Note For Anyone Writing About Me

Guide to Writing About Me

I am an Autistic person,not a person with autism. I am also not Aspergers. The diagnosis isn't even in the DSM anymore, and yes, I agree with the consolidation of all autistic spectrum stuff under one umbrella. I have other issues with the DSM.

I don't like Autism Speaks. I'm Disabled, not differently abled, and I am an Autistic activist. Self-advocate is true, but incomplete.

Citing My Posts

MLA: Zisk, Alyssa Hillary. "Post Title." Yes, That Too. Day Month Year of post. Web. Day Month Year of retrieval.

APA: Zisk, A. H. (Year Month Day of post.) Post Title. [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://yesthattoo.blogspot.com/post-specific-URL.

Saturday, March 2, 2013

Autistic People Are Refusing To Be Erased From Their Own Activism, Autism Speaks

Autistic people are the ones who raised the fuss.
Google responded to our voices. You tip your hat to them, but do not mention us or our voices?
We will not be erased.
Autistic people are the ones who made this happen.
Autistic people are the ones who made the calls, who wrote the blogs.
Autistic people are the ones who compiled the blogs.
Autistic people are the ones who wrote the press release, who spoke to the reporter.
Autistic people are the makers of this change.
Autistic people.
It didn't just happen.
Tip your hats to Google, sure, but also to the ones who told Google so.
Tip your hats to those who kept at it when Google said it was unfortunate, but that nothing will be done.
We are here.
We will not be erased.
Autistic people are speaking.
Autism Speaks, will you listen?
Autistic people are demanding an apology.
Autistic people are demanding the credit they are due.
Autistic people are refusing your erasure from our own activism.
Autistic people are speaking.
Autism Speaks, will you listen?
Or will we have to remind the world?
Autistic people are not represented by Autism Speaks.
Autistic people are represented by ourselves.

12 comments:

  1. Pardon me, what is the talk about Google and autism?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ... really?
      You work with Autism Speaks. Read their article, then the one they linked. Tell them to get themselves together and credit the people who made the change happen, and tell them to apologize. Just as publicly as they erased Autistic people from our own activism, if not more so.

      Delete
    2. The talk actually isn't about Google. It's about Autism Speaks.

      What would have been great as their representative is for you to be able to say, you know what, AS didn't give you credit, and for that I apologize. Let's fix that right now. It takes nothing away from you or AS to do that. Otherwise, it just looks like AS is ignoring autistic people and their efforts to help other autistic people and families. Why would they want that?

      Delete
  2. Their search engine would automatically fill the blanks with die among other terrible things when you type the words "autistic people should..."

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  3. Their search engine would automatically fill the blanks with die among other terrible things when you type the words "autistic people should..."

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  4. If any one person deserves credit, you do.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Scores of people stepped up on this one. And none of them were employees of Autism Speaks or Google. Many, many Autistic people deserve credit.

      Delete
    2. I deserve *some* credit- I did blog, after all! ALL the bloggers, all the signal boosters, unstrangemind for talking to a reporter and writing a press release, all need credit.

      Delete
    3. I hadn't heard about unstrangemind talking to a reporter. Impressive. You're right that we all deserve credit here. It was pretty awesome of us. I just feel that it was more impressive to come up with the idea and declare that this was going to happen, without knowing that anyone would contribute and without knowing whether it would be successful, than it was to write a couple of articles for someone else's event. I had a lot less invested in this than you did.

      (This reminds me that my APA post never ended up on the postroll for that event.)

      Delete
  5. What about if we give Autism $peaks credit where credit is do? They have been pushing to get Autistic people seen as killers since 2007. This is the first time there was evidence, and what luck, Adam happened to have his brothers ID on him so the media actually had evidence of his Autism, instead of just making it up like they have in the past. Not only that but the media released stories to make it appear as if Adam had a motive. They localized the tragedy and used it to raise huge amounts of money. There was even a supper bowl performance by the Sandy Hook Choir. Let us give credit to GE's media supper-powers Bob Write and Peter Lanza. They are making Autism a household word and not in a good way.
    Lets take back our right to define ourselves!!! Alyssa thank you for righting this.

    ReplyDelete
  6. And, as far as I know, Autism $peaks didn't mourn for the two autistic kids who were victims of the attack, who died in the arms of their favorite teacher.

    ReplyDelete
  7. http://spectrumviews.blogspot.com/2013/03/autism-speaks-i-want-to-say-flash-blog.html

    ReplyDelete

I reserve the right to delete comments for personal attacks, derailing, dangerous comparisons, bigotry, and generally not wanting my blog to be a platform for certain things.