Aspies For Freedom: The Autism Rights Movement

THE AUTISM RIGHTS MOVEMENT

The Autism rights movement (which has also been called autistic self-advocacy movement and autistic liberation movement) was started by adult autistic individuals in order to advocate and demand tolerance for what they refer to as neurodiversity. The movement is supported by some neurotypicals including parents of autistic children. The movement is controversial and has been criticized by some parents of autistic children who disagree with its anti-cure and pro-neurodiversity views. Autism as just a different way of being

The basis of the movement is the view that Autism is not a disorder but simply a different way of being. They believe a cure for Autism would destroy the original personality of the autistic

The term "Aspies" refers to high-functioning autistics, or those with Asperger's Syndrome. The aim of Aspies For Freedom (AFF) is to educate the public that Autism is not always a disability, and that there are advantages as well as disadvantages. The group also campaigns against what is sees as abusive forms of therapy, and against the idea of a cure for Autism. The AFF hopes to have autistic people recognized as a minority status

The group also runs an IRC chat network for autistic people on chatAutism.com as online chatting is sometimes seen as essential to some with Autism as a main source of social communication. Offline branches of Aspies For Freedom include groups in Australia and Wales for those who wish to meet in real life. Others in the movement

Organized groups of the movement include: Autism Network International (ANI), which is a self-advocacy organization founded in 1992 run for and by autistic people and which hosts an annual conference called Autreat; and Aspies For Freedom, an activist group founded by Amy and Gareth Nelson in 2004 which started Autistic Pride Day and protested against the Judge Rotenberg Educational Centre. Some smaller regional groups of autistic advocates have also been founded, such as the Asperger Adults of Greater Washington. A number of individuals have played an important role in this movement. Amanda Baggs has written for autistics.org, one of the most well-known anti-cure Autism websites. She was featured in an article on CNN in February,