Thank You, President Obama

When I endorsed Barack Obama's presidential candidacy on this blog in early 2007, it was because I judged him to be an enlightened and progressive thinker who would be capable of seeing the autistic population from a multicultural perspective—not as a plague to be fought and eradicated, but as a minority constituency made up of human beings and worthy of the same respect and representation as any other citizens.

I can't think of a time when I've been happier to learn that my first impression was accurate. President Obama made it clear that he is indeed a good friend of the autistic community when, as announced in this White House press release yesterday, he nominated Ari Ne'eman of the Autistic Self Advocacy Network to serve as a member of the National Council on Disability.

Here's an excerpt from the press release:


President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts, 12/16/09

WASHINGTON – Today, President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to key administration posts:

•Marie Collins Johns, Deputy Administrator, Small Business Administration
•Gwendolyn E. Boyd, Member, Board of Trustees of the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation
•Jonathan M. Young, Chair, National Council on Disability
•Carol Jean Reynolds, Member, National Council on Disability
•Fernando Torres-Gil, Member, National Council on Disability
•Chester Alonzo Finn, Member, National Council on Disability
•Gary Blumenthal, Member, National Council on Disability
•Sara Gelser, Member, National Council on Disability
•Ari Ne'eman, Member, National Council on Disability
•Dongwoo Joseph "Joe" Pak, Member, National Council on Disability

President Obama said, “I am grateful that these fine individuals have chosen to serve in my administration. They will bring a depth of experience and valued perspective to their roles, and I look forward to working with them in the months and years ahead.”


YEE-HAW!!!

Turning Trolls into Stone

… or, failing that, into cash.

Last year, Barack Obama's campaign website attracted a very active and enthusiastic blogging community that encouraged visitors to support the campaign. There was just one problem: Trolls who visited the site to post negative comments on the blogs. On such a busy website, it wasn't practical to identify and delete all posts from trolls, and putting comments in a moderation queue would have interfered too much with the free-flowing discussion.

So the community came up with an innovative solution: Respond to the trolls not by arguing with them, but by making additional donations to the campaign. Whenever a troll showed up and wrote a negative comment, several regular posters would promptly respond by informing the troll that they had just made an extra donation in his/her honor. This had a salutary effect in convincing the trolls to take their disruptive attacks elsewhere.

I've been inspired to start a similar effort in the autistic community as a result of some particularly egregious rabble-rousing attempts by the usual cast of suspects. After they learned that Ari Ne'eman of ASAN will be featured in an upcoming Newsweek piece, Jake Crosby at Age of Autism and John Best at Hating Autism, along with a few other ignoramuses of the blogiverse, went into furious tirades urging their readers (what few they have) to write to Newsweek and complain. John Best, who somehow hasn't yet been locked up despite his long history of inciting terrorism, also made a death threat against Ari just for kicks.

Instead of just getting mad about it, I think it's high time for us to get even. So I'm encouraging everyone who supports neurodiversity and ASAN's advocacy efforts to take part in a new anti-troll initiative: Whenever you see ignorant drivel from the haters, make a donation to ASAN to help educate the public, and post about it on blogs and forums to let others know that we're fighting back against the trolls. I've just mailed a contribution of $ 50 to ASAN to kick off this campaign (that's $ 25 for each of you, Jake and John) and I also created an anti-troll fundraising page on change.org for online donations, as well as a pledge to support this effort. ASAN's mailing address is 1025 Vermont Avenue, NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20005, for those who prefer to donate by check.

In addition, if you wish to contact Newsweek to thank them for writing favorably about the neurodiversity movement, letters@newsweek.com is the address for letters to the editor for the US print edition and webeditors@newsweek.com is the address for the online magazine.

Edit, May 16: The Newsweek article has been published online.

Edit, July 28: The mailing address for ASAN as shown above has been updated.

Making Policy the Right Way

Although President-elect Barack Obama has not yet taken office, he already has begun to make good on his campaign promises to consider a wide variety of viewpoints and to empower people with disabilities. The Obama transition team's disability coordinator, Kareem Dale, met last Friday with six advocacy organizations, including the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, to discuss autism policy issues. The new administration is seeking to identify high-priority issues within the autism community.

As our new president prepares to take office in these difficult times, with so many urgent matters that require his attention, it is heartening to see that he recognizes the importance of consulting with autistic self-advocates as essential stakeholders in the development of policy on autism-related issues.

Promises and Public Discussion

In accordance with his campaign promise to address autism issues, President-elect Obama has introduced a Senate bill to mandate insurance coverage for autism-related services. Now it's time for us to tell the Obama administration and our Senators what we think about it, and more generally, what we want the federal government to do. Do you think it's a great idea to require coverage for occupational therapy, physical therapy, and speech therapy? Send a letter saying so! Do you have reservations about the bill's inclusion of ABA among the covered therapies? Let the government know your views! Do you have other concerns that are not being addressed? Make some noise!

In addition to the change.gov website for making suggestions to the incoming administration, we can also send e-mails to Obama disability issues staffers. Andrea Shettle has written a Call to Action for disability activists, reprinted below:


Change for People with Disabilities: Time to Email Obama!

On November 4, 2008, millions of people with disabilities across the United States and around the world joined our non-disabled peers in watching the United States election results. Obama supporters cheered or wept to learn that the next US president would be Obama. Then we cheered or wept again when Obama mentioned people with disabilities in his acceptance speech. History was made–not only for America, not only for Black people, not only for Kenya and all of Africa, not only for Indigenous peoples, but also for people with disabilities.

But we cannot afford to allow the moment to end here. Whether we supported Obama, McCain, or another candidate, we all know there is far too much work ahead before we can say, “Yes, we have made real change for people with disabilities.”

It is time for people with disabilities, our loved ones, our neighbors, and colleagues to join together, across ideological divides, to reach out to Obama. We should all send an email to Kareem Dale, Obama’s National Disability Vote Director (at kdale@barackobama.com), WITH COPIES TO Anne Hayes, a volunteer on the Obama Disability Policy Committee (at ahayesku@hotmail.com).

First, we should thank Obama — and also Kareem Dale — for mentioning people with disabilities in Obama’s acceptance speech on November 4. Ensure that they understand how much it matters simply for us to be included. How did you feel when Obama mentioned us? Share your story.

Second, we should tell Obama and Kareem Dale that we are aware of Obama’s disability platform. He promised to increase educational opportunities; end discrimination; increase employment opportunities; and support independent, community-based living for Americans with disabilities. And he promised to sign the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), the first international, legally-binding human rights treaty for people with disabilities. Tell Obama and Kareem Dale that we are ready to call Obama to account if he fails us. But more importantly, we are ready to work with him for change for people with disabilities.

It is important to send your disability-related emails to BOTH Kareem Dale AND Anne Hayes (kdale@barackobama.com AND ahayesku@hotmail.com) between now and inauguration day. Kareem Dale’s email address may change between now and January 20, 2009. Anne Hayes can help ensure that emails sent to Kareem Dale are not lost during this time of transition.

Both Kareem Dale and others who have worked on disability issues within the Obama campaign are ready to receive YOUR emails on disability-related issues for US President-elect Obama. Emails are welcome from across the United States and around the world. If you are a US citizen, then please say so in your email.

Learn more about Obama’s plan for people with disabilities at: http://origin.barackobama.com/issues/disabilities/

Yes, the video is captioned. And if you scroll down to the bottom of the page, you can download Obama’s Full Plan for people with disabilities in PDF format (62 Kb).

Read Obama’s acceptance speech at: http://www.barackobama.com/2008/11/04/remarks_of_presidentelect_bara.php

Want to read someone else’s letter to Obama before you write your own? Come to: http://reunifygally.wordpress.com/2008/11/05/thank_you_obama_disabilities/. Another letter is posted at http://wecando.wordpress.com/2008/11/10/bpks-congratulates-obama/.

Learn more about the CRPD at http://ratifynow.org/ratifynow-faq/

If you wish to contact Obama’s staff on some topic other than disability, then you can send an email via his web page at http://www.change.gov/page/s/ofthepeople

Please circulate this email freely, or post this at your own blog, web site, or Facebook page.

This text was first posted at http://wecando.wordpress.com/2008/11/07/disabilities-email-obama/ The most updated version will be here, so please consult before cross-posting.

“It is the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, DISABLED and not disabled — Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been a collection of Red States and Blue States: we are, and always will be, the United States of America.”
–President-Elect Barack Obama
Acceptance speech, November 4, 2008; emphasis added

Obama on Disability Employment Awareness

In recognition of National Disability Employment Awareness Month, Barack Obama recently wrote a statement addressed to Americans with disabilities, which summarizes his intended plans and policies related to increasing the employment rate among those with disabilities:



It's a pleasure for me to join you in celebrating National Disability Employment Awareness Month. Americans with disabilities are an essential and underutilized part of our workforce. As President, I will work hard to help you achieve full equality—in the workplace, in education, and in all aspects of life.

I don't have to tell you the dismal statistics—an employment rate 40 points below that of working-age individuals without disabilities and a federal failure to meet the disability employment targets of Executive Order 13173.

This must change—and I know that it can. Because I know that we can change it. One of the most important measures of any society is how well it enables each person to live up to his or her potential. Fairness is important, but providing you with the supports and services so you can succeed goes beyond that—it goes to the heart of our nation's future. Because in an era of intense global competition, we can't afford not to put everyone to work. You shouldn't be locked out of the workplace. Children with disabilities shouldn't be languishing in failing schools that doom them to a life of second class citizenship. Your talents and energies must not go to waste.

America faces great challenges right now and we won't meet them without the help of everyone who can work. It's that simple. That's why it is long past time for us to break down the barriers that still exclude people with disabilities in this country and deprive you of true equality of opportunity and independence.

One of the first places we need change is in the workplace, and the federal government should take the lead. That's why my administration will be a model for other employers in hiring and accommodating employees with disabilities. Before leaving office, President Clinton issued Executive Order No. 13173, which mandated hiring an additional 100,000 federal employees with disabilities within five years. Eight years later, this goal still hasn't been reached. I will reinstate this executive order early in my term as President and designate a senior White House official to assure that all federal departments and agencies do their part to help meet this goal. I will also vigorously enforce the Rehabilitation Act, including Section 503 requiring the federal government and employers who are federal contractors to "take affirmative action to employ and advance in employment qualified individuals with disabilities."

In addition, I will launch an aggressive effort to educate employers about tax benefits designed to encourage them to hire employees with disabilities, such as the Disabled Access Tax Credit, the Tax Deduction for Architectural and Transportation Barrier Removal, and the Work Opportunity Tax Credit. They are underused and our employers can't afford to miss out on these benefits any longer.

These actions will help many adults with disabilities increase their contributions to our society, and I believe we must do even more for the next generation. That's why I will fully fund the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and ensure that it is effectively implemented and enforced.

This is a pivotal election, and it's our time for change. I hope you'll get involved, because I can't do this alone. I need everyone to contact their friends and family to make sure they know about the issues and where the candidates stand. I need everyone who can to make phone calls and knock on doors to get the word out. Together, we can win this election. Together, we can achieve full equality for Americans with disabilities. Together, we can create the changes we seek.

Sincerely,

Barack Obama

Comparing the Presidential Candidates' Views on Autism

The Autism Society of America recently invited the presidential candidates to submit statements about their views on autism and posted those statements on the ASA website. Unfortunately, John McCain's response consists mainly of alarmist rhetoric, ignorant stereotyping, and bogus statistics. Here's an excerpt:


More than one in 150 children born today will be diagnosed with autism. It now affects almost 1.5 million Americans, and costs the U.S. $ 90 billion each year. Autism has a significant impact on families -- bankruptcy and divorce rates of parents of children with autism are well above the national averages. Worse, there is no quantifiable way of determining how many future doctors, lawyers, teachers, or scientists autism has taken from society. Autism is a national crisis and the federal government must respond accordingly.


I've written before about how obnoxious it is when politicians ignore the social and economic contributions of people with disabilities and reduce human lives to costs, so I won't go into detail on that point. Rather, I'll move on to discussing McCain's uncritical acceptance of the totally groundless urban legend about autism destroying families. Susan Senator recently wrote a blog post on that topic—take a look at her comments to find several cites to research studies establishing that families with autistic children do not have higher than average divorce rates. This illustrates McCain's approach to national policy decisions: when there aren't any statistics to support a popular prejudice, just make something up.

And yup, he just gets worse when he goes on to portray autism in medieval changeling terms, as stealing children from society. Those of us who are autistic and are employed in professional careers such as those McCain mentioned, or who have autistic professionals in our families (both, in my case), know how wrong and harmful it is to perpetuate the stereotype that we are incapable of professional employment. Apparently McCain is clueless as usual on this point, though. He clearly never considered what happens in the real world as a result of that prejudice when an autistic teenager wants to enroll in college preparatory classes, or when an autistic freshman tells his university advisor that he is considering a pre-med or pre-law major, or when an autistic student enters her senior year of college with high marks and applies to a graduate program, or when one of us emerges from the comparatively sheltered environment of academia and applies for that first professional job.

Barack Obama, on the other hand, made it clear in his statement on the ASA website that he understands the importance of ending disability discrimination. After a paragraph discussing research and education, Obama wrote:


I also support the adoption of a comprehensive plan designed to provide lifelong supports and resources to Americans with ASD and other disabilities. This plan would ensure that their needs are met by:
· Reclaiming America's global leadership on disability issues by becoming a signatory to—and having the Senate ratify—the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities;
· Providing Americans with disabilities with the educational opportunities they need to succeed.
· Ending discrimination and promoting equal opportunity
· Increasing the employment rate of workers with disabilities, and
· Supporting independent, community-based living for Americans with disabilities.


Now that's a lot more like it.

Why Students with Disabilities Are Supporting Obama

In an online petition called ADA Generation for Obama, students are declaring their support for Barack Obama's presidential candidacy and explaining why, based on his policy positions and his strong advocacy for civil rights, he is the best choice for students with disabilities. They also explain why it is important for the younger generation to get involved:


We are the leaders of the disability community. Some call us "future leaders" or "emerging leaders" and I am here to tell you that the future is going to pass us by if we keep waiting to have our voices heard and waiting to lead. It's time to declare your support for our candidate, and sign on to this letter supporting Barack Obama!

The election is just around the corner and we need to have an impact. It's time that we select a leader for our generation. This is not our parents' generation of disability leadership; it's not even the generation of the many special education teachers who segregate us physically with their separate classes and emotionally with their low expectations. This is the ADA Generation. We are the first generation to grow up with the right to inclusion and with our civil rights protected by the ADA, IDEA, and Section 504. And it's time we fight for the protection of those rights. We need to get out and make a difference.


The petition goes on to discuss the problems facing students with disabilities in today's society and how Obama's policy initiatives, if he is elected, will provide meaningful steps toward solving these problems:


Problem: Students with disabilities are more likely to live in poverty so college may not be a financial option.

Solution: Make College More Affordable: If elected, Obama will help make college more affordable and accessible by creating a new American Opportunity Tax Credit. This universal and fully refundable credit will ensure that the first $4,000 of a college education is completely free for most Americans, and will cover two thirds of the cost of tuition at the average public college or university.

Problem: Students with disabilities are twice as likely to drop out of school, and half as likely to go to college as their peers.

Solution: Authorize a Comprehensive Study of Students with Disabilities and Transition to Work and Higher Education. If elected, Obama will initiate a study to look at what is preventing students with disabilities from going to and graduating from college, what is keeping students with disabilities from getting a job after graduation, how are students with disabilities accessing loans and grants, why are they dropping out from high school and college, and what are strategies and best practices that can be used to turn this around!

Problem: The Supreme Court is hacking away at the definition of what it means to have a disability.

Solution: Restoring the Americans with Disabilities Act: Obama has made being an advocate his life. The Supreme Court is cutting away at the definition of what it means to be a person with a disability. Because of this, the Supreme Court says if you have epilepsy, diabetes, heart disease, or even cancer, that you don't have a disability and can be fired BECAUSE you have any of those conditions. Obama strongly supports Senator Tom Harkin's (D-IA) ADA Restoration Act, which would overturn the Supreme Court decisions that limit the ADA's coverage and effectiveness and will sign it into law as president.

There's much more in this petition than the excerpts I've quoted above. If you are interested in learning more about the substance of Barack Obama's policy proposals and how students with disabilities would benefit from them, I urge you to go and read, and then sign, the petition!

Rumpelstretchspin

Once upon a time, in a mythical kingdom by the sea, there lived a humble and downtrodden people suffering under the evil rule of King George the Second, a corrupt and bloodthirsty tyrant who was always starting wars and oppressing his peasants.

The tyrant knew that his days were numbered, however, because an enchanted apple tree grew in the center of the kingdom. It was guarded by fairies, and no mortals could pick the magical apples. Legend had it that if a person were to bring a crowd of followers to the enchanted tree and inspire the crowd to shout for justice, the fairies would pick some apples and give them to him or her; and when a person got enough apples, he or she would become the next ruler. Although King George had tried several times to burn the tree or chop it down, he had never been able to do so.

A tall, dark, and handsome knight rode into the country one day. Before long, the people were flocking to him to listen to his words of hope and inspiration. "Go to the enchanted apple tree and save us from the tyrant," the people urged him.

But a wicked witch called Rumpelstretchspin already was planning to try to become the next ruler. She got her name from her rumpled ethics and her extraordinary talent for stretching and spinning the truth at every opportunity. She had no idea what hope or justice meant, but she was a pretty good rabble-rouser, and she thought that she might be able to get some of the magical apples if her followers yelled enough.

So both Rumpelstretchspin and the handsome knight went to the enchanted apple tree. The knight's followers spoke of his goodness and beseeched the fairies to give the magical apples to the knight and make him the next ruler. The fairies were greatly moved by the knight's capacity to inspire his followers, and they gave him a huge pile of apples. It seemed impossible that Rumpelstretchspin could get as many, but she was undaunted. She told her followers all sorts of ugly lies about the knight, until they were screaming furiously. The fairies pelted her crowd with rotten apples to shut them up.

Rumpelstretchspin greedily gathered up her rotten apples, declaring that it was her destiny to become the next ruler! There was just one problem, though. The knight's pile of apples was still much larger. What could she do? She thought about it for a moment and decided to stretch and spin some weeds into the shape of apples. Perhaps the spirits of the enchanted tree would pick her as the next ruler before anyone noticed the difference.

Before long, Rumpelstretchspin had a big shiny pile of something that looked like apples, and the people were all muttering about the great loss that the knight had suffered. However, she got too gleeful about her scheme and cackled a bit too loudly, and all of her weed-apples blew away on the wind from her noxious breath. The enchanted tree then made both King George and Rumpelstretchspin disappear, and the people lived happily ever after, guided by the knight's great wisdom.


Edit, March 6: Once again, the Clinton campaign has been caught in another dirty trick, as reported by MSNBC.com.

Crabs in a Barrel

I was reading a discussion on a listserv where the people were bashing various presidential candidates. Of course, that's not at all unusual around this time in a presidential election year; but I noticed one rant that argued Obama should not be taken seriously because he was like "Superman… wearing his armor suit of ethnicity."

Probably your first thought was that the author of that rant must have been a bigoted, cranky white guy. But I'm familiar with the guy, and in fact he is not white, and he has a history of being a very outspoken advocate of civil rights. So I was disappointed to see that attitude from him. Disappointed, but not surprised. That sort of thinking has been so common in the African-American community over the years that it has a name: Crabs in a barrel. That name comes from a fable that goes something like this:


A bunch of crabs were sitting in a barrel at a seafood restaurant, waiting to be cooked. One of them said to the others, "Hey, you know what, if we all climb to the top and push on the lid, it'll come off and then we can escape."

The other crabs all laughed. They knew it was impossible to escape. What could this foolish dreamer be thinking? It was nonsense. Couldn't be done. Not even worth trying.

After a few minutes, when it was clear he wouldn't be getting any help, the one hopeful crab climbed up and started pushing on the lid alone. The other crabs just laughed harder, until they heard a faint creaking noise and realized that the lid was starting to shift a little. Then they all got angry. How dare one crab try to escape by himself? He was just another crab, and he needed to be shown that he was no better than the rest of them.

So they grabbed the crab who had been trying to escape and dragged him back down to the bottom of the barrel. They all got cooked and eaten soon afterward, but at least they had the satisfaction of knowing that no other crab was able to achieve more than they had.


Of course, I don't mean to suggest that this kind of self-destructive envy is in any way unique to the politics of the African-American community. It's not. Just about every disadvantaged minority group has some version of it. I see it in the autistic community, too, with all the carping about "shiny aspies." Some people seem to think that if a talented, well-educated autistic professional accomplishes something worthwhile, it shouldn't even be mentioned because it might give the wrong impression. Just who does this shiny aspie think he is, anyway? He's just another crab.

Granted, there are a few high achievers in the autistic community (just as in any disadvantaged minority group) who try to distance themselves from the group by claiming to be much more intelligent and capable. That false claim does need to be challenged, in the strongest terms; but when some in our community mock high achievers generally, for no other reason than the fact of their accomplishments, that's wrong. It's just ugly, corrosive envy, and it is harmful to the community as a whole.

Former Clinton Officials Endorse Obama

Several former Clinton Administration officials who worked on disability policy issues endorsed Barack Obama and issued an open letter on Wednesday discussing Senator Obama's deep understanding of the barriers and discrimination faced by people with disabilities and his plan to create change and empowerment.

They are asking readers who agree that Barack Obama is the best candidate on disability issues to pass this open letter on to others. Please feel free to copy and post it elsewhere.


FORMER CLINTON ADMINISTRATION OFFICIALS ENDORSE BARACK OBAMA

“Barack Obama is the disability community’s best choice for change.”

February 6, 2008

Dear Friends:

We were privileged to work for President Bill Clinton in senior appointed positions related to disability policy and programs. We are proud of the progress made during the 1990s on behalf of the disability community and all Americans.

Yet, in 2008, we believe that Barack Obama is the disability community’s best choice for change. We support Barack Obama for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States. We urge you to join us in voting or caucusing for Barack Obama.

Every day, people with disabilities face unimaginable barriers and blatant prejudice that most Americans never encounter. As a result, people with disabilities are employed at a much lower rate than other Americans. They have a higher poverty rate and a lower home ownership rate. Students with disabilities are less likely to earn a high school diploma and even less likely to get a four-year college degree. The number of people with disabilities who depend on Social Security Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income is rising while fewer and fewer are able to live independently and support themselves.

These challenges did not arise for the first time when George W. Bush entered the White House. The problems are stubborn and long-lasting. Certainly, the empty rhetoric and lackluster policies of the past seven years have made a difficult road more difficult for Americans with disabilities. We believe change --- dramatic change --- is necessary and possible. We deeply believe that Barack Obama is the best candidate to lead our nation and to help us change our world.

Barack Obama’s goal is our goal --- a world free of barriers, stereotypes, and discrimination. He has proposed a Plan to Empower Americans with Disabilities that sets the right agenda for achieving that goal. We urge you to read his Plan by going to www.BarackObama.com, clicking on the “Issues” tab, and then clicking on “Disabilities,” or going directly to http://www.BarackObama.com/issues/disabilities. Even more important than the specific details of the plan is the fact that he has a plan. He has focus.

Barack Obama’s understanding of the hopes and dreams of Americans with disabilities and their families, and his knowledge of the barriers they face, run deep. He knows what it means to be denied health insurance because of one’s pre-existing condition: his own mother worried about whether her new health insurance policy would deny her coverage as she lay dying from cancer. He learned about the every-day barriers people with disabilities face from his father-in-law, Frasier Robinson, who lived with multiple sclerosis. From his wife Michelle, he learned what families must overcome when supporting a loved one with a disability. Barack Obama has faced down and helped others topple bigotry all of his life. As a community organizer, a civil rights attorney, a state legislator, and a U.S. Senator, he has constantly reached beyond what divides us to forge a working majority for hope. He believes our nation’s best days lay ahead of us --- not behind us. He helps us believe in the most powerful American dream --- that together we can build a more just and perfect union, that together we can change the world. For Americans with disabilities, this is the kind of leader we need. Barack Obama has the experience we must have in the next President of the United States of America.

As President, he will bring us together --- all of us --- to build a society in which every person can feel that they belong, each person can achieve to the limits of his or her abilities, and all people can make a difference. We hope you will join us in supporting Barack Obama for President of the United States. Thank you very much.

Sincerely yours,

Seth Harris, Former Counselor to the U.S. Secretary of Labor, and Former Acting Assistant Secretary of Labor for Policy

Paul Steven Miller, Former Commissioner, U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and Former White House Liaison to the Disability Community

Sue Swenson, Former Commissioner, Administration on Developmental Disabilities, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services

Robert R. Williams, Former Deputy Assistant Secretary, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services

More Bogus Autism Promises from Hillary Clinton

Hillary Clinton is up to her old tricks, shamelessly making conflicting promises to all of the cure groups, while ignoring the views of autistic people entirely. While campaigning in Iowa on Saturday, she characterized autism as an environmentally caused health crisis:


"I believe there are environmental triggers," she said.

Clinton said people are exposed to thousands of chemicals. "They are in the carpets. They are in the paints. They are in the clothes we wear," she said.


If you've been wondering what sort of political experience the second-term junior Senator from New York has been touting when she goes around claiming to have 35 years of experience, well, I'll have to admit that her skills at equivocation and triangulation are right up there with the best of Washington's career liars. It's not easy to pander to the biomed crowd and the behaviorists at the same time, while also sucking up to Autism Speaks and advocating eugenic "prevention," but she manages it:


Clinton’s plan would include a task force, that would include people from the autism community, that would be charged with identifying gaps in evidence-based biomedical research, behavioral treatments, and services for children and adults with autism.


It's all too obvious that her idea of "people from the autism community" does not include any actual autistic people. Looks like she still hasn't noticed that there are over one million autistic Americans who are of voting age. Or perhaps she thinks that we have so little money and influence that we can be ignored, marginalized, and eugenically exterminated without any political cost to her.

To contrast Hillary's smarmy pandering with the principled views of Barack Obama, who cares deeply about the civil rights of minority groups, take a look at these comments posted by Kassiane on the Autism Vox blog:


...Obama listened in the summer of 2004 when a pigtailed dripping wet kid who’d been in an outdoor fountain (designed for the purpose) nearly tackled him at an Event to talk about autism, just before voting in her first big election...

Before then he said he hadn’t heard anything about autistic adults except the inaccurate bits in college & in the awareness campaigns. And in 2004 Obama said he would respect all diversity, that the idea that differences in brain wiring are valid ways of being made sense…


Respecting diversity may not get as much media attention as making phony promises to combat a staged epidemic of mass hysteria, but it certainly shows which candidate would best represent America's autistic citizens.

The Starkest of Choices

'Tis the season for doing our civic duty as Americans—that is, buying Christmas gifts to keep our relatives happy and the economy afloat, while getting ready to vote in the primary election. I know I'm not the only one who dreads going into overcrowded shopping malls with loudspeakers blaring "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" for the umpteenth time. But fortunately, in this age of convenient websites, we can do all of our holiday shopping from the comfort of our desk chairs.

Voting is also quick and easy in the Internet era. Some folks haven't registered because they mistakenly believe that it might be too hard or a nuisance. If you are one of them, I have some good news for you: Voter registration forms are available online, and you can also avoid the nuisance of going to the polls by voting absentee (that is, filling in the ballot at home and mailing it in) if you prefer. Like Christmas shopping, though, it has to be done soon; every state has different deadlines for how many days before the election you must register, and those deadlines are fast approaching.

In past years, some of us might have skipped the primary election, thinking that one candidate was as good as another. That is most emphatically not the case in the 2008 election. In the two leading presidential candidates, Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. Hillary Clinton, we are faced with the starkest of choices for the direction of the country and our own personal futures.

Barack Obama, who was a civil rights lawyer and constitutional law professor before he went into politics, understands the struggle of autistic people (and others who are affected by disability prejudice) for recognition of our basic rights as human beings. Hillary Clinton, on the other hand, blatantly pandered to Autism Speaks' bigotry earlier this year by suggesting that it would be desirable to prevent and cure anything along the autism spectrum. Her idea of making health insurance more affordable seems to consist of eugenically "preventing" any group of people who might have higher than average medical costs.

If you prefer a different Democratic candidate, or if you are registered as Independent or Republican, please give some thought to voting for Obama anyway. You can always change your registration back to Independent or Republican after your state's primary is over. And if you're leaning toward another Democrat, well, this is how I see it: Edwards has good intentions, Biden and Dodd are respectable elder statesmen, Richardson is a capable governor, and Kucinich is a man of strong convictions. They're all decent guys—but this is clearly not their year for winning, and we all know what happened in 2000 when a few people in Florida decided to vote for the guy they liked (Ralph Nader) instead of the guy who could actually win the election (Al Gore). Let's not make that mistake this time around!

Getting back to Christmas shopping for a moment, the Obama campaign (which, unlike the Clinton campaign, does not take money from lobbyists) needs to raise funds from individual contributors to compete effectively in the primaries. If, like most of us, you don't have a lot of extra money to give to a political campaign, you can still help the cause by going to the Obama Store to shop for holiday gifts. You can get good quality T-shirts and other merchandise with Obama '08 campaign logos. They make great Christmas presents for Obama supporters, and all proceeds go to the campaign. Buy some for yourself while you're there!

Also, in some states (Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Mississippi, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio, and Virginia) a person who is 17 years old on the date of the primary election, but who will turn 18 by the general election, can vote in the primary. If that's you, or if you have a 17-year-old friend or relative who lives in one of these states, it's time to get registered! You can find more information about your state's specific voter registration requirements and get a registration form online by visiting the voter registration information page on the Project Vote Smart website. It's as easy as a tasty slice of holiday pumpkin pie.

(Edit, Nov. 19: The above list of states where 17-year-olds can vote in the primary may not be complete—thanks Kassiane for pointing that out. To be sure, check with your local election officials to determine if your state is one where 17-year-olds can vote.)

This Is Not Who We Are

I recently had the privilege of attending an event where I was able to see, in person, the next President of the United States (if we have the good sense to elect him), Barack Obama. In discussing why we all need to get motivated to take back our country and restore our national values, Senator Obama spoke about the disregard for human rights shown by a government that sees nothing wrong with torture. This is not what America stands for, he said. This is not who we are.

Although he was talking about the mistreatment of terror suspects by the Bush administration, those words are equally applicable to the Judge Rotenberg Center, a Massachusetts institution that routinely uses electric shock on children with developmental disabilities. There have been several administrative and legislative attempts to put an end to this heinous abuse of our society's most vulnerable children, but so far, the place is still in business.

Many bloggers and human rights groups have asked why the State of Massachusetts can't shut down the Judge Rotenberg Center. It's for the same reason, as I see it, why the people of America haven't yet shut down Guantanamo Bay—too much apathy among the voters and too little insistence on demanding accountability from our elected officials. We lack full awareness of our personal power as citizens of a democratic nation to force our government to conduct itself in a decent manner. People talk to each other about such things and say, this is terrible, or that is awful; but then we just sit back and wait for someone else to deal with it.

Ultimately, it is our responsibility as citizens and as human beings to ensure that those who represent us in government will never commit, or allow others to commit, human rights abuses. If you live in Massachusetts, contact your state legislators and ask them if, like Barack Obama and Gov. Deval Patrick, they are ready to turn the page on this shameful era in American history and to take an unequivocal stand against government-sanctioned torture under any circumstances. Ask them if they will firmly commit themselves to enacting legislation to outlaw the use of electric shock and other abusive behavior modification practices.

If the answer is anything other than yes, GET YOUR BUTT TO THE POLLS AND VOTE THEM OUT! There is no excuse for politicians authorizing the torture of children with developmental disabilities. None. Zero. Ever. And there is no excuse for voters being so apathetic as to let them stay in office when they do.

This is not who we are.

Muppets for Obama

For a change of pace, today's post is a cartoon contributed by a politically aware autistic kid who is quite talented with graphics, adores Jim Henson and the Muppets, and is very enthusiastic about Barack Obama's efforts to bring about a truly democratic society where everyone's contributions are valued.





It's been many years since I last watched the Muppets, but I was still giggling! I hope y'all enjoyed this cartoon as much as I did!

Barack Obama Hears a Who

Finally, at last! From that speck on that clover
Their voices were heard! They rang out clear and clean.
And the elephant smiled. "Do you see what I mean?
They’ve proved they ARE persons, no matter how small.

Dr. Seuss, Horton Hears a Who


About four months ago, I wrote a post endorsing Barack Obama for president. At that point, his campaign hadn't made any statements about autism; I based my judgment on Senator Obama's overall appreciation of human diversity and his willingness to enter into dialogue with people from different cultures in general.

When I looked at the barackobama.com website again in July, I found that a brief discussion of autism had been added to the healthcare issues page, Creating a Healthcare System that Works. On that page, the Obama campaign advocated improving autism research, declared that we should increase funding for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and stated that "the government and our communities should work together to provide a helping hand..."

Although most people (myself included) would agree that these are good policy ideas, I also found, to my dismay, that the page contained some unfortunate language of the "epidemic" variety. After I talked it over with another pro-neurodiversity Obama supporter who was similarly concerned, we decided to contact the Obama campaign and ask that the language be edited to show more respect for autistic citizens.

We sent an e-mail to a state campaign leader describing our concerns and why we felt the language was offensive. In response, he sent us a personal reply promising, "I will reach out on your behalf about the offensive paragraph," and further describing Senator Obama's views on disability rights as follows: "You are right that in his heart and philosophy, he believes all people not only have the right to be engaged but we need them for democracy to flourish."

Shortly thereafter, we checked the campaign's healthcare issues page again, and we found that the word "epidemic" had been removed. In addition, "disorder" had been changed to "condition," a reference to "Americans affected by autism" had been revised to "Americans with autism," and several other changes that we requested had been made.

Is the Obama campaign's discussion of autism, as it now stands, an unequivocal endorsement of neurodiversity? No. The page gives a bit of a nod to the mercury crowd, in that the preceding paragraph is a promise to reduce mercury pollution in the environment. "As diagnostic criteria broaden and awareness increases, more cases of autism have been recognized across the country," the website states, reflecting the view that actual autism prevalence has not changed; however, it also characterizes autism as "a profound mystery" in need of more research into "root causes."

All in all, though, the page shows the careful choice of words that might be expected from a political campaign seeking to find the common ground on a controversial issue. And that in itself—the recognition by a major national political campaign that many different perspectives on autism exist—is a major step forward for the neurodiversity movement.

Now it's time for neurodiversity supporters to get more involved—to take this change of momentum and run with it! The Obama campaign has shown that it is willing to listen to the concerns of the autistic population; it's our job to keep those concerns in full view by getting large numbers of autistic volunteers actively working on the campaign in all parts of the country. Our first priority should be getting every autistic adult registered to vote (in some states, 17-year-olds who will be 18 by the date of the general election are allowed to vote in the primary election; we need to get these teens registered too).

As the old adage goes, "the squeaky wheel gets the grease." The curebies have been getting a disproportionate share of attention in the political arena just because they have made more noise. Let's get busy and outsqueak 'em!

Barack Obama: Campaign of Hope

Before now, I didn't have much to say about political campaigns. I'll admit it, I was cynical. I figured politicians were just a bunch of sleazy and ignorant crooks who didn't care about the best interests of anyone but themselves and the lobbyists who bankrolled their campaigns.

Where does a bad attitude like that, multiplied by millions of similarly disaffected citizens, leave us?

There's a speech Barack Obama sometimes gives when he's campaigning. First he talks about all the things we need to do in the United States, but can't do because we're bogged down in Iraq. He goes on to ask how we got into this situation. Someone always yells "George Bush!" After a moment he goes on to say, no, it's not just George Bush, it's all the cynicism and apathy and low expectations surrounding today's politics. We're the ones who got ourselves into this mess.

And that's exactly right. As long as we expect our politicians to be crooks and ignoramuses, that's just what we're going to get. If we want leaders who have integrity and who regard public service as a sacred trust, then we're going to have to treat the political process with more respect and put much more thought and effort into it.

Before he got involved in politics, Barack Obama was a professor teaching constitutional law. His bestselling book has a chapter about the hope and promise of the Constitution. How cool is that? (OK, I'm a geek, but I find it very refreshing to discover a politician who genuinely understands the importance of the rule of law in shaping the development of a society.)

In our turbulent multicultural world, we need leaders who recognize that human diversity has many facets and dimensions. I'm not referring to Obama's race or color here, but to his experiences living in different parts of the world and interacting with people from a wide variety of social and cultural backgrounds. If any of our presidential candidates has the cross-cultural savvy to sort out the mess in the Middle East, it is Obama. If any of our presidential candidates is capable of seeing through the "autism awareness" propaganda and realizing that autistic citizens are human beings who deserve equal rights, it is Obama.

His campaign website includes group pages where supporters with various interests write about why they support his campaign. One such group is made up of parents with autistic children who seek to bring about positive changes in our society's attitudes toward neurological differences. On that page, a mother wrote:


Our fellow Americans with developmental disabilities are still the unseen and the unheard. The discomfort and unappreciation of their value, their gifts and their equal rights is a reality that must change. Recognition and response to participate and be part of this change with Senator Obama is critical for us - both in the most basic necessities of quality of life, healthcare, education, jobs and housing, but equally that we have a place in the America he sees as possible. That we all do matter and if you have a developmental disability you are just as much an American as all of us...


What a breath of fresh air.