Autism Speaks controversy
Autism Speaks is one of the most well-known autism-related charities. It has historically been criticized by autistic advocates for what they see as unethical, exploitative, and oppressive practices. Autism Speaks has recently made changes to its mission statement and is reportedly changing the direction of its research from "curing" autism to ensuring a better quality of life for autistic people; these reports have met with mixed reception from the autistic community.
Autism Speaks home page
Statements and other information published by the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network regarding Autism Speaks
"I resign my roles at Autism Speaks" - 2013 blog post from John Elder Robison, autistic self-advocate and former Autism Speaks board member
Why I don't support Autism Speaks - 2013 blog post by a mother of two autistic children, with sources
Is Autism Speaks a Hate Group? - 2014 article from Autism Women's Network, with sources
“Autism Speaks”- but Should Everyone Listen? - 2014 article from The Daily Beast
Fix the charity that wants to 'fix' autism - 2015 article from Al Jazeera America
Autistic People Spark Twitter Fight Against Autism Speaks - 2015 article from Buzzfeed
Stephen Shore talks about his appointment to the Autism Speaks board of directors - 2015 article from The Art of Autism. Stephen Shore is one of two autistic people recently appointed to the Autism Speaks board of directors, and here he describes Autism Speaks as being in a "time of transition."
Autism Speaks No Longer Seeking "Cure" - 2016 article from Disability Scoop
Autism Speaks Revamps Its Mission Statement - 2016 article from The Art of Autism
#ActuallyAutistic People React to Autism Speaks' “Change” in Mission Statement - 2016 article from boycottautismspeaks.com
Autism Speaks changes mission - no longer seeking cure - 2016 blog post from Anonymously Autistic, expressing ambivalent feelings toward Autism Speaks
Why Autism Speaks Dropped The Word "Cure" From Its Mission Statement - 2016 Huffington Post article
Autistic people discuss Autism Speaks' organizational changes on the WrongPlanet forums
Autism Speaks *still* does not speak for me - 2017 blog post from The Caffeinated Autistic, with sources
Facilitated Communication controversy
Facilitated Communication (FC) is a method of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) that involves the presence of a facilitator giving physical, communication, and emotional support to a nonspeaking person, enabling them to communicate using a keyboard or letter board. Facilitated communication is controversial because it is easy for a facilitator to exert undue influence over the communicated message. However, some nonspeaking autistic people who have since learned to use other forms of AAC without facilitation report that FC was instrumental in helping them learn to communicate independently.
Statements by organizations that support FC research and practice
Facilitated Communication Training Statement by the Institute on Communication and Inclusion at Syracuse University
Statements on FC by disability organizations
TASH Statement on Facilitated Communication
Facilitated Communication Technical Report by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
Peer reviewed articles on FC
Facilitated Communication and authorship: A systematic review - 2014 article published in the journal Augmentative and Alternative Communication
Perspectives on FC from autistic advocates and their family members
Respect How I Choose to Speak by Amy Sequenzia
Bigots by Amy Sequenzia
Non-Speaking People Who Type by Ariane Zurcher
I Was a Self-Loathing FC Skeptic by Ibby Grace
My Standing Position on Facilitated Communication by Kerima Çevik
Someone Asked Me About Facilitated Communication by Mel Baggs
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