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Fogman
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 Posted: Wed Jun 11, 2008 10:46 am Post subject: UK Autism Minority Status Petition to Downing St. |
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I got this petition from Gareth at AFF. It's an appeal to the UK's current Prime Minister to grant minority status to people on the Autism spectrum. If you're a citizen of the UK, you may want to sign this petition.
http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/autismminority/
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krex
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| Posted: Wed Jun 11, 2008 2:04 pm Post subject: |
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I'm not in the UK...but that is a cool idea.
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Icicle
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Joined: Jun 11, 2008
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| Posted: Wed Jun 11, 2008 2:44 pm Post subject: |
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| I would be tempted to petition against it to be frank. Making ourselves a minority group would blow up in our faces. Though if your friend wants to actually change something, what he should do is join the NAS and start from there. They actually have some real resources, its just a shame they use them so ineffectually. |
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Brainsforbreakfast
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Joined: Mar 05, 2006
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| Posted: Thu Jun 12, 2008 10:22 am Post subject: |
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| Icicle wrote: | | I would be tempted to petition against it to be frank. Making ourselves a minority group would blow up in our faces. Though if your friend wants to actually change something, what he should do is join the NAS and start from there. They actually have some real resources, its just a shame they use them so ineffectually. |
I don't know though.. I'd rather have being accepted as a different kind of person type rather then being seen as a poor poor handicaped that should be pitied and turned 'normal' asap.
I'd also like to see people viewing aborting babies for having a different skin colour as abhorent as them having spectrum genes. |
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0_equals_true
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Age: 26
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| Posted: Thu Jun 12, 2008 11:33 am Post subject: |
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I don't think minority group is the right term. Of course we are a minority. By there isn't really a category for just any minority type. We aren't an ethnic/genetic minority (although some people seem to be obsessed with this idea).
I'm afraid Gareth might disagree on what I would petition on. Disability rights. Disability rights is not about tarring everyone with one brush, but offering assistance to those that need it and want it.
What struck me when i went on AFF was that Gareth and other on the site were very hostile to any kind of study, scientific investigation, etc. Personally I find this paranoia just as dangerous and the curbies. Being anti curbie don't necessarily make you anti-science. |
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Quack!
Joined: Apr 06, 2007
Age: 26
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| Posted: Thu Jun 12, 2008 11:52 am Post subject: |
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| Brainsforbreakfast wrote: | I don't know though.. I'd rather have being accepted as a different kind of person type rather then being seen as a poor poor handicaped that should be pitied and turned 'normal' asap.
I'd also like to see people viewing aborting babies for having a different skin colour as abhorent as them having spectrum genes. |
Problem is if you don't fit into the disability model there is no guarantee you will fit in the minority one.
It is a particularly problem with 'high functioning' individuals, but not exclusively. Sometimes the expectation on you is higher then you can achieve. People think the coherence is a good estimate of competence, the problems they will experience. That is sometimes true if you are you apply the NT median/stereotype, but otherwise false. Of course many ASD relatively ok and content, however there are others that do have serious unseen problems. High verbal intelligence can mask things so you might never get the help you need. If we are recognized as a single minority it may give the impression we are all the same, which has more negative implications than positive IMO.
You are not going to get any radical changes in human nature. I'm not supporting a ‘disabled minority’ either, but basic disability right to be applied across the board. |
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LadyMacbeth
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| Posted: Thu Jun 12, 2008 5:10 pm Post subject: |
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I signed it. Can't hurt our "status" in the country any more can it?
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LeKiwi
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| Posted: Thu Jun 12, 2008 5:14 pm Post subject: |
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But what about when it isn't a disability - which in my case and that of several of my friends it isn't; it doesn't dis-able us, there's nothing we aren't able to do because of it, so it isn't a disability. But it would still be nice to have it recognised legally for various other reasons, mostly related to discrimination, as would be feasible should the term 'minority' be used?
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LadyMacbeth
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| Posted: Thu Jun 12, 2008 5:18 pm Post subject: |
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Basically, if autism was labelled as a minority, discrimination against you because you have autism can be dealt with in the same way as if you were gay/of a different race/some other "abnormality" and someone attacked you for that reason. It gives us a bit more protection from a legal standpoint.
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Quack!
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| Posted: Thu Jun 12, 2008 6:33 pm Post subject: |
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| LeKiwi wrote: | | But what about when it isn't a disability - which in my case and that of several of my friends it isn't; it doesn't dis-able us, there's nothing we aren't able to do because of it, so it isn't a disability. But it would still be nice to have it recognised legally for various other reasons, mostly related to discrimination, as would be feasible should the term 'minority' be used? |
| Quote: | | Disability rights is not about tarring everyone with one brush, but offering assistance to those that need it and want it. |
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LeKiwi
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| Posted: Thu Jun 12, 2008 6:48 pm Post subject: |
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I'm not disabled though... Aspergers does not dis-able me in any way. It would still be nice to have a few rights related to it though - as I said, most of which relate to discrimination, in much the same way one can argue racial prejudice if they're forced to sit at the back of a bus, for example.
So say someone said "Oh you're autistic, sit at the back" I couldn't really bring in anything about disabilities, because it isn't a disability in my case and I'm not registered disabled. It would still be discrimination based on who I am, however, in much the same way it would be were it "Oh you're female/black/gay, sit at the back". Which is where it would be good to have minority rights, rather than just disabled rights. Those who are disabled by autism would fall under the disability category (or minority were they suffering due to prejudice, like in the example above). But those of us who aren't disabled by it would still be able to have minority rights.
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Quack!
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| Posted: Thu Jun 12, 2008 6:59 pm Post subject: |
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| LadyMacbeth wrote: | | Basically, if autism was labelled as a minority, discrimination against you because you have autism can be dealt with in the same way as if you were gay/of a different race/some other "abnormality" and someone attacked you for that reason. It gives us a bit more protection from a legal standpoint. |
The law doesn't just protect those from minority sexuality and races. They are is supposed to protect all minorities and majorities.
That is the theory. But the reality is different.
I don't think we should tar everyone in ASD with the recognised minority or disabled brush. Those terms are kind of moot. What we need is recognition, and understanding of the condition itself. Help for those who need it and to make sure, we have the basic human rights and those take into consideration the challenges we face. |
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Quack!
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| Posted: Thu Jun 12, 2008 7:14 pm Post subject: |
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| LeKiwi wrote: | I'm not disabled though... Aspergers does not dis-able me in any way. It would still be nice to have a few rights related to it though - as I said, most of which relate to discrimination, in much the same way one can argue racial prejudice if they're forced to sit at the back of a bus, for example.
So say someone said "Oh you're autistic, sit at the back" I couldn't really bring in anything about disabilities, because it isn't a disability in my case and I'm not registered disabled. It would still be discrimination based on who I am, however, in much the same way it would be were it "Oh you're female/black/gay, sit at the back". Which is where it would be good to have minority rights, rather than just disabled rights. Those who are disabled by autism would fall under the disability category (or minority were they suffering due to prejudice, like in the example above). But those of us who aren't disabled by it would still be able to have minority rights. |
I never said you were. I'm not for calling you disabled. I'm for rights and provisions for people who are disabled. Disability is a relative thing of course. But on a practically it is very hard to create a level playing field. Especially as society demands a specific type of productivity that is not always possible for everyone to emulate.
Anyone who sufferers prejudice minority or not should be protected against it. It can happen where a minority is persecuting a majority, because they have more power.
Like in United Arab Emirates there are more foreign workers from various countries such as the Philippines than they are native people. These foreign majority have very few rights. Until recently they weren't even given permission to return to their country of origin without their employer agreeing. There are basically like indentured labourers. |
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