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wittgenstein
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03 Nov 2014, 8:58 pm

Are there any? Or is there more prejudice against us than gays, blacks etc? I am not saying that prejudice against blacks and gays is not evil and not still prevalent. I am saying that they at least are represented. True there are NT politicians that at least voice concern for the autistic community* but can't we be allowed to speak for ourselves?
* and thats great!


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PlainsAspie
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03 Nov 2014, 9:45 pm

There was an aspie who ran for a city council in 2008 (I don't think it was a major city either), but I don't think there are any openly diagnosed aspie elected officials.



AspieUtah
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03 Nov 2014, 9:51 pm

Thomas Jefferson is believed to have had Asperger's Syndrome (AS). Others, too. But, I can't name one who is currently in elected office. Of course, if you are including political activists, I would say Alex Plank, Temple Grandin, John Elder Robison and, of course, Ari Ne'eman are all politicians. Good lobbyists are very successful politicians.

After more than 32 years in LGBT and Second Amendment politics, I am working with our local LGBT magazine to disclose my AS in January. I guess we will see if doing so will matter to anyone or just get ignored.


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Diagnosed in 2015 with ASD Level 1 by the University of Utah Health Care Autism Spectrum Disorder Clinic using the ADOS-2 Module 4 assessment instrument [11/30] -- Screened in 2014 with ASD by using the University of Cambridge Autism Research Centre AQ (Adult) [43/50]; EQ-60 for adults [11/80]; FQ [43/135]; SQ (Adult) [130/150] self-reported screening inventories -- Assessed since 1978 with an estimated IQ [≈145] by several clinicians -- Contact on WrongPlanet.net by private message (PM)


flamingshorts
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04 Nov 2014, 3:51 am

Retired now and not diagnosed while in office. Sort of self diagnosed later.
Deputy Prime Minister of Australia and for a while Acting Prime Minister of Australia.
Always was a bit odd :)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Fischer



wittgenstein
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04 Nov 2014, 7:07 pm

Politics aspie style!
I think an aspie politician can be extraordinary if handled properly * (even to the extent of an aspie using his inate objectivity to control his aspergers). People want an outsider because the inside is rotten. We are the ultimate outsiders!
* Don't be shy! Proclaim your aspergers loud and proud! People respect that! They gravitate towards authenticity more then policy. That is the political reality. On a more idealistic level, we are more moral than NTs! Hey! Stop that asperger's humility, we are talking about getting things done!
http://www.disabled-world.com/artman/pu ... 2086.shtml


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YES! This is me!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gtdlR4rUcY
I went up over 50 feet!
I love debate!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtckVng_1a0
My debate style is calm and deadly!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-230v_ecAcM


ASPartOfMe
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02 Oct 2016, 1:16 am

Riddles markets himself as an outsider in Northern District commissioner race


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K_Kelly
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14 Oct 2016, 10:47 pm

I hope any person who considers running for political office, aspie or NT, can carefully analyze their thoughts doing so. I wish I can participate in one of those "mock" presidential campaigns if those even exist.

I as an aspie would not want to be running for office, but maybe activism is a place for me. :D



ASPartOfMe
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29 Oct 2016, 11:51 pm

Noah McCourt running for City Council in Waconia, Minnesota

Campaign Webpage


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“My autism is not a superpower. It also isn’t some kind of god-forsaken, endless fountain of suffering inflicted on my family. It’s just part of who I am as a person”. - Sara Luterman


Last edited by ASPartOfMe on 29 Oct 2016, 11:57 pm, edited 3 times in total.

Shahunshah
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29 Oct 2016, 11:54 pm

I would like to be one. But alas big dreams.



lordfakename
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30 Oct 2016, 11:56 am

My perception is that people with disabilities in general are under-represented. It's still a huge stigma for a person in authority to be open about anything like that, especially if it is "hidden". Politicians aren't supposed to find anything difficult, they like to present themselves as perfect. However, I strongly suspect that people with autism have been in power, are in power and will be in power.



Kovu
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30 Oct 2016, 2:47 pm

I could care less.

I expect a politician to be a competent person. Whether he's a disabled person or not it's irrelevant.



Shahunshah
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30 Oct 2016, 10:45 pm

lordfakename wrote:
My perception is that people with disabilities in general are under-represented. It's still a huge stigma for a person in authority to be open about anything like that, especially if it is "hidden". Politicians aren't supposed to find anything difficult, they like to present themselves as perfect. However, I strongly suspect that people with autism have been in power, are in power and will be in power.
Well every politician is kind of flawed just look at Trump and the Clintons yet they can still collect votes. Aussie PM, Kevin Rudd visited a strip club before the 2007 election which he won. You can still win the support of the public with a few handicaps.



ASPartOfMe
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11 Oct 2019, 4:12 am

Pennsylvania candidate would be first autistic woman elected to a state legislatur

Quote:
A Pittsburgh-area graduate student and candidate for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives would, if elected, become the first openly autistic woman to serve in a state legislature.

Jessica Benham (D) shares a few things in common with other candidates who made national headlines.

Like Virginia Delegate Danica Roem (D), the first trans woman elected to a state House, Benham's campaign is largely focused on infrastructure policy despite the milestone her election would represent.

Like Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), her first step is to face off against a longtime Democratic incumbent in the primary: Rep. Harry Readshaw, who has represented the state’s 36th District for 25 years and who Benham told The Hill “has consistently been out-of-touch with the voters of this district,” citing his voting record on labor, abortion and gun rights issues.

“Readshaw has also attempted to pit the disability community against other communities, like the pro-choice community, without realizing that people with disabilities deserve bodily autonomy and choice as well. The district deserves someone who will listen and unite, not divide, our community,” she said.

Benham is quick to note that she would not be the first autistic women elected to office overall, as there are two currently serving on school boards. Both these cases and her own candidacy, she said, illustrate the need for disabled people who want a seat at the table to get involved locally.

“Disabled people make up approximately 20 percent of the population in the United States, but emerging research confirms what we’ve known on the ground — we don’t have equitable representation in government,” Benham told The Hill. “I want to use my perspective to ensure that disabled people have the same access and opportunities as everyone else in our district.”

Benham also cites other disabled and autistic activists who have served as role models without necessarily working in politics, such as climate activist Greta Thunberg, as well as Dustin Gibson, co-founder of Disability Advocates for Rights and Transition, which works against the forcible institutionalization of disabled people.

Benham, who is bisexual, would also be the first LGBTQ woman elected to the Pennsylvania legislature, and has taken similar inspiration from people like Ciora Thomas, a Pittsburgh activist who founded SisTers PGH, an advocacy and housing organization for trans women.

Benham told The Hill she plans to draw on her own history of community organizing and activism, including her work with the Pittsburgh Center for Autistic Advocacy, where she has advised on and written local and state legislation.

Benham’s candidacy is part of a broader trend in disability and autism advocacy that centers autistic people themselves as the most qualified advocates on the issue, according to Julia Bascom, executive director of the Autistic Self Advocacy Network

“When autistic people run for office, they are challenging ideas about what our community can do and showing that we belong everywhere — including in the halls of power,” she added.

Disabled candidates and legislators also bring a unique perspective to issues that affect the broader community, Benham told The Hill.

“People with disabilities face many of the same challenges that abled people do – we breathe the same air, drink the same water, use public transit, and live in the same communities. In many of these cases, we are more at risk than the abled population,” she said.

If elected, Benham would be the latest in a series of historic firsts for the autism community. Earlier this year, Haley Moss became the first openly autistic person to practice law in Florida. Because the disorder is underdiagnosed among women and often erroneously believed to predominantly or exclusively affect men, Benham said she thinks visibility for autistic women is particularly important.

“We know that women are less frequently diagnosed than men and often later in life, because of the stereotypes connecting autism with maleness,” she told The Hill. “I hope that my candidacy demonstrates to young people with developmental disabilities that they can be leaders, and that they can stand up for the future of their communities.”


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MannyBoo
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12 Oct 2019, 7:35 am

He himself is not aspie (although there’s a rumor he might be) Andrew Yang has openly revealed his son has Autism, and his family’s issues raising an Autistic child. I think this constant media exposure of Autism on the nationwide and worldwide level by a US Presidential candidate is leading to more awareness, and eventually more understanding, of Autism Spectrum disorders.

And if he does become President Yang, then his Autistic son will definitely gain media focus. I wonder how the mass media and general public will react to the Autistic First Son?



ASPartOfMe
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03 Dec 2019, 8:53 am

Pennsylvania candidate would be first autistic woman elected to a state legislature

Quote:
A Pittsburgh-area graduate student and candidate for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives would, if elected, become the first openly autistic woman to serve in a state legislature.

Jessica Benham (D) shares a few things in common with other candidates who made national headlines.

Like Virginia Delegate Danica Roem (D), the first trans woman elected to a state House, Benham's campaign is largely focused on infrastructure policy despite the milestone her election would represent.

Benham is quick to note that she would not be the first autistic women elected to office overall, as there are two currently serving on school boards. Both these cases and her own candidacy, she said, illustrate the need for disabled people who want a seat at the table to get involved locally.

“Disabled people make up approximately 20 percent of the population in the United States, but emerging research confirms what we’ve known on the ground — we don’t have equitable representation in government,” Benham told The Hill. “I want to use my perspective to ensure that disabled people have the same access and opportunities as everyone else in our district.”

Benham also cites other disabled and autistic activists who have served as role models without necessarily working in politics, such as climate activist Greta Thunberg, as well as Dustin Gibson, co-founder of Disability Advocates for Rights and Transition, which works against the forcible institutionalization of disabled people.

Benham, who is bisexual, would also be the first LGBTQ woman elected to the Pennsylvania legislature, and has taken similar inspiration from people like Ciora Thomas, a Pittsburgh activist who founded SisTers PGH, an advocacy and housing organization for trans women.

Benham told The Hill she plans to draw on her own history of community organizing and activism, including her work with the Pittsburgh Center for Autistic Advocacy, where she has advised on and written local and state legislation.

Benham’s candidacy is part of a broader trend in disability and autism advocacy that centers autistic people themselves as the most qualified advocates on the issue, according to Julia Bascom, executive director of the Autistic Self Advocacy Network

"The motto of the self-advocacy movement is ‘nothing about us, without us.’ As we push for greater acceptance and inclusion, one of the key measures of our progress will be whether or not self-advocates are seen as leaders outside of the disability community,” Bascom told The Hill.

“When autistic people run for office, they are challenging ideas about what our community can do and showing that we belong everywhere — including in the halls of power,” she added.

Disabled candidates and legislators also bring a unique perspective to issues that affect the broader community, Benham told The Hill.

“People with disabilities face many of the same challenges that abled people do – we breathe the same air, drink the same water, use public transit, and live in the same communities. In many of these cases, we are more at risk than the abled population,” she said.

“When we pass a policy that helps people with disabilities, everyone in the community benefits. I care about improving our infrastructure and ensuring access to quality health care.”

If elected, Benham would be the latest in a series of historic firsts for the autism community. Earlier this year, Haley Moss became the first openly autistic person to practice law in Florida. Because the disorder is underdiagnosed among women and often erroneously believed to predominantly or exclusively affect men, Benham said she thinks visibility for autistic women is particularly important.

“We know that women are less frequently diagnosed than men and often later in life, because of the stereotypes connecting autism with maleness,” she told The Hill. “I hope that my candidacy demonstrates to young people with developmental disabilities that they can be leaders, and that they can stand up for the future of their communities.”



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DSM 5: Autism Spectrum Disorder, DSM IV: Aspergers Moderate Severity

“My autism is not a superpower. It also isn’t some kind of god-forsaken, endless fountain of suffering inflicted on my family. It’s just part of who I am as a person”. - Sara Luterman


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06 Dec 2019, 11:51 pm

Well Jessica Benham certainly isn't your average run in the mill politician or for that matter your average Aspie girl

Image