Autism Speaks Silencing Autistics Yet Again
Autistic people successfully taking on a multi national, multi million dollar organisation. #AutismSpeaksReviews #MSSNG
#AutismIs
{ Image is a screenshot of a review of Autism Speaks from their facebook page. it reads " Maqqi Mucoi Amolngatti Au reviewed Autism Speaks (1 star). Autistics Speak for Ourselves! (all caps) You are shameful scammers! Taking money from good people pretending to help autistics and stealing our name and claiming our voice. A$ lies are a major cause of discrimination and abuse of autistics. The world is waking up to your lies. WE HAVE OUR OWN VOICE AND THE WORLD IS LISTENING" below is a cover photo from Autism SPeaks showing various presumably autistic people and a profile picture featuring the Autism SPeaks logo, light blue background, puzzle piece in medium blue with the name AUtism SPeaks below it, and circling that the text reads "10 years of progress, a lifetime of hope" }
Autistic people have long had issues with the charitable organisation Autism Speaks (AS).
Along with regular fear mongering and portrayal of autism as a devastation rather than a neurological difference, Autism Speaks continuously refuses to allow autistic people onto their board.
How can you purport to be working to help a population, but refuse to give them a voice?
So autistics decided to make their voices heard.
In several campaigns this year, people from around the world joined together in innovative ways to express their displeasure with the negative stereotypes being assigned to them, and with Autism Speaks itself as an organisation.
#AutismIs was a highly successful twitter campaign. Launched 3 years ago, it has helped to shatter many myths about autism
Then of course came the famous hijacking of #AutismSpeaks10. AS celebrated their tenth anniversary, and created a hashtag for the event. Autistic people, wanting to find a way to make their voices heard, tweeted about their worth, their value, and their displeasure with AS, making sure to include AS's own hashtag. It was brilliant and effective.
The twitterverse exploded.
On April 2nd, 2015, World Autism Awareness Day, several initiatives worked seemlesslessly together to ensure the message got across.
The message?
Autism Speaks needs to LISTEN
The world started to pay attention. However, there is a lot of money involved with this particular charity. The board of directors is one of the highest paid anywhere. With executives having strong links to major media outlets, dissenting voices are quickly silenced.
But that hasn't quelled the movement.
This weekend, Autistic people around the world reviewed Autism Speaks , on Facebook, using the review feature. Most organisations and businesses have this feature in their Facebook presence. Its an excellent way for customers to express their satisfaction, or dissatisfaction, with the company, organisation, or product, and allows others to make informed decisions.
Autism Speaks had a rating of 4.8 out of 5 stars this weekend, has hovered at that mark since they had their first review.
At last count, mere hours after the campaign began, Autism Speaks was down to a rating of 1.4 stars. Interestingly, a large number of those whom had previously rated AS highly went back in and adjusted their review to 1 star (the lowest rating possible).
Autistic people, and those who TRULY support them, were shouting loud and clear that Autism Speaks does not speak for them.
What did AS do in response?
Rather than listen to the population they are supposedly supporting and open a dialogue, they instead silenced them.
The review feature was removed.
In other words, its ok to review Autism Speaks, as long as you give them a good review.
In days past, that censorship would have worked.
But these are the days of social media.
The #AutismSpeaksReview #MSSNG campaign took off. Within an hour a facebook group was formed to help people share their own already existing reviews (past reviews cannot be deleted) for other autism friendly people to like, comment on and share.
Autism Speaks may try to shut them up, but autistic people will always find a way to SPEAK for THEMSELVES!
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