Are autism awareness/acceptance campaigns doing any good?

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I've got the feeling that the autism awareness and acceptance campaigns aren't resulting in any significant benefit. I know they sound nice and most are well intended, but I don't think many autistic people are realizing much in the way of a positive effect. As a practical matter, I think they have gone as far as they can and the situation has stalled. So, please give your opinion.

The way I see it, every person who's ignorance is cured is a victory for us.

However, I do agree that more needs to be done in terms of offline activism in relation to Autism Acceptance. One problem is that there aren't enough powerful Autistic-run organisations around, and another being how damn divided the community is.

It will take time, but we can do more than we currently are, and I strongly disagree with your sentiment that we've "gone as far as we can". We have a duty to do our best to improve things for future generations do Autistic people.

What we need are powerful, united and established groups which begin with a strong offline foundation before expanding on the Internet. Every little thing that can help to raise positive, accurate awareness is good but in terms of significantly changing things, exclusively or mostly Internet-based activism can't do all that much.

Well I do feel like it's made a big difference it the last decade. But you can't make everyone care about it. There are people who have family members on the spectrum and still aren't interested or concerned enough to want to inform themselves about it. Even with all the existing groups and tv commercials, it doesn't hit everyone. They even get the information twisted, thinking someone trying to explain they are on the spectrum and what it is for them is trying to say something is 'wrong with them'.

I think the next step would have to be going offline and into the community. Check out this link

http://risingtidecarwash.com/about-us/

Not only is that everyone's dream come true, but their community supports that. It's a great idea. There should be more powerful groups yes, but also ones that don't rely heavy on communities accepting others for who they are. I think that's what softwareengineer meant when they said 'we've gone as far as we can'?

It's very, very difficult to get a consensus amongst we on the spectrum. We all have our individual opinions, and we will uncomprimisingly defend them to the death!

This means Autism rights campaigns don't really have a coherent message, and so can get easily overlooked.

It's a difficult issue, how can we reach a consensus while making each individual feel that their opinions count.

This is why we need to link up with other social justice movements to see how they solve the problem?

I totally agree with this too!

I can see some benefit. I never educated myself on any level about autism until I was diagnosed but now a lot of my family members are more aware and educated about autism and convey that to people they come into contact with.

Actually, I'm doing a close study of how the feminist movement has been so successful. Certainly, women didn't get very far with just awareness campaigns. I don't know if linking with other movements would work. I think we would likely have acceptance issues with those groups.

Everyone, thanks for your comments. I sense these points: 1) Awareness campaigns are good, but far from sufficient; 2) We need greater cohesion with a unified message; and 3) We need to take a truly activist position. That's what I'm thinking.

1 and 2 are great points, I totally agree!

What do you mean when you say "truly activist position" what do you mean?

What conclusions have you drawn from your study of feminist movements?

I've noticed that most movements, including feminism, race/civil rights, LBGT, have been taken seriously only after those who discriminate against them have been made into negative examples. We haven't done that. I'm quickly coming to the conclusion that we need to file some lawsuits, humiliate some Human Resources managers. etc. The world has become a big demographic card game. We've all heard of "the race card" and "the gender card." That seems to be what NTs respect and take seriously. So, I'm thinking through ways to get a card in the game. We are discriminated against because of disability, but more than that, we are discriminated against based on out culture. I'm thinking that might be the angle.

Comments and thoughts?

Also, I've been a part of projects aimed toward producing job in software testing for autistic people. I'm disappointed. While well intended, they aren't very successful and tend to leave people with the idea that all autistic people fit the profile of the testers. So, the entire diversity of talent and capability within the autistic community is substantially suppressed from public view.

Yes! I agree with that 100%. I have come to that conclusion as well.

At the risk of shameless self-promotion, I think a first step would be to come up with a word to describe those who discriminate against us. Ethnic minorities can say "you're being racist", LGBT people can say "you're being homophobic/lesbiphobic/transphobic", and women can say "you're being misogynist". We don't really have a snappy comeback like this!

I think small demonstrations and performance art might have it's place too.

Amongst the autistic community, we need to develop consensus-based decision making, where everybody has their say, and feel that they have contributed to the policies. I think polarisation is one of the biggest issues facing the Autism rights movement, where everybody has their own opinion, and they will not comprimise with others!

I am totally behind humiliating bigots and look forward to getting started!

I'm currently thinking through all of that very carefully. However, the thoughts are moving quickly. I'm not going to get stuck endlessly in analysis. To be honest, I wrote most of a book and realized there was nothing new and nothing beneficial, because the awareness thing is maxed out. So, I stepped back and decided to think from the perspective of some of the groups that have gotten over the hump. Using feminism is very useful. However, because of our lack of personal dynamics, some things won't work. Imagine a guy who talks like Mr. Spock saying "We're in your face and we're not going away." Or, Spock saying "I'm autistic and proud." And, I can't see a bunch of autistic people waving signs and throwing fake blood. So, it will be a matter of extract and adapt from the tried and true. This year, I think the autistic community is at a consensus that awareness campaigns are absolutely not enough. Thanks!

Additional Edit: I think using an extract of an established model, like feminism, might provide a good point to rally around. If we try to grow our own, the issues with getting a consensus will be too great. If we start with a well-developed model, I think it will be more easily accepted.

But we haven't been very successful. We can forget all the subtleties and jump straight to rape. So many universities are covering it up and making life hell for the victims -- who happen to be customers -- that the Obama administration has actually had to start going after 55 of them. You know, universities, cradle of feminism, etc.

That is a part of a much larger cover-up pattern in academia. They do everything they can to cover up anything that looks bad. I think it may have it's origin in sports programs, where they bring in thugs and call them students. Once a pattern is established in one area, it's a segue for others.

The attitude is good but I think it should be taken into account that this not something you can see in someone right off the bat. This whole situation has a new twist. It's not anywhere near the black oppression and the women's movement. We are not shriveled up by mean looks and slurs as soon as we walk in a place. People have to get to know you and feel you out to know you think different, unless it is severe and clear, and those people will not be discriminated against because the discriminator will be a terrible person. So the fact that any kind of discrimination is not cool is already out there. I just can't figure out if it's really discrimination for people like me who seem normal but then can't keep up the NT performance. It's more like we are made out to be mentally unstable or slightly off. I think that is why we all lose our jobs. I can't think of one job I wouldn't work at for 50 years if it meant surviving. It's as if it's our fault people don't like us and don't want us working for them. The only job I haven't been fired from was unionized, and I would probably have been fired from that one too if it wasn't.
I don't think we should be trying to get people to like us, forget them. And big pharma is already making money off of us slapping labels on everyone who so much as has a funny sneeze so they can sell they calm down pills while we're still wondering how to be independent.

That's why I posted the car wash page. We gotta build our own places. We could make neighborhoods predominately autistic, we can pick a neighborhood and move people in. It's doable. It just needs organizing. We can buy properties and rent to autistics. Since many of us aren't ever hired at full time, there would be amends for more under one roof so the rent and utilities doesn't kill them. From there just see where that goes. I'm basically describing building a commune somewhat but hey, I think that would turn out faster results than trying to prove to a bunch of conclusion jumping NTs that we aren't dumb or wacky or whatever it is they think.