Recently, my campus decided to celebrate Autism Awareness month, which I am all for! Hell, I even wrote an article about it about two weeks ago. However, as I went to go get a soda from the vending machine in The Lair (our student recreation center) my stomach dropped and my mouth went dry. I saw a wall where they had one of those things where you sign a piece of paper saying you support a cause, this one being autism. That was not what I had a problem with, however. What I had a problem with was the image on the paper: a blue puzzle piece.
For those of you who don't know, a blue puzzle piece is the logo for Autism Speaks. Take a look at my previous article for more information. I will also provide you with some background info here.
Autism Speaks is one of the more well-known "Autism Advocacy" groups. I put that in quotations because I, along with others in the autism community, do not believe that Autism Speaks actually speaks for us or advocates for us. Autism Speaks advocates heavily for a cure for autism.
I just want to tell you why that is incredibly messed up. Their mission tells me that I am sick, that I need to be cured by others, that I somehow have a horrible disease that I desperately need to be saved from, that I need to be made normal, that I am broken, that I am somehow lesser because I have autism, that I should strive to be normal. Because I am different, because I am unique -- that is bad and should always be rejected.
"We do not like hearing that we are defective or diseased. We do not like hearing that we are part of an epidemic. We are not problems for our parents or society or genes to be eliminated. We are people." -- John Elder Robison
In their history, Autism Speaks has had only one person with Autism, John Elder Robison, on their board of directors, and he stormed out and quit because he was frustrated with how they ran things. They frequently use attacks and terms like "burden" and "barely living" on their website to describe us. The majority of the money they receive goes to their board of directors, marketing and other expenses, while very little (4 percent) goes to helping people with autism (like providing resources to families with autism).
Overall, this is why it is bad to use the blue puzzle piece to represent those with autism. It only perpetuates and allows Autism Speaks to continue to be ingrained as a so-called good thing. I want to leave you with one more quote from John Elder Robison.
"Autism Speaks says it’s the advocacy group for people with autism and their families. It’s not, despite having had many chances to become that voice. Autism Speaks is the only major medical or mental health nonprofit whose legitimacy is constantly challenged by a large percentage of the people affected by the condition they target." -- John Elder Robison
