#AutismAcceptanceMonth starts tomorrow. Please don't give to Autism Speaks; their $$ rarely supports autistic people/families, and their 'awareness' work portrays autistic people as burdens, not humans. From @autisticadvocacy.org, a good org to support instead. autisticadvocacy.org/considerthef... - ThreadSky

thinkingautism.bsky.social • 12 days ago

#AutismAcceptanceMonth starts tomorrow. Please don't give to Autism Speaks; their $$ rarely supports autistic people/families, and their 'awareness' work portrays autistic people as burdens, not humans. From @autisticadvocacy.org, a good org to support instead.

https://autisticadvocacy.org/considerthefacts/

Comments

bee1436.bsky.social•12 days ago

What good do they do if they take the money to spend on themselves.

kkrogers78.bsky.social•12 days ago

Great reminder

fandabbydosy.bsky.social•10 days ago

Yet I've seen people still use the puzzle peice

thewitsend.bsky.social•12 days ago

Untrue. We participated in DC lobbying for going on 4 years with Autism Speaks. I spent days with lots of people in it: Exec Dir & wife, staff legislative director, & several lot FT staff. They all have family who are affected. The top leadership retired from business or law to do this work. AskMeA

dirtynerdy.bsky.social•9 days ago

“they all have family who are affected”

no. if an organization is meant to be serving us then we should be running it — not our family members

vivicorpceo.bsky.social•12 days ago

So went through this morning and according to the cited portions in the site as well as going through 2023's audited financial statement, the original link is pretty accurate.

Since this infographic is about what buckets individual contributions are added to, it might also be correct but misleading

thewitsend.bsky.social•12 days ago

Your perspective was mine until we started spending time w/ Autism Speaks 5 years ago. My son was eager, but I was reluctant. DM if you want a real conversation. He’s been negging on ABA for years. I am going to be negging on ABA funding within our state soon enough. You might find a conversation!

dirtynerdy.bsky.social•9 days ago

Get in touch with orgs like ASAN and AWN instead. they are run for and by autistic people

thewitsend.bsky.social•8 days ago

My adult son use his voice output technology because he is non-speaking. He is involved with a variety of organizations that are not specific to autism. That’s his way of dealing with it. I support him. His agenda becomes mine.

dirtynerdy.bsky.social•8 days ago

ASAN is the Autistic Self Advocacy Network

dirtynerdy.bsky.social•8 days ago

the specific way your son communicates isnt really relevant here. I was just letting you know there are better organizations run by and for autistic people and they dont endorse harmful therapies that your son hates

vivicorpceo.bsky.social•12 days ago

Here's the thing: this is not me doubting your sincerity of wanting to help and doing what you believe is best to do so. My problems are less with individual donors and volunteers, especially when the org markets itself so well, but with the overall org. It's more a distrust rooted in past action

vivicorpceo.bsky.social•12 days ago

And maybe the org has and will continue to improve - I genuinely hope so, but trust can be hard to regain by people an org as hurt, so it likely will be decades and at least giving up the ABA bit before that'd be a thing

thewitsend.bsky.social•11 days ago

What happened in New Jersey, been doing autism awareness since 2001. Do you want to keep doing this in the chat or can we do it on a DM so that we don’t have to keep finding each other in notifications? A long conversation even at 299 characters.
I know the history of Medicaid and ABA personally

vivicorpceo.bsky.social•12 days ago

Plus this didn't really address the biggest problems with it even if it did address overall budget vs individual contributions conceptual bucketing - it should be a massive red flag when an org claiming to be for a group of people is so disliked by that group of people

chloe1990.bsky.social•12 days ago

Yes like how ABA is the #1 therapy for autism but it’s hated by most autistics. But AS and ABA supporters can’t explain why two things meant for autism is hated by those very people.

vivicorpceo.bsky.social•12 days ago

Ugh I forgot they still advocate for that shit

chloe1990.bsky.social•12 days ago

Big time!

thewitsend.bsky.social•12 days ago

So THAT’s your ideological beef! My son is angry at ABA, and he still uses his voice output to ally with Autism Speaks

thewitsend.bsky.social•12 days ago

So THAT’s your ideological beef! My son is angry at ABA, and he still uses his voice output to ally with Autism Speaks

bpsabelhaus.bsky.social•12 days ago

Same as the ARC. Blamed me for their failures and told me the national ARC wasn't a thing (WA state) They only care about fundraising to do nothing.

pbsaurus.bsky.social•9 days ago

Fundraising by neurotypicals to pathologize those of us who are different. #NothingAboutUsWithoutUs. I get a visceral response everytime I see that offensive puzzle piece.

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