Why I Don't Like Autism Speaks

Autism Speaks, but I don't think they listen

I'm going to put some opinions out there to the best of my ability, because I get angry every time I think about it all, so it's not easy. I'm also not going to link to any doom and gloom sources (why would I want to give them more traffic?) so if you really want to know more, you'll have to Google it yourself. (The links in my text all go to posts on MY site with MY opinions)

I'm concentrating on what I know of Autism Speaks Canada, since I'm Canadian, but most of it applies to Autism Speaks, which originates in the US.

My issues:

• I've talked about my issues with the puzzle piece logo a bit in this post. The puzzle piece logo that has become so famous was created by Autism Speaks. 

• No one on their board of directors is Autistic. Not one. Does that make sense to you?

• They create/sponsor ads equating Autism to a disease like AIDS or cancer, only worse.

• They sponsor movies like, Autism Every Day, where mothers complain about how hard their lives are, how their hearts are breaking every day and how they'd love to commit a murder-suicide by driving off a bridge with their Autistic child.

• They spend most of their money researching "cures" rather than supporting families. You can go ahead and see their financial reports for yourself on their websites. 

• They are fighting more for Awareness rather than Acceptance. There's a big difference between the two. 

I could go on, but I think that's a pretty good start. They do not get my support or money. They do not represent me, my family experience or my ideals.

Autism Speaks, but most certainly not for me.