[ASAN] May 2012 Newsletter: Engage, Excite, and Empower!

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May 2012 Newsletter: Engage, Excite, and Empower Together!

Read the newsletter on the ASAN's website:
http://autisticadvocacy.org/?p=2394

From the Board
by Ari Ne'eman

When it comes to disability advocacy, the details matter. A lot. For many years, the self-advocacy movement has worked to put out the right messages and help communicate the values of inclusion, self-determination, and community integration to the broader disability world. In some ways, we have made tremendous progress. Even parent and provider organizations regularly pay lip service to the ideas we believe in. However, advocacy is about more than just ideas—it is about lived experiences. Our work isn't just about changing the rhetoric of the autism and disability worlds, it is about changing for the better the lives of Autistic people and other people with disabilities. In this regard, we still have much to do. Read more: http://autisticadvocacy.org/?p=2394#Article1

Prevalence of Autism at 1 in 88

by Lydia Brown

The latest CDC report about the frequency of autism places the prevalence of autism at 1 in 88, a new figure from the previous 1 in 110 prevalence. The prevalence among Blacks or African Americans jumped by over 90%, while the prevalence among Latinos or Hispanics increased by 110%. A much-higher prevalence of autism in people without documented intellectual disability brought the figure of Autistic people without intellectual disability to an estimated 62%, while the ratio of identified Autistic males to females grew wider, to five Autistic males for every Autistic female. Read more: http://autisticadvocacy.org/?p=2394#Article2

Disability Right Now Blog Goes Live
by Melody Latimer, interview by Spencer Hunley

Recently, a blog that takes on issues around disability written by people with various disabilities, called Disability Right Now (DRN), was created. The idea for the blog started when Erin Lewy, Editor in Chief and Project Organizer, was watching the play 8 about the trial of Prop 8. That’s when Erin realized there was real marriage equality issues for people with disabilities. Read more: http://autisticadvocacy.org/?p=2394#Article3

Volunteering for the Autistic Self Advocacy Network

The Autistic Self Advocacy Network is a nonprofit organization by autistic people for autistic people. We are committed to being included in the nationwide conversation about autism. While public policy is a major emphasis, ASAN has many other aspects including many programs. These activities need people to sustain it.

Are you interested in our efforts? Do you have a little time each day? Week? Month? We invite you to fill out our volunteer form: http://autisticadvocacy.org/get-involved/volunteers
as we are always on the lookout for energetic autistic people and allies.

Loud Hands Project: Call for Proofreaders

The Loud Hands Project's first anthology is coming along, and we need an army of proofreaders! People interested in catching a first look at the anthology and helping catch typographical, spelling, and grammatical errors should email Julia Bascom by June 1st to be involved. The more the merrier!

Autism Network International Presents Autreat

July 2-6, 2012
Johnstown, PA

Autreat is a retreat-style conference run by autistic people, for autistic people and our friends. Autreat focuses on positive living with autism, NOT on causes, cures, or ways to make us look more normal: http://www.autreat.org/autreat.html

Recent News

New Members Named to Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee: http://autisticadvocacy.org/?p=2394#News1

DSM-5 Comments Sought on Autism Definition: http://autisticadvocacy.org/?p=2394#News2

Autism Acceptance Celebrations: http://autisticadvocacy.org/?p=2394#News3

Advocacy Updates

Judge Rotenberg Center Trial: http://autisticadvocacy.org/?p=2394#Advocacy1

CMS Proposes New Rule Defining Community: http://autisticadvocacy.org/?p=2394#Advocacy2

Call for Stories: Harassment in the Workplace: http://autisticadvocacy.org/?p=2394#Advocacy3

New Administration on Community Living: http://autisticadvocacy.org/?p=2394#Advocacy4

I can understand leaving out the fact that over 99% of the effort in the US to provide for autistic individuals is done by parent organizations and provider organizations, to make life better for Autistic people and other people with disabilities, and focusing on credit for what one does as a specific organization, but to suggest that the over 2000 parent organizations and provider organizations in the US are providing lip service to advocacy for individuals with autism, is not reflective of the reality of what it takes to make life better for all autistic individuals.

Hopefully one day the us vs. them ideology, will go away. ASAN may be able to do a hundred fold greater things if they acknowledge the complexity of the complete issue, and all the good things other organizations do seeking out to truly join and be empowered with the other 2000 plus organizations in the US that work together to make lives better for all autistic individuals.

I've never heard another professional organization make a disrespectful comment against the ASAN organization, suggesting they pay lip service to advocacy for autistic individuals. One will likely never hear it, because it is simply not a respectful thing to say when all these organizations are working together diligently, to meet their missions, to make life better for all autistic individuals.

Other than the us vs them comment, the newsletter was excellent and informative. Even if ASAN is not willing to acknowledge all of the advocacy efforts associated with Autism in the over 2000 parent and provider organizations in the US, their newsletters will likely receive a great deal more respect from those that they may be able to join efforts with to achieve greater things in the future, if the us vs them comments are left out of their public commentary. True empowerment is much less likely to happen without mutual respect for other organizations, working together, to make life better for all autistic individuals.

Joining forces with the ASA, to address the DSM5 issue was a huge step toward making that a reality. That organization is largely a parent/provider organization along with the other 2000 plus organizations. It will take many years before ASAN can match what that organization has done to make life better for autistic individuals since 1965, through advocacy efforts, Along with the more than 2000 others, many of which have been in existence for decades.

That said ASAN is a much improved and professionally presented organization, through their public announcements, from just a year ago. I hate to see one disprespectful us vs. them statement sour an excellent newsletter.

Hopefully the next one will be one that shows the entire autism community, those that share in the condition and provide support, a full level of professional respect and mutual cooperation.

Hope you don't mind an attempt at constructive criticism; you have always been a reasonable person, dutifully providing information from others, for the good of all. The autism community seems to be evolving toward one of mutual respect and cooperation among the many different elements required for advocacy and support for autistic individuals. It is encouraging to see that in the last year. Even on other sites, where the us vs. them ideology was once much more extreme.

Constructive criticism is welcome.