Autism Speaks

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Does someone with autism donates to Autism Speaks if they have a relative who also has the disorder?

Autism Speaks is not very popular on WrongPlanet.

One reason is because they don't take into account the actual opinions of autistic people. They feel, instead, that we have no opinions, and that we should be "cured."

I hate them.

According to Wikipedia:

Autism Speaks is an autism advocacy organization in the United States that sponsors autism research and conducts awareness and outreach activities aimed at families, governments, and the public. It was founded in February 2005 by Bob Wright, vice chairman of General Electric, and his wife Suzanne, a year after their grandson Christian was diagnosed with autism.

Some autism activists see autism as a difference rather than a disease and criticize Autism Speaks for seeking a cure rather than acceptance, accusing it of implicitly stigmatizing autistic people. The word "cure" was dropped from its mission statement in 2015.

Autism Speaks supported research into the discredited theory that autism is caused by vaccines, but as of 2017 acknowledges "scientists have conducted extensive research over the last two decades to determine whether there is any link between childhood vaccinations and autism. The results of this research is clear: Vaccines do not cause autism."

According to Forbes:

Autism Speaks, founded in 2005 by Bob and Suzanne Wright, sometimes seems to have taken over the entire conversation about autism in this country, what with their blue puzzle pieces littered all over the landscape, coming to symbolize, wrongly, autism itself. Yet in spite of their ostensible role as a voice for autism, they've got a poor track record of showing respect for autistic people. One example is their intensely offensive "I am autism" video from 2009, promising a threatening, ominous autism that "knows where you live" and "works faster than pediatric AIDS, cancer, and diabetes combined." Oh, and guaranteeing also that autism will make your marriage fail. It doesn't.

Source: Why Autism Speaks Doesn't Speak For Me

Autism Speaks has only 2 autistic people out of a total of 28 individuals on its Board of Directors.

Less than 4% of Autism Speaks’ budget goes towards the “Family Service” grants that are the organization’s means
of funding services.

While 32% of its budget goes toward research, only a small percentage of this research is aimed at improving the quality of life of autistic people. Most of the research that Autism Speaks funds is devoted to causation and “prevention,” including the prospect of prenatal testing.

Autism Speaks’ fundraising strategies promote fear, stigma, and prejudice against autistic people.

its rates of executive pay are the highest in the autism world: some salaries exceed $395,000 a year.

Source: Before you donate to Autism Speaks, Consider the facts

So from my perspective, the organization is very off target in its goals. It is essential run by NTs who are highly paid for a charity. And from my opinion will accomplish very little in helping Aspies.

Autism Speaks Drops Cure/Prevention From Mission Statement - 2016 Wrong Planet Thread

Third Autistic Person On Autism Speaks Board - Robyn Silber

This was my response to that information, it remains my basic opinion.

"Many have said the resignation of CEO and founder Bob Wright, the appointing of now three autistic board members, the dropping of "cure" from its mission statement is an elaborate hoax in order to fool everybody into believing they are not a hate organization dedicated to the eugenics elimination of Autistic people. Maybe so, but if that is true that they would feel the need to pull off such an elaborate hoax is a testament to the influence of the neurodiversity movement.

10 years even 5 years ago Autism Speaks was a pure horror show, as far as I was and am concerned they were the enemy of Autistic people. There remain many significant problems I still have with Autism Speaks. I am not lighting it up blue anytime soon. I am very much against that that they through their lobbying they have made Applied Behavioral Analysis therapies a monopoly on treatments for autistic children. I am against the message in the interview of getting babies diagnosed earlier and earlier, toddler behaviors can mimic autistic behaviors, let kids be kids etc. I have a problem with their MSSNG project. The name is offensive and it does not allay fears of eugenics. Many of us autistics have problems adjusting to change and it is always easy to have an evil enemy to focus you. But I can't ignore that there has been more than one change and that they are significant ones they should not be ignored.

How significant these changes are yet to be determined and we won't really know until somebody finds out where all their money is really going.

Having the biggest most well known powerful Autism organization be better or less evil for whatever reason is a good thing."

Autism Speaks is my least favourite charity.

I suppose so. Autistic people can be bigots too.
I wouldn't recommend it though.