In the past five years, over 600 people with disabilities have been murdered by their parents, relatives or caregivers.
On Sunday March 1st, the disability community will gather across the nation to remember these disabled victims of filicide – disabled people murdered by their family members or caregivers.
In the year since our last vigil, our community has lost over 70 more people to filicide. These are just the cases that we are aware of – since we began monitoring this issue, we learn about more murders every week. We read the victims’ names, see their photographs, and gather what information we can about their lives. The criminal justice system has continued to give lighter sentences to parents and caregivers who murder disabled children. And we have seen the news media continue to portray these murders in a sympathetic light. We hold the Day of Mourning vigils to draw attention to these injustices, to commemorate the lives of victims, and demand justice and equal protection under the law for all people with disabilities.
Since 2012, ASAN and other disability rights organizations have come together to send a clear message that disability is not a justification for violence. We’ll be at our local vigils on Sunday, March 1st – and we hope to see you there.
Some vigils will be on a weekday so please check before you attend.
If you cannot attend a vigil in-person, please consider taking part in our Virtual Vigil.
2020 Vigil Sites
USA
ARIZONA
Tucson, AZ
Tom Racey, cornelius@cornelius413.net
CALIFORNIA
Sacramento, CA
California Autistic Self Advocates, caautisticselfadvocates@gmail.com
Los Altos, CA
Los Altos Lutheran Church, office@losaltoslutheran.org
Claremont, CA
Donnie Denome, cdenome@gmail.com
Oakland, CA
Mills College Disability Advocacy Club, millscollegedisabilityad@gmail.com
Held on Monday, March 2nd
GEORGIA
Atlanta, GA
Autistic Self-Advocacy Atlanta, km.rodriguez1123@gmail.com
Atlanta, GA
Emory Autism Awareness Organization, erneely@emory.edu
Held on Monday, March 2nd
ILLINOIS
Chicago, IL
Institute on Disability and Human Development, hrotti2@uic.edu, tgordo7@uic.edu
Held Monday, March 2nd
INDIANA
Muncie, IN
Hoosier Alliance for Neurodiversity, contact@hoosierneurodiversity.org
MARYLAND
College Park, MD
Michelle Appel, akraemer@terpmail.umd.edu
Held on Monday, March 2nd
Towson, MD
Nic Koski, nkoski2@students.towson.edu
MINNESOTA
Minneapolis, MN
Queer Grace Community, queergracecommunity@gmail.com
NEW JERSEY
Edison, NJ
Alliance Center for Independence, ctonks@adacil.org
Held Friday, February 28th
Ewing, NJ
Elizabeth Miner, minere1@tcnj.edu
NEW YORK
Rochester, NY
Not Dead Yet, dcoleman@notdeadyet.org
Held Friday, February 28th
NORTH CAROLINA
Boone, NC
Autistic Students & Allies of the high country, whitejd4@appstate.edu
Held Monday, March 2nd
OHIO
Kent, OH
Autism Connections Kent, lfrankle@kent.edu
PENNSYLVANIA
Collegeville, PA
Jennifer Stevenson, jstevenson@ursinus.edu
Pittsburgh, PA
Pittsburgh Center for Autistic Advocacy, cori@autisticpgh.org
TENNESSEE
Johnson City, TN
Courtney Johnson, johnsoncp@etsu.edu
Held Monday, March 2nd
TEXAS
Arlington, TX
The Self Determination Group, cindipaschall@sbcglobal.net
UTAH
Salt Lake City, UT
Neurodiverse UT, NeurodiverseUT@gmail.com
VIRGINIA
Blacksburg, VA
Disability Alliance and Caucus at Virginia Tech
Williamsburg, VA
William & Mary Neurodiversity Student Group, neurodiversitysg@email.wm.edu
WASHINGTON STATE
Tri-Cities, WA
Carly Coburn, carlycoburn4109@gmail.com
WASHINGTON, DC
Autistic Self Advocacy Network, houtlaw@gmail.com
WISCONSIN
Milwaukee, WI
Autism Society of Southeastern Wisconsin, emilyl@assew.org
CANADA
Fort McMurray, AB
Autistics United Fort McMurray – Cree, Dene, Dane-zaa, & Métis Territory, mcmurrayautistics@gmail.com
Winnipeg, MB
Autistics United Manitoba, rsalahub@mts.net
Halifax, NS
Autistics United Nova Scotia, novascotiaautistics@gmail.com
Guelph, ON
Kinnery Chaparrel, kinnery@live.ca
Ottawa, ON
Morgan Wall, cei-csd.coord@uosu-seuo.com
Toronto, ON
Autistics for Autistics, rayashields@hotmail.com
Burnaby, BC
Autistics United Vancouver, vancouverautistics@gmail.com
Kamloops, BC
Brenda Anderson, timandbrenda90@gmail.com
IRELAND
Dublin, Ireland
UCD Students, hannah.bryson@ucdconnect.ie
UNITED KINGDOM
Aberdeen, Scotland
Topher Endress, topher.endress@gmail.com