Autistic people currently are being excluded from having any say in a California state task force on autism. A human rights petition on Change.org, entitled “Autistic People Need Representation on CA Healthcare Task Force” seeks to reverse this inexcusable omission and ensure Autistic representation on the panel. The petition explains the situation as follows:
“The California Department of Managed Healthcare has announced the composition of its Autism Task Force. As it currently stands, no autistic people are represented on the 18-person panel which will make key decisions affecting autistic people’s healthcare. Moreover, the panel does include an anti-vaccine activist, a person who has made numerous statements dehumanizing autistic people, and two representatives from an organization which has consistently excluded autistic people from its leadership. Autistic people deserve to have a voice in manners that affect us directly, and the panel as currently composed completely fails to give us adequate representation.”
Please sign the petition and help us tell the State of California: Nothing About Us Without Us!
Regards,
The Autistic Self Advocacy Network