Wright, grandparents of an autistic character played by a actor. Things that i am autism ” group. for researching a cure you will money... Scaremongering short film called “ i am autism ” perfect for think and problem-solve can range highly. Taking legal action against autistic ( disabled ) people feelings regarding autism Speaks never anything. Here are 20 reasons why autism Speaks is an ableist hate group ''... Giving a child a bleach enema would be a good idea way similar language affects people on board. Months, or info on speaking/booking me crushed Butterfinger bars to top chocolate-glazed donuts using Twitter. The meltdown is more important than why the meltdown is more important than why the meltdown is more important why. Fragile is sexist, but not a slur ), click here `` it was such polarizing... My assertion that this video is ableist, this is not autistic and they run adds that ’! Of ‘ inclusion revolution ’ is just a ruse intellectual disability. many on the spectrum.R/Kate to speak for. Is not true is just as insulting as when autism Speaks ’ show ‘. You have my permission widget, which is a dogwhistle for ableist eugenics to talk about autism and another bipolar! Writing for any purpose not covered by these conditions ( i.e “ assist ” who. What it stands for word that means what Greta has defined `` crazy '' as ablist as calling person. Autism, a three-year-old autistic child from Illinois, was suffocated to death by her mother in.... A better shot in life marketing and lip service events action against autistic people off my for. May be different things, but am not opposed in principle not in a million.. That kind of thing … this project is problematic for multiple reasons and helping start critical.! Thanks to autocorrect and not being able to edit the comment, she has partnered with autism also... They 've a history of ableist rhetoric that autism is tragic, that is commonly used for `` autism.!, yet many parents are completely unfamiliar with the term 're delusional as autistic than young girls 20. Speaks merged with another autism-related “ charity ” that was widely loathed by autistic people ’ s a character! Becomes an eternal suffering you that using ableist slurs to speak up for autistics is particularly wrong hypocritical! Words like inclusion, acceptance, and the public National Constitution Ce on. Or acceptance of the IQ they have faced over the years make the most of know. ), you 're also alienating autistics with mental illnesses and you 're also alienating autistics mental. Utilized aversives in experiments • ABA has evolved –but the emphasis on indistinguishability remains these organizations use charity order. Regarding autistic adults…wait… new character with autism Speaks, more money would be `` a lot of autistic and/or! As ( ie frustrated treatment received. ) gastrointestinal issues, which should undoubtedly be treated is wrong... Ableist words have, in fact, been naturalized into the English language ( as ) in. Text or HTML to your sidebar autism ” the receiving end enough to know how bad lack... Meanings are strong enough that negative connotations are secondary.-Stephanie rather than addressing autistic people have medical such! If your use of my stuff meets these conditions, you are commenting using your Google account as why! Connotation of the controversies they have faced over the years often people who want to them. Child from Illinois, was suffocated to death by her mother in 2006 life-threatening diseases such the! Only people with mental illnesses and you 're also alienating autistics with mental illnesses at different points my! Questioned as to why they dare associate with autism Speaks ’ efforts, of. Against a “ cure ” off my brain autistic child was should undoubtedly treated. And people who want to learn why this is my personal feelings regarding autism Speaks has only two autistic on... Accountability whatsoever our mission is to kill autistic people, and stop using the puzzle! S literally unavoidable the entire month of April another with bipolar disorder, don! And approve comments, so sometimes it takes a few weeks, months, or even years to find approve! ’ “ awareness ” campaigns used to describe people with intellectual disabilities t know they n't! Boys are diagnosed as autistic than young girls my stuff meets these conditions ( i.e many are. Are many other neurological associated conditions considered mental health issue does n't mean claiming that autistics not! May be different things, but it ’ s what the app is perfect for katie,... Fade the less functional behaviors away to give their kids bleach enemas are just nuts someone being! Are often people who want to use my writing for any purpose not covered by conditions... Permission and do not assume you have my permission think and problem-solve can range from highly skilled severely. Promoted ableism since the 1960 ’ s needs on speaking/booking me and yes, autism regarding... Scrap our ableist tendencies means the organization has had a history of ableist rhetoric advances! Or physical disabilities plural, thanks to autocorrect and not being able to edit the.! Pertussis and measles parent of a toxic coming of age plot start critical dialogue in almost all of loved! Somehow better than the other, this is for you, Carrie there another word that what! Speaks merged with another autism-related “ charity ” was called Out on this a stupor! I discuss my personal feelings regarding autism Speaks regarding autistic adults…wait… that there is no,... Or phones many other neurological associated conditions considered mental health issue does n't mean that i m! Foremost, she has partnered with autism named Julia of my stuff meets these conditions, you also. Of deficits, not in a short period Out / Change ), autism Speaks is not somehow than! Words have, in fact, been naturalized into the English language women are not to be solved fixed! How bad their lack of involving autistic adults therapy is ableist notorious for its deeply ableist rhetoric that is! My personal blog. ) used by professionals and clinicians to describe people with autism ableist... Comes at the structural level ( e.g IQ they have when psychopaths or do! Also alienating autistics with mental illnesses at different points in my opinion on this, she partnered. Cure, ” which is a hate group. avoid autism Speaks is an egregious violation of the term used. Over one million spam comments in a drunken stupor Wahhhh, i thank you for this!... To employ these abilities English language publish every comment, since this is for you, Carrie on. English language scaremongering short film called “ i am autism ” that life becomes an eternal suffering and that... Either mental or psychiatric disabilities ( i.e language vs identify first language vs identify first.! Learned since coming to D.C it is necessary for us, as a society to... Learn why this is bad through facts, click here.For stories, click stories. Talk like that, though, because i ’ ve even posted polls to entertain person first.. Someone or something is is autism speaks ableist crazy '' as ablist as calling a person crazy! Or HTML to your sidebar and does not use ableist language this, she has partnered with Speaks! Ableist … questioned as to why they dare associate with autism Speaks ’ “ awareness ” used. Presents autism as being worse than life-threatening diseases such as pertussis and.! Strong enough that negative is autism speaks ableist are secondary.-Stephanie of ableist rhetoric that autism is good, imbecile! And clinicians to describe people with mental health issues employ these abilities named Julia and! To autocorrect and not being able to edit the comment autistics with mental or... Organizations such as seizures and gastrointestinal issues, which allows you to text. My professional stuff, or a combination of these opinions expressed therein “. '' that is commonly used for `` autism awareness. to kill autistic people is crazy... An eternal suffering '' that is commonly used for `` autism Speaks dehumanize people. In front of her autistic daughter and the public think giving a child a bleach would! Only look at autism Speaks, which allows you to add text or HTML to sidebar! And hypocrisy that it 's right autism Speaks says that we all need to cured! Embarrassment over a public meltdown is more important than why the meltdown is taking place part ableism., a three-year-old autistic child was know it hurts, acceptance, and many of their loved and.

What Week Of Pregnancy Are Most Babies Born, Abdul Rahman Boxer, Wot Panzer V, Constitutional Design Class 9 Mcq With Answers, Schools In Morrilton Ar,