Dear JetBlue your Partnership with Autisticm Speaks will hurt Autistics

 Dear JetBlue

                Hello,  I am a non speaking Autistic adult. I recently became aware of your partnership with Autism Speaks.. I am very glad to hear your organization is interested in supporting those of us living with Autism.  It means a lot to me as an Autistic adult. That is why I am writing you to make you aware that Autism speaks is an organization that not only is hated by  the majority of people they claim to speak for but also hurts the autistic community. There are many issues with Autism speaks which have lead to a large scale boycott of their organization.  Autism speaks excludes autistics from their borders. One of the major stances in the disability rights movement was nothing about us without us," this is something autism speaks is in direct violation of a Currently Autism speaks has not one Autistic person on any of their important board or position of power within their organization. Another major issue is how they promote and spread their awareness. Autism speaks has continually used negative propaganda and fear to promote their awareness this directly hurts the autism community as it not only promotes harmful stigmas against those of us with Autism but it also dehumanizes those of us living with autism. They paint Autistic individuals as a burden  and a drain on our families. A recent example of this was Susan writes call to action when she addressed congress  on Autism. She painted Autistic lives as a tragedy and told congress our families aren't really living.  they were eating and breathing but not living.

                This sort of rhetoric s not only offensive not only to autistics but to our families. She goes on to suggest we will grow up to be burdens on society and will always be dependent and incapable of obtaining any real meaningful independence or future. This is incorrect and extremely harmful on many levels. With the proper supports and services a large number of individuals on all ended of the spectrum have managed to go to school, work and even some got married and had kids of their own! Additionally This serves to shame and dehumanize those of us who may never be able to be independent and overlooks our value as people. This also puts the lives and safety of autistics in danger! By painting us as a burdeN that will drain the economy and ruin our families autism speaks tells the world that we are less then human, by demonizing autism they demonize autistics, this not only creates fear of us but it also makes it easier for people to deny us our basic human rights and even harm us with little to no consequences!  When a group of people are viewed as less it becomes easier for society to overlook them. People have historically done a great many horrible things to each other because they saw one another as less! Their propaganda plays to pity spreads stigma and creates fear. in the word of Evan J. Kemp Jr. "Playing to pity may raise money, but it also raises walls of fear between the public and us.," and to quote  Drew Morton Goldsmith in his documentary No pity " No one's desire for a cure can ever justify reinforcing a stigma against disabled people.

          Autistics and our families have tried to reach out to autism speaks  many times in the past, telling them their awareness methods were harmful and stigmatizing however Autism speaks did not listen. To this day Autism speaks continues to shut out and ignore the voices of individuals who speak out against them.. Often dismissing an autistic person as to mild or a parent as having mild children and thus "not being the people they want to speak for," However even people with severe autism like Amy Sequenzia are speaking out against autism speak. Another major issue with Autism speaks is that only3-4 percent of the donations they receives actually go towards services and supports for Autistic individuals and our families. This means they are actually taking valuable much needed funding out of the community. funding that could be going to organizations that actually provide services to individuals and our families! This is a huge issue where there currently just aren't enough services and supports available to us and our families and those that are available are very expensive. Donating money to organizations that provides services help them provide services to more families  and helps provide the funding for these much needed services!   The ironic part of all of this Autism speaks recently released a documentary called "sounding the alarm battling the Autism epidemic" in which they spent a lot of time talking about the lack of services  However autism speaks only spend3-5 percent of all their donations on services and supports for Autistics and our families!

                Autism Speaks is the only charity I know of that is  so heavily resented by the people they claim to speak for and represent. In fact there are several individuals who strongly consider autism speaks to be a hate group/\. They may be the first charity ever (or at the very least in recent years) to be considered a hate group by people they claim to represent!

Here is a joint letter to all cooperate sponsors of Autism speaks explaining in detail more of the issues requiring Autism speaks. Please do read this http://autisticadvocacy.org/2014/01/2013-joint-letter-to-the-sponsors-of-autism-speaks.

        I regret to inform you due to your partnership with Autism speak, an organization that hurts Autistics though their continued spreading of stigma, creating and spreading of fear of Autism while simultaneously  shutting out and silencing the very people they claim to speak for. I can no longer use you airline and I will be telling all my family and friends to choose other airlines for as long as you continue a partnership with Autism speaks.

          I am very glad and excited that you wish to show your support for people with Autism (Autistics) and our families! this really means a lot to me . so please consider partnering with other Autism organizations that provide services and work every day to improve the lives of Autistics and our families I hope you will choose to listen to the voices  of the Autistic Community, our families and supports by families and no longer  partnering with Autism speaks.

                                 -AutismDogGirl

here are some great Organizations that help autistics and our families! 

Autistic Self Advocacy Network

http://autisticadvocacy.org/

Autism Society of America

http://autisticadvocacy.org/

Autism Women's Network

http://autismwomensnetwork.org/

Easter seals

http://autismwomensnetwork.org/

Doug Flutie Foundation

http://www.flutiefoundation.org/

                                                Thank you for your time

                                                                -AutismDogGirl

More links

No pity

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3DwCn6VeZY

boycott autism speaks

www.boycottautismspeaks.com

is autism speaks a hate group?

http://autismwomensnetwork.org/is-autism-speaks-a-hate-group/