ASAN and Allies Protest Autism Speaks- Washington DC Nov 6th

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Time: Saturday, November 6 · 8:00am - 1:00pm
Location: National Mall
14th & 15th Streets and Jefferson Avenue & Madison Drive
Washington, DC

Members of the Washington, DC Metropolitan Area Chapter of the Autistic Self Advocacy Network will be demonstrating against Autism Speaks’ Walk for Autism on Saturday November 6th on the National Mall from 8:00am - 1:00pm. Autistic Activists and their allies across the disability community will carry signs and distribute fliers to walk participants between 14th & 15th Streets and Jefferson & Madison Drives. The National Mall demonstration is part of a series of demonstrations being held across the United States this autumn.

This demonstration is intended to draw walk participants’ attention to Autism Speaks’ lack of representation for those it claims to serve; its exploitative advertising and fundraising practices which compare having a child with Autism to being in a fatal situation, and the failure of Autism Speaks to spend money in ways that help Autistic people across the life-span.

Please join local Autistic Activists demonstrating against the upcoming Autism Speaks' Walk for Autism Charity Fundraiser on November 6th. All prospective demonstration attendees are encouraged to bring their families and friends, the more people that support us the better! We will start to gather at 8am between 14th & 15th Streets and Jefferson & Madison Drives. All who plan to attend are encouraged to bring a demonstration sign with them, please make a large sign with a slogan such as: Nothing About Us Without Us!, I am A Person Not A Puzzle!, or Autism Speaks Does Not Speak For Us!

All those who plan to attend the demonstration, please email

[email protected]

so that we know who to expect! we hope you will be able to join us!

Join us on Facebook:
ASAN and Allies Protest Autism Speaks- Washington DC Nov 6th:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=116923348368553

Wrong Plan£t won't h£lp you promote thi$ b€cau$e it i$ now und£r th€ control of Auti$m $peak$.

Careful, I wonder how long it will take before this thread gets deleted:

http://the-newrepublic.blogspot.com/2010/10/lunatics-storm-asylum.html.

I know that I haven't posted here in quite some time, but, Asp-Z, I don't think that Wrong Planet is under the control of Autism Speaks.
Your post was, also, very hard to read as well.

Anyway, I think this is a pretty cool march. I would go there, if I lived in the area.

the only thing autism speaks is good at is fundraising, and being the biggest bully on the block. they want a strangle hold on the word "autism"

Just wondering: why do we hate Autism Speaks? Is it one of those organizations that wants to cure autism? Because I actually wouldn't mind being cured, to be honest.

Let me begin with the cure topic. I don't want to be cured, because I perceive myself as a "difference" and not a disease or disorder. But, I am respectful towards people who would take such a theoretical cure if it ever came about. That is each person's right.

I have no personal (first-hand) experiences to hate Autism Speaks, but yet I have come to dislike them based on what I hear. No sooner had I become a member of WrongPlanet than I heard of them not wanting autistic people's voices to be heard. But personally, I have no experience with them to know this first-hand. At this point in my life, they have done nothing (directly) to me.

Because of the overwhelming amount of intelligent members here at the WrongPlanet (and other places) speaking about Autism Speaks, I believe there is truth to the claims.

What I find interesting is this:
For those of us that complain about Autism Speaks not listening, why do we now sometimes bash them when it seems like they might be taking a step in our direction to listen? This is our opportunity to let our voices be heard. The WrongPlanet is all about our autistic voices speaking, and now Autism Speaks appears to have a made a move toward us. We should make the best of this opportunity and see what can come of it.

This is a protest of Wrong Planet, the majority of members who support Science, and the founder, who works on joint projects with Autism Speaks.

Same old, give us the money. Autism Speaks only gives grants to people who advance the cause of autism knowledge, not street gangs looking for a payoff.

Same old six member gang from New york? Looking for people too dumb to word their own sign?

I would be walking with Autism Speaks, getting to know people who share the idea of working together to learn more.

Autistics Protesting Autism Speaks in DC today:
http://digg.com/news/offbeat/people_wit ... eaks_today

Loads of photos from the demonstration -
Katie's album:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2 ... 4628044840
Barbara's album:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2 ... 0236641052

This is very true. With John Elder Robison on board, I think that steps in the right direction are being made. One thing I've been wondering lately... is it really that Autism Speaks is refusing to have any autistic people on board, or is it that autistic people are just unwilling to try to change the organization from the inside instead of from the outside, just as John Elder Robison is trying to do?

I think protests can be useful if there really still is resistance at Autism Speaks against having autistic people on board. However, it should be kept in mind that protests alone will not make a big difference unless a wider range of interventions toward Autism Speaks is attempted.

I think that it's great that the protest happened and it should be a yearly event around the world. We need to get the message out. We need to show Autism Speaks and their supporters that we're we're not a bunch of Useless Eaters who make life miserable for our families and our communities. We need to stop the cash flow into their pockets. We need to get together and sue them, once and for all. We need to give that money to every person in the world, who is on the spectrum, whether they're rich and famous or living on the streets, or in a group home. If I had the financial means, I'd fly right there and get them into court and sue their sorry little behinds.

I think that I'll just shut up about this and listen to The Kinks. Back to the 60s I go.

Protesting and demanding acceptance does nothing for those confined at the Judge's Center for Electro Shock.

There we need the weapon of Science, and only one group is working on it.

All Black people are from Africa, all Gays are Gay, all Autistics are warm blooded.

You may be able to speak for yourself, took a shower, put on clean clothes, went out in public with other people, I am glad you can, but it does not apply to everyone.

You too are speaking for other people, and acceptance, that is the way they are, leaves them with nothing.

Disability Rights, Neurodiversity, gives them nothing.

*Begins working on legal brief involving the words "slander" and "libel"* Hmm, maybe throw the words "emotional damages" and maybe a few sprinklings of "loss of dignity"... mwahahaha....