Joint Letter to CDC: With the support of allied disability advocacy and professional organizations, ASAN submitted a joint letter to the CDC opposing the wandering code proposal.
ASAN staffer Paula C. Durbin-Westby and ASAN Board Member Melanie Yergeau gave an interview in which they explained why it’s important to start off April with an acceptance message. Understanding and acceptance are vital to bringing about a world in which Autistic citizens are equal members of society.
An essay by Melody Latimer. When I speak of Autism, please know I love your support and understanding. When I speak of my Autistic children, please know I understand them very well because I’ve been diagnosed myself. When I speak of the current state of things, please know I am happy with my life and my children, but know there’s already room for improvement.
FAQ on Wandering Proposal: What is the wandering code proposal and why are disability advocacy and professional organizations concerned about it?
ACTION ALERT: Stop Dangerous CDC Proposal! A proposal being considered by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), would create a new medical diagnosis for “wandering” by people with developmental disabilities. This proposal has no scientific basis and could cause many people to be abused and institutionalized.
An essay by Ari Ne’eman. With a puzzle piece, a ribbon, a donation, or a Facebook or Twitter app, an average citizen does their duty, checks the autism box on their charitable instincts and moves on, never having to talk to, experience, work, live, learn with or otherwise acknowledge those Autistics they pass by every day.
ASAN President Ari Ne’eman gave an exclusive interview to Wired.com editor Steve Silberman about the shift in the national dialogue on autism toward issues of civil rights,…
ASAN has issued a statement expressing concern about uninformed remarks on autism and insurance coverage made by the campaign of US Senate candidate Sharron Angle.
An essay by Mark Stairwalt. Years ago, before the coming of the cell phone, I was the driver of a Freightliner FLD 120, an imposing, long-nosed boat of a semi tractor that crisscrossed the United States and parts of Canada with a 53-foot trailer in tow. Never mind that as a driver of a commercial vehicle one ends up memorizing the locations of countless truckstops, customers, scale houses, steep grades, and unlikely parking spots; what was truly impressive back then was that drivers would end up cataloging the locations of every accessible payphone along every route in every state we frequented.
NCD Appointment Confirmed: The U.S. Senate has voted unanimously to confirm President Obama’s appointment of ASAN President Ari Ne’eman as a member of the National Council on Disability.
An essay by Larry Arnold. Functioning levels are a discourse of intellectual impairments not physical ones, created out of older distinctions, wrapped up in Greek words to look respectable, words like “imbecile” “moron” “idiot” — “low grades” and “high grades” the categories of the institutions used to sort out who could do useful work in the laundry and who could not.
An essay by Gwen McKay. Autistic individuals may, for example, rock back and forth when they are anxious or flap their hands when they are happy and excited. Behavioral programs often focus on suppressing these autistic traits because they are socially stigmatized, without considering whether they serve any useful neurological functions such as processing the associated emotions and their expression in language.
