Is this representation or misrepresentation?

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For Autism Awareness Day in the Southern Hemisphere, the very well regarded Australian Broadcasting Corporation did this:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-04-02/s ... ty/6366980

So this is what people on the spectrum look like? Noticeably different from normocentric people? And there is no representation of any kind of higher achievement at all, as if people on the spectrum are incapable of that?

To me it seems so skewed to reinforce negative stereotypes that it is likely to increase bullying, namecalling and so on, not raise awareness in any credible way.

I hope Australian members of WP will give their views on it - and perhaps some feedback to the ABC. To me it is simply a grave disservice to anyone on the ASD spectrum whom the ABC purported to want to help.
...

In contrast to the ABC in Australia, Autism New Zealand chose multicolour dress last year to represent the diversity of the ASD spectrum for Autism Awareness Day: http://www.autismnz.org.nz/about_us/new ... s_day_2014 and repeated it this year
http://www.autismnz.org.nz/about_us/new ... april_2015

Why do all of the photos of supposedly autistic people have CRAZY LOOKING TEETH?!

I think that all people should be treated with respect and just because someone looks different from the norm, does not justify any form of disrespect or mistreatment.

I think that in some ways you are right, I mean they should have it mixed, pictures of people that look "normal" according to society also. There is a misconception in society that mental disorders are visible on all which is just simply not true. So in that way this campaign strengthens this idea, but I understand the campaign they are trying to show that people with autism have dreams and feelings just like anyone else. Honestly I find it is horrible that there is even a need for this kind of a campaign...
My thoughts are probably not really answering your question, I think it is not easy giving you a straight answer. I guess I think it is both in a way.

Thanks to both of you for your thoughts.

Yes, I noticed the teeth too - just what was that about FFS? You can tell people on the spectrum by their strange mishapen teeth?

The biases of omission are many:

- the age group is not representative: only young adults have autism
- there is no mention whatsoever of achievement such as jobs, careers, higher education, degrees and skills: they are presenting ASD people as non-achievers, essentially as losers who are incapable of achievement
- no mention of ASD adults who are married and/or parents
- no mention of ASD scientists, professors etc (no ASD people are clever or accomplished)
- and they don't even bother with good dental care (ASD people are weird and weird looking)

Hypocritically, under the slogan of "see the person, not the disability", all they have done is focus attention on depictions that promote stereotypical portraits of disability.

I have made a complaint about the misrepresentation to ABC Ballarat.

This is a link for complaints about this to them:
http://www.abc.net.au/ballarat/contact/

Good for you B19, this sh*t is totally absurd. Good intentions? Maybe but don't count on it.

What were they thinking?

Here we have all these autistic people, but most of them don't look autistic. How will the public know they are not real, normal, regular people? This is a photo study it's pointless just to show a bunch of people who look like everyone else, the punters won't get it. Obvious solution: show people who look odd in photos. Maybe we find people with bad teeth?


I am going to send a nice note, even though I don't live in Australia.

Oh, boy! While I accept on faith that these essay images could be exactly what was described, I wonder why they didn't include the so-called elven-featured children, dedicated scientists, successful researchers or able doctors, and, yes, loving parents with ASDs? Where is the apparent lack of socializing found in many spectrumites? These few selected images show engaged, smiling individuals; every one. None of the friends with ASD who I know would likely be so comfortable and happy in front of a strange journalist with a camera, but I guess it could happen.

I believe that the truth might come from the subtitle of the image essay itself when it states that "[t]o mark Autism Awareness Day, young people with special needs in Ballarat remind people to see the person, not the disability[,]" emphasis mine. That description is very likely true. It claims that several "young people with special needs" (while not confirming that they have ASD ... at least without additional disorders), were photographed as a way "to mark Autism Awareness Day[.]" It didn't state that the photographed individuals actually, really, truly have ASDs. The nuance of the subtitle might belie its claim.

Too many times, an editor assigns such an essay to a photojournalist who merely searches through his or her file-photo archives for images which have little to do with, but approximate generally, the desired result. I wouldn't be surprised if that happened here. And, "nobody will notice the difference."

I hope AA day is going better in the Northern Hemisphere. Apart from the blue everywhere which (if I was there) would give me the blues. But I would be walking in red

Aspie Utah, the conflation of ASD with Special Needs is IMO also extremely misleading, and I meant to mention that earlier in this thread. Thanks for the reminder.

All but one of the people pictured look unnatural and with a forced expression.

Misrepresentation. Most look severely disabled and the last girl looked like she also had Down Syndrome. This is portraying everyone on the spectrum as "special"(ret*d).