[ASAN] Tell Your Senator to Vote NO on Combating Autism Act

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ACTION ALERT:
Tell Your Senator to Vote NO on S. 1094, the Combating Autism Act Re-Authorization Act

As Congress continues its budget negotiations, it seems that almost every disability program is at risk of cuts or program changes - every program, that is, except for the autism research agenda. Right on the heels of a new report from the federal Inter-Agency Autism Coordinating Committee finding that only 3% of autism research funding is going to improving services for individuals and families and less than 1% is going to adult needs, Congress is set to extend the combating Autism Act with no program changes for three more years. No one doubts the importance of autism research - but at a time of cuts in services to Medicaid, Housing Vouchers and countless other critical disability programs, should disability services really be that low a priority?

Advocates wishing to force through this three-year extension of the status quo say that failing to do so will result in the expiration of needed programs - but we know this to be a false choice. Congress can extend valuable CAA programs while addressing the bias against services in the autism research agenda or authorize a shorter term extension to keep this issue on the agenda. The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee (HELP) is scheduled to mark up S. 1094, the Combating Autism Act Re-Authorization Act, next week on July 20th. It is time to tell Congress that we demand better than the status quo. Funding mouse models and gene studies at the expense of services and research with a practical impact on the lives of individuals and families is wrong. Call the Congressional Switchboard at (202) 224-3121, tell them your state and ask to speak with your Senator's Legislative Assistant for Health and Disability issues. Tell them to oppose S. 1094 unless changes are made to increase the percentage of research funding going to improving services.

Remember, call your Senator today at (202) 224-3121 and tell them to vote NO on S. 1094 as currently written.

Your advocacy is needed today!




The Autistic Self-Advocacy Network (ASAN) is a non-profit organization run by and for Autistic people, fighting for disability rights in the world of autism. Working in fields such as public policy, media representation, research and systems change, ASAN hopes to empower Autistic people across the world to take control of their own lives and the future of our common community.

Well great. I have to stand aside whist others get on because I am not American.

Call anyway!

what specificly does this legislation contain that makes it dangerous or negative.

ASAN does more harm to people with autism by mal-interpreting and going up against research. It's an agenda that's quite clear. they would love for me to interpret combating autism as if it is against me but in reality it means to combat the things that are impairing so to help. I think it's really proving here that ASAN is not in the best interest of people with autism always and even is very self-serving to ask research dollars go into programs instead when that funding can come form other places like fundraisers and other budgets.

ASAN is very prideful and self-centered in public policy and it is sickening. Guilt trips about compassion over abortion politics they make out to being pity and calling others bigots when they are not. It's a political trap with bad tastes and will haunt them.

Their social politics have stereotyped other self-advocates to the point of poor relations in general. They believe all people with autism at times are ASAN's. I choose to not associate and speak for better approaches which do not alienate the innocent and creating stronger alliances with the everyday mainstream to increase potentials.

Their strategies have setup common sense agenda's for failure and as if it is designed to do so but wrong-headed to perceive as so.

although i doubt there is much sinister in this legislation,however your response sounds like a diatribe of reverse fear mongering

I think it's important ASAN realize they are not the only autism self-advocates and that their methods to force their points of views on others with guilt, accusations and interpretive manipulations should not represent the ideas and advocacy of others. Their moral and or ethical behavior is not acceptable by a growing number of other self-advocates in how they approach issues of concern. That they indeed with their poor approaches effect otherwise positive changes and potential outcomes. I am asking for others support in this so that we might together improve constructive changes that may better become possible with revised strategies.

I agree with certain points with ci, but you need to work on the clarity of your expression.

It kind of is but much of what they do seems to be setting themselves up and others for failure. Although it is different circumstances going to the public and making demands or else they are bigots likewise in protests they have used similar ill conceived notions. I just do not see how a public would support improving programs with how they behave toward the public and when doing so the public may not be taking into account others do not approach matters like that.

When individuals are so dependent upon tax-payer funded assistance and to coordinate constructive changes with the public so as to manifest life changing transitions it is a sensitive issue. The ASAN approach is not one that I'd place a bet on succeeding. Look at how Martin Luther King Jr. advocated. IT was about them with us and us with them rather then us vs. them and alienation of each other for progress. ASAN to me is the perfect storm of the right kinds of things to advocate for but the wrong ways to advocate about the right things. I think if someone was up to no good and said one thing which most would agree with but approached it on purpose very badly to get the opposite result which they really intended to fail at they would do something like ASAN does.

ah ha they do think there the only autism self advocates and i think that implication hurt a certain autism advocates ego.this explains all the anti asan posts.not that i like them but talking about them gives them more attention than they deserve

also will some asan cronies please explain why i need to contact pat leahy,jim jeffords and bernie sanders right now.what in this bill is so bad.knowing my vermont reps there probably in there northeast vermont counrty homes smoking some home grown.maybe if i had a pizza and chips delivered that would be more affective

I for one wouldnt want to be in the position as an advocate about many of the issues they handle. I'm specifically about inclusion and facilitated employment. However their approach that out right demands more social service funding whilst using abortion politics and anti-research strategies does effect myself and others. That's not the kind of approach I would take nor endorse. If ASAN was more open and allowed voting it will likely end most conflict with them. I simply do not have at all an interest in advocating about education, abortion and so on. I'd just like to make clear the poor strategies are certainly different and separate from myself and others as believe it or not ASAN strategies have effect my organization even though we are so far away from one another.

There I believe is a great importance in separating certain issues and that ASAN which conceptually obliges itself as THE autism self-advocacy network simply be seen as a sole group. Not a center piece in autism advocacy but might become one should they invoke democratic voting and facilitated expression on the central platform by a diversity.

ok but you dodged my response.does the asan make you feel diminished

Absolutely not. With good strategies and fair minded approaches where I advocate tens of thousands have become aware of the project and growing. In this time I feel the most free, the most hopeful and the most successful in my life. ASAN has no role in it and for now if not forever I'd like nothing more then to keep them away from my organization with their approaches.

ok fair enough.interestingly no one has yet explained why this legislation is so wrong.honestly i dont understand any og the advocates

I think it's the whole "war on" phrase based on my research. Taking things personally like "I am not a puzzle" and the "I am autism so declaring war on autism is war against me" is part of the attention getting advocacy strategy to get others with autism pissed off for an agenda. So far I see most of it but not all of it as simply destructive because most people never considered the war on autism to be about killing people with autism but helping. It's about abortion political agendas and relevant research which may potentially when figuring out what autism is to help people could result in other indirect research to enable abortions.