Ari Ne'eman stepping down as ASAN president at end of year

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ASPartOfMe
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18 Jul 2016, 11:15 pm

Organizations go through many stages. One of the most challenging and important are transitions in leadership, particularly when they involve founding members. Over the last ten years, I have had the honor and privilege of building and directing the Autistic Self Advocacy Network. That experience has been one of the single most important and impactful things I have ever been a part of.

In the last decade, ASAN has grown from a small group of students seeking to build a better world into one of the premier disability rights organizations in the United States. Thanks to the spectacular efforts of our board, staff and network of volunteers, this organization is much greater than any single individual. But organizations require new leadership in order to continue to grow.

At the beginning of 2017, in five months time, I will be passing the Presidency of ASAN on to Julia Bascom, the organization’s current Deputy Executive Director and leaving the ASAN staff to contribute to the disability rights movement in new ways. Since joining the organization in 2012, Julia has played a critical role in building ASAN’s leadership programs along with other important aspects of our advocacy work and community programming. She already plays a central role within ASAN’s ongoing work, and I am very confident that the organization will grow and prosper in new and interesting ways under her leadership.

I’m convinced that this is the best way to help ASAN take the next steps into the future. Every organization requires periodic changes in leadership, and I am excited to be handing ASAN over to an excellent successor who will continue to grow it in line with the values and energy that have built us into what we are today. I am looking forward to being a part of new projects and continuing to build our movement in other roles.

This transition has been long planned. Our board was notified at the beginning of this year, and I have worked closely with the ASAN senior staff to ensure a smooth transition will take place at the end of December. Over the next five months, we will continue to work to ensure that ASAN’s important work continues to thrive and grow. As I move on to new things, I will nonetheless remain a member of the ASAN board of directors.

ASAN has come to stand for many things over the last decade, but one of the most important is the idea that we can and should have control over our own destiny. Despite the best efforts of many to relegate us to bystanders in our own life stories, we have taken control over our own narrative and built a powerful sense of identity together.

This innovation is not the property of any single person or organization. It doesn’t belong to the most famous or the loudest among us. It is the birthright of every Autistic person, an invitation to those of us who are quietest and most alone to become a part of something larger. Through the Autistic community, we can not only fight against those who talk about us, without us. More importantly, we can also build together, creating something that belongs to all of us and to which we can belong in turn. In my opinion, this is the most important part of the neurodiversity movement.

I am honored to be a part of those efforts, just as I am incredibly pleased by the way in which ASAN and the Autistic community are now organic parts of the larger disability rights culture. We will never again accept the idea that the values of inclusion, self-determination and dignity that lie at the heart of the disability rights revolution have no part to play in the autism world. We are now part of the disability community, and we will defend that with everything we have. From community integration to defending our rights across the lifespan, I’m proud of the leadership role we are playing on some of the most important issues of our time.

Since I will likely continue to work with many of my colleagues in future capacities and still have five months left till my departure in December, I will avoid saying goodbye at this time. Instead, let me take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to the Autistic and broader disability community that has worked alongside us in building ASAN into what it is today. This organization belongs to all of you. I am excited to see what the next ten years of autistic self-advocacy, neurodiversity and ASAN will bring. Thank you for working with us, and I look forward to continuing the fight to build a better world for our people.

As always, Nothing About Us Without Us,

Ari Ne’eman

President, Autistic Self Advocacy Network


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19 Jul 2016, 12:07 pm

Ari has done amazing things for all of us, and we should thank him for his achievements.

I wish Ari the best in his future endeavors.


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yelekam
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19 Jul 2016, 2:20 pm

I wish him well



Jono
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23 Jul 2016, 4:38 am

Ari has done a lot of things for the autistic community. It's sad to see him go.



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23 Jul 2016, 5:28 am

why is he stepping down,i didnt get that part


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ASPartOfMe
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23 Jul 2016, 10:42 am

Every organization peroidically needs new leadership is the stated reason. So why now is the question.

My guess is he wants a job in the government as an Autism policy maker. He said he expects to be working with ASAN members in the future. Hillary did put out a Autism policy statement at the beginning of the year when the transition planning first began. Ne'eman was consulted for that statement so maybe a job was offered. If Trump wins there is always the Congressional or state level.


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DevilInPgh
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25 Jul 2016, 1:28 am

Good. He and his politically correct group never did a damn thing for me. Screw him.



Jono
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25 Jul 2016, 4:23 am

DevilInPgh wrote:
Good. He and his politically correct group never did a damn thing for me. Screw him.


Well, that sounds rather bitter doesn't it?

He actually did a lot of good things including affecting national policy.



DevilInPgh
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25 Jul 2016, 11:17 pm

Jono wrote:
DevilInPgh wrote:
Good. He and his politically correct group never did a damn thing for me. Screw him.


Well, that sounds rather bitter doesn't it?

He actually did a lot of good things including affecting national policy.


It's bitter because it's true. I e-mail him to ask him about resources in the DC area. He never responds. I implore him to issue an official condemnation of ableism coming out of the White House. He responds by blocking me on Facebook and Twitter. And ASAN is nothing but politically correct hacks who are more content with highlighting things (or hiding them when they conflict with their politically correct crew) than actually proposing things to help autistics in not just self-advocacy, but also in improving OUR OWN LIVES. Screw him.



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27 Jul 2016, 12:49 pm

DevilInPgh wrote:
Jono wrote:
DevilInPgh wrote:
Good. He and his politically correct group never did a damn thing for me. Screw him.


Well, that sounds rather bitter doesn't it?

He actually did a lot of good things including affecting national policy.


It's bitter because it's true. I e-mail him to ask him about resources in the DC area. He never responds. I implore him to issue an official condemnation of ableism coming out of the White House. He responds by blocking me on Facebook and Twitter. And ASAN is nothing but politically correct hacks who are more content with highlighting things (or hiding them when they conflict with their politically correct crew) than actually proposing things to help autistics in not just self-advocacy, but also in improving OUR OWN LIVES. Screw him.
You can't judge a man's entire character by his refusal to respond to a single person on the Internet. Or an organization's, for that matter.



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27 Jul 2016, 12:59 pm

Just Stimming - Julia Boscom's next ASAN President blog


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23 Dec 2016, 2:16 pm

Ari Ne'eman goodbye letter

Dear friends,

Today is my last day as ASAN's President. It's a bittersweet but exciting moment, as the organization transitions to its next leader, Julia Bascom.

It has been an extraordinary privilege to help build the political arm of the neurodiversity and self-advocacy movements. When ASAN first began ten years ago, the Autistic community lacked the means to translate our views into public policy. Today, we have changed that. Policymakers and civil society leaders must take our perspective into account - and know that when they fail to do so, ASAN will be there to fight back.

Not only have we helped to change the landscape of autism policy, but we have also worked to promote community inclusion for all people with disabilities. I am particularly proud of this cross-disability work. It reflects our fundamental belief that the values of inclusion, self-determination and dignity apply to every person. Whether it's fighting to free our people from institutions or speaking out against those who devalue disabled life, we have fought to defend disabled personhood every single day - and will continue to do so, wherever we are.

Through advocacy successes like the CMS Home and Community Based Settings rule and ASAN's successful policy advocacy and litigation activities to close sheltered workshops and expand integrated employment, we have made tremendous progress in opening up the community to all people with disabilities. More work remains to be done, but we have laid the foundation for a more inclusive future.

I want to thank all of you for the role you've played in building the Autistic Self Advocacy Network and the neurodiversity movement into what it is today. When I founded this organization a decade ago, I could scarcely have imagined the extraordinary impact it would play in our national conversation on autism and disability rights. Your advocacy and support has made that possible - and I know it will continue to do so going forward.

I look forward to working with many of you in new adventures over the coming years, as we work to advance the great cause of disability rights. Please don't hesitate to keep in touch. Going forward, I can be reached at [email protected].

Thank you, and as always, Nothing About Us, Without Us!

Warm regards,

Ari Ne'eman


My reply
Thanking us, no we need to thank you for giving us a direction and for the endless passion, and research that was done, and most importantly putting that research into action. Most noteably look at what happened at Autism Speaks, New CEO, new science chief, two autistic board members, a very different mission statement,and not unrelated declining profits. Most are understandably cynical about these changes believing it is all a sneaky trick. I do not share that view. I also believe none of it would have happened without your leadership. You held firm in the face off bullying, gaslighting, and continueous accusations the you and neurodiversity movement supporters are not autistic or do not have "real autism" and thus have no right to discuss autism policy and treatments.

When ASAN started I was 49 years old and clueless about my autism. When I was identified in 2013 I could have said as many newly diagnosed do "Oh no, I have a lifelong curse, situation hopeless". But your organization helped me direct myself at the crucial moment.

Like many people, you could have coasted along in your last 6 months but you kept it up right to the end with pointing out the dangers of Kevin and Avonte's law.

I wish you the best in your future advocacy and life.


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“My autism is not a superpower. It also isn’t some kind of god-forsaken, endless fountain of suffering inflicted on my family. It’s just part of who I am as a person”. - Sara Luterman


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27 Dec 2016, 3:56 pm

Reading Julia Bascom's recent blog posts, I predict that this change will cement ASAN into the role of autistic advocacy as a special case of egalitarianism, ignoring any of the non-egalitarian reasons to be pro-autism.