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Author Archives: Zoe Gross

ASAN Submits Brief Opposing Autism-Related Arguments of Charleston Shooter’s Defense Team

| Zoe Gross

On June 17, 2015, a man opened fire on a Black church in Charleston, South Carolina and killed nine people, committing one of the deadliest acts of racist violence in recent history.  The Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN) and the Autistic Women’s and Nonbinary Network (AWNN) have submitted a...

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Congress Abandons Disability Community in COVID Deal

| Zoe Gross

ASAN is furious that, ten months into the pandemic, Congress has yet again failed to provide any emergency funding for the home and community-based services to keep people with disabilities out of dangerous congregate settings. While the just-passed COVID relief package includes funding for unemployment insurance, SNAP, and other...

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Working to End Police Violence and Systemic Racism

| Zoe Gross

A month ago, we shared an update on how ASAN is working to keep our community safe through the COVID-19 pandemic. This month, we want to acknowledge that while the United States is still struggling with COVID-19, we are also in the midst of critical national protests against police...

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ASAN Condemns Block Grant Proposal

| Zoe Gross

The Trump Administration has given states the green light to apply for Medicaid block grants. Allowing states to change their Medicaid funding to block grants is almost certainly illegal, and will mean deep cuts to the Medicaid program in any state that applies. ASAN condemns this decision in the...

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ASAN Opposes Proposed Changes to Section 1557

| Zoe Gross

August 13, 2019 Department of Health and Human ServicesOffice for Civil RightsAttention: Section 1557 NPRM, RIN 0945-AA11 Hubert H. Humphrey Building, Room 509F200 Independence Avenue SWWashington, DC 20201 ASAN Comments Re: Proposed Rule, “Nondiscrimination in Health and Health Education Programs or Activities” (published June 14, 2019; 84 FR 27846,...

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ASAN Denounces President’s Remarks on Mental Health

| Zoe Gross

This past weekend, mass shootings in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio killed at least 30 people and injured over 50 more. These mass shootings, the 16th and 17th in the United States this year this year, took place amidst a continued crisis of white supremacism in the US;...

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ASAN meets with FDA to #StopTheShock

| Zoe Gross

Yesterday, ASAN and a coalition of disability rights organizations met with Dr. Jeffrey Shuren, head of the FDA’s Center for Radiological Health and Medical Devices. The meeting was productive, and we shared our community’s concerns regarding the use of electric shock torture at the Judge Rotenberg Center and discussed...

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Reflecting on History, Resisting Hate

| Zoe Gross

On April 19th, the Autistic Self Advocacy Network issued the following statement in response to new reports further detailing Hans Asperger’s collaboration with the Nazi regime: We are a community with a long history of resilience in the face of overwhelming hatred. The history of the autistic community has...

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Remarks from Julia Bascom at United Nations Autism Event

| Zoe Gross

On April 5th, ASAN’s Executive Director, Julia Bascom, gave the keynote address at the United Nations event on empowering autistic women and girls. You can view a recording of the event here. The keynote starts at minute 48.  Good morning! Thanks so much for having me here today. I...

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White House Continues to Ignore Self-Advocates

| Zoe Gross

The Autistic Self Advocacy Network is disappointed to learn that the White House is again participating in Autism Speaks’ “Light It Up Blue” campaign. While self-advocates work to promote autism acceptance, disability rights, and self-determination this April, the White House chooses to promote a stigmatizing and outdated view of...

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