Ari Ne eman assaulted online by Cureby Vaccine Conspiracists

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Why is Ari Ne'eman such a great nominee? He is hardly of the age or the experience to be doing this sort of thing, nor it seems an effective politician at that.

A note on acceptance -

Acceptance, at least the kind that I think Mr. Ne'eman is talking about, would not just be shrugging one's shoulders and going "oh well, I guess there's nothing we can do for some people, they're just crazy." Rather, it would be erasing the stigma of simply being autistic and change the dialogue to focus on how best to help autistic people on their own terms. I don't deny that research has to and should be done. But, if there was more acceptance of autism and autistic people, it might be geared away from searching for eugenic cures and instead geared towards helping bridge the gaps in communication, ameliorating specific problems such as sensory overload through technologies or therapy, finding new ways to best teach autistic children concepts and tasks, and otherwise help autistic people to function in the world while still being themselves. The lack of acceptance right now, as exemplified through such things as the "I Am Autism" and "Autism Everyday" videos, is doing nothing to accomplish these goals. By painting such a gloom-and-doom picture of autism and being so unwelcoming to autistic people('s views), Autism Speaks and its ilk have created a self-fulfilling prophecy. Who, after all, will listen to the real autistic people trying to tell them what they want and need to succeed if all they've heard is how autistic people are shut off in their own little worlds and can't function at all? Acceptance would at least help with this problem.

Ari Ne'eman may be young but he can help bring a little balance to the debate over how to best help autistic people. Advocates of neurodiversity and acceptance do not have the money and power that Cure Autism Now does, therefore it is difficult for the general public to hear the side of those who advocate for help over a cure. As a presidential appointee, Ari can bring further legitimacy to an autistic's point-of-view. This is an opportunity that we should not take lightly, and it would be nice to see a wider effort to support his nomination.

When you consider what happens to autistic individuals in schools and in the workplace, Mr. Ne'eman's stand is very rational. How many of us have found ourselves discounted because we look at things differently, or because others look at us differently? Some of our contributions to society have been magnificent, yet you wouldn't know it to see how children on the spectrum are dealt with in many schools. There is much that can be done to support autistics right now, today, and if quality help were more available, society would stand to benefit as much as the autistic individual.

At this time Ari's nomination is on hold and no one seems to know why. If he doesn't get it, you can bet we won't see another autistic nominee for a long time. Where are those petitions and letters supporting U.S. Senate nomination of Ari Ne'eman?