April is Autism Speaks month.
Please show your support by supporting other organizations that are NOT Autism Speaks. Autism Speaks does not speak for the Autistic Community. Autism Speaks works directly against us.
So while everyone else is “lighting it up blue” this blog will not be participating and I encourage others not to as well.
Please please DO NOT Light it Up Blue next month.
I don’t know a lot about Autism Speaks, but I do have several friends who fall on the autistic spectrum and they all /despise/ Autism Speaks.
Here is a 1-page flyer by the Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN) on why Autism Speaks is not a good choice for supporting the Autistic Community: https://autisticadvocacy.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Autism_Speaks_Flyer.pdf
In case you can’t open it, here are the key points:
- Only 4% of the money they raise goes to family services, and a majority of the 44% that goes toward research is to discover preventative measures and ways to “fix” autism as opposed to improving the quality of life for autistic people.
- None of the leading or authoritative positions of the organization are held by an autistic person.
- Their “awareness” tactics use fear-mongering, and paint autistic adults and children as burdens on society.
- Fundraising makes up 22% of where its budget goes. Compare to the 4% they spend on family services. This means they’re spending more money on making money than they are on actually helping anyone.
Instead, here are some alternative organizations ASAN recommends:
Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN)
http://autisticadvocacy.org/
Autism Network International (ANI)
http://autreat.com/
Autism Society of America
http://www.autism-society.org/
Also,
3/5 is Skylanders day at GameStop and they’ll be selling limited edition blue Skylanders, the proceeds of which go to Autism Speaks.
Do not buy them.