From ABC Good Morning America, a five-minute segment on a “controversial group hoping to radically change” the way we look at autism. They want society to “celebrate autistic people for their differences.” (With video)

Advocate Ari Ne’eman, 20, (left) is the founder of the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, a non-profit group aimed at advancing autism culture and advocating for diversity. Ne’eman says the group is engaged in a civil rights movement, and says he wouldn’t change his autism diagnosis if he could.

“Where does disability come from?” Ne’eman asks. “It comes in many respects from a society that doesn’t provide for an education system that meets our needs, and a society that is largely intolerant.”

Some experts say Ne’eman and his group may not be representative of a broad swath of people with autism. Diane Sawyer appears skeptical of Ne’eman’s message. “You keep wondering .. is it in some way a beautiful way of justifying heartbreak,” she says.

At last count, the segment had drawn more than 300 comments.

Related post here.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 10th, 2008 at 8:02 pm and is filed under NOT2BEMISSED, advocacy, autism, civil rights, discrimination, general news. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.  Email This Post