[Audio]Ari Ne'eman in Inverness

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On Monday 6th June 2011, 180 people, from all over Scotland, came to hear Ari Ne'eman talk at ARGH in Inverness.

ARGH, in partnership with NHS Highland were delighted to welcome Ari Ne'eman, co-founder of the Autistic Self Advocacy Network and advisor to President Obama's administration, to talk in Inverness:
http://www.arghighland.co.uk/ari.html

Direct link to audio:
http://www.arghighland.co.uk/Music/Autism.mp3

Sounds like a good bloke!

Ari Ne'eman is an American autism rights activist who cofounded the Autistic Self Advocacy Network in 2006.[1] On December 16, 2009 President Barack Obama announced that Ari Ne'eman would be appointed to the National Council on Disability.[2] Ne'eman has a diagnosis of Asperger syndrome, which would make him the first person with an autistic spectrum disorder to serve on the council. After an anonymous hold was lifted, Ne'eman was unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate[3] to serve on the Council on June 22, 2010.

[edit] Personal lifeNe'eman grew up in East Brunswick Township, New Jersey, where he attended East Brunswick High School.[4] He displayed obsessions characteristic of Asperger syndrome from an early age - eventually leading up to an interest in public policy.[5] He engages in stimming, such as pacing and hand-flapping. He has sensory processing issues that affect his reactions to certain sounds and textures.

Early in childhood, Ne'eman was verbally advanced and socially isolated. He was bullied, and in his early teens he struggled with anxiety and would self-harm by picking his skin.[6] For a period in high school, Ne'eman went to a segregated special education school. He was frustrated by the segregated school because he felt it was a "day care" that focused on "normalizing" disabled students instead of challenging them academically. He said that he and his fellow students "were being written off because of what society expects of people with disabilities." Using his advocacy skills, Ne'eman was eventually able to return to a mainstream school.[7]

This experience had a strong affect on Ne'eman's view of the world. He has said that although he himself was successful at returning to a mainstream school, "what is, I think, most frightening to me is that for many students out there that kind of message is absorbed--the idea that they are inferior is absorbed, and that can be very damaging because it really puts a limit on people's potential." [8]

Upon graduating high school, he founded the Autistic Self Advocacy Network. He then attended the University of Maryland, Baltimore County where he became a member of Alpha Epsilon Pi. [9]

[edit] Autistic Self-AdvocacyAri Ne'eman believes that autism is a neurological difference and not a disease that should be cured. He is against what he sees as the stigmatization of autism in the media and adopts a "civil rights" perspective when engaging in self-advocacy.

Ne'eman believes that society should focus on developing supports for those with autism rather than searching for a cure. He believes a cure for autism will not come anytime soon and genetic insight gained on autism may be used to develop prenatal tests for the condition that will result in the premature termination of autistic fetuses.[10] He urges scientists researching the genetics of autism to be cautious of the ethical implications of their studies.

Proponents of a cure for autism, such as Cure Autism Now co-founder Jonathan Shestack, have criticized Ne'eman for this. Shestack has stated that Ari Ne'eman doesn't understand the suffering those severely affected by classic autism and their parents endure. Criticism of Ne'eman's views may have been a factor in the hold on his confirmation.[11] However, it has been suggested that Republican senators were intentionally blocking many of President Obama's nominees; in May 2010, there were 96 people waiting to be confirmed to Administration posts.[12]

In addition to being on the NCD, Ne'eman is a public member of the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee and a board member of TASH. He previously was Vice Chair of the New Jersey Adults with Autism Task Force, and served on the New Jersey Special Education Review Committee.[13

Politicians are known to nominate individuals that are potential opponents. Ari has built his advocacy focusing on conflict and controversy and going way to far at times. Using peoples emotions to make them feel hated for instance that's how he gains loyalty by making others feel as if they are are hated such as the abortion issue. Other then that I like his educational perspectives but ASAN is not democratic and it all centers on one and a few central advocates and is tightly controlled. Myself and others I knew once he got into abortion politics and the way he did so with the protests of calling people bigots and so on didn't want anything to do with the organization. It is strictly off-limits because once you approach the public in those manners your forcing what you say onto people without allowing them to think for themselves and choose. If it had not been for the abortion issue and opposition to the human right for a cure many more would embrace the network. However given that it is not central network of diverse say but only what Ari and a few others dictate it is not as effective in leadership and cannot be taken seriously as a network seeking to advance and empower a diverse self-advocacy awareness by individual members.

He is representing us in the White House. That sounds impressive to me.

Those of certain views. He would be more effective as a leader if he enabled a more diverse group of minds by tolerating and empowering the diversity of minds that exist in the self-advocacy community. Ari and those like him use abortion to elevate there beliefs and agenda which is not always shared by self-advocates which is kind of cheating. IF you think of it once you guilt people about selective abortion they are going to avoid disagreeing with you. I propose people freely disagree with Ari and a more diverse self-advocacy be allowed to influence decision making and policy within government. I personally have no problems working with my congressman office here as when I called them they already knew who I was.

Let's face it Ari represents a very small percentage of people with autism that create the most reaction using emotional and social controversy to their advantage.

People listen to him though.

Some self-advocates simply need to learn to be respectful and they will be listened to as well (like the bigot and Nazi name calling). I have no problems where I live being heard. I call media, I call the Chamber of Commerce and I call disability organizations and I am listened to. I simply do not believe the world wants to hide the voices of self-advocates. Yet we won't always get what we want there is progress to come in self-advocacy leadership and awareness. I've even had to tell others please feel free to disagree with me or disagree with me because you always agree. I want simply to be equally part of things and not to force my views. People are very respectful.

What Nazi name calling?

I hate Nazis
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqH_0LPVoho[/youtube]

Autism advocacy differs greatly from racial minority advocacy.

According to you......................................................

Common sense really. Apples and oranges.

Every Nazi in history has tried that excuse.

Keep calling people Nazi's who are not and see how far you get. Ari seems to cater to the radical base which holds fast to false beliefs. It is a reckless advocacy leading by guilting the public about womens rights and seeking to evade the right to treatment advancement funding by giving it to social services instead. You folks will be put in your places soon enough. That I can guarantee.

You called me a Nazi.

No I didn't. I don't tend to think in those ways. I think it is irrational to begin with.

"You folks will be put in your places soon enough. That I can guarantee"

I take it "us folks" are us Jews Massa.

Who do you think you are?