Self-Advocate Mourned: Alyric, a well-respected blogger in the Autistic community, has passed away. Her strong stand for justice and honesty, her kindness and encouragement, and her contributions to our community will be greatly missed.
Petition Against Hate Groups: ASAN has prepared a petition calling on Dr. Tony Attwood and Dr. Isabelle Hénault to disassociate themselves from hate groups promoting stereotypes and libels that seek to encourage discrimination against Autistic people in family law and relationships.
The decision to use the word Autistic is a deliberate and political one – whilst it can be acknowledged that person first language has had an impact upon the way people who experience disability are viewed it has also performed the role (in people’s minds) of extracting that which can not be extracted from a person…
On Friday, April 17th, 2009 ASAN President Ari Ne’eman delivered the keynote address at the National Federation of the Blind’s Disability Law Symposium. You can listen to…
Debunking Myths: There are many popular myths about Autistic people that have little basis in reality. This article lists several common myths, followed by an explanation of the actual facts.
Shift in Focus Recommended: Research should address the domains measured by the World Health Organization Quality of Life Instrument. The research agenda should respect the wishes of autistic individuals and their families, many of whom have written in response to Requests for Information.
An essay by Susan Etlinger. J. and I made the decision to raise Isaac in the city early on. Both kids of the suburbs, we loved the idea of being able to walk anywhere from our front door, or hop on the bus at a moment’s notice. We loved the diversity, the parks, the energy of city life, the variety of things to do. But I can’t help feeling a little melancholy that the sounds that soothed me as a child–the hum of wildlife going about its daily business–are not available to him.
Causation and Cure Focus Excessive: These priorities are out of step with the needs and desires of the autistic community. In the year 2008, only approximately 1% of the NIMH autism research budget was allocated to services research.
Changes Needed in Autism Registry Proposal: The Division of Family Health Services has proposed new rules and amendments at N.J.A.C. 8:20 to establish a birth defects registry, which would include an autism registry and a severe neonatal jaundice registry. The Autistic Self Advocacy Network has several concerns about the autism registry proposal.
ASAN President Ari Ne’eman and Columbia University Professor Alicia A. Broderick co-authored “Autism as metaphor: narrative and counter-narrative,” which was published in a special issue of The International…
The IACC’s mandate is broader than scientific research. Access to services and supports, safety improvements, and research across the lifespan are significant issues.
ASAN’s Scott Michael Robertson was among several autistic adults featured in Second Look: Adults With Autism: Autism Affects Every Person Differently, a 17-minute video produced by…
