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*VOICES OF AUTISM 'SILENCED' BY CHARITY*
02 February 2008

AN EXTRAORDINARY dispute has broken out between people with autism and a
charity that aims to help them. At stake is how such people are
perceived by
the general public.

Like many people with autism, an autistic blogger who goes by the screen
name "Abscout" is angry about the way the condition is portrayed by some
charities. To try and paint a different picture, Abscout set up a spoof
website called NTSpeaks.org, a parody of the site of the New York-based
charity Autism Speaks. The NT stands for neurotypical, a term
sometimes used
by people with autism to describe the rest of the population.

Last week, however, in response to demands from Autism Speaks, Abscout
took
the site down. Autism Speaks claims the site infringed its copyright, and
that it could have confused people looking for information about autism.
That in turn has outraged Abscout's supporters, who say that Autism Speaks
is suppressing the views of the very people it is supposed to
represent and
help.

"If we do speak, we're only allowed a voice if it agrees exactly with the
people who say they're speaking for us," says Amanda Baggs, another
blogger
with autism based in Burlington, Vermont. "That keeps people believing the
same thing Autism Speaks wants people to believe, including every negative
stereotype of autism out there."

Autism Speaks says its aim is "to change the future for all who struggle
with autism spectrum disorders". One of its stated goals is to "cure"
autism
- an aim some people with autism find offensive. "The autism spectrum is
something that is intrinsic to our personalities, " says Ari Ne'eman,
president of the Autism Self Advocacy Network in Baltimore, Maryland. "We
can no more separate the autistic part of ourselves than we could our
gender
or race."

Particularly galling for people with autism, he says, is a video on the
charity's site called Autism Everyday, in which mothers of children with
autism talk about the emotional and financial impact the condition has had
on their lives. "Autism Speaks puts out a very fear-based message," says
Ne'eman.

NTSpeaks.org carried a much more assertive message. Under the slogan
"Learn
the signs of NTism", it listed "dislike for people who are different",
"refusal to accept that there is a problem" and "conforming attitude".
Another one of its headlines read, "NTs destroying AS/Auties pride and
joy".

Autism Speaks says that people could have confused NTSpeaks.org with
its own
site, as it carried a similar logo. "If an improper use of our name or
logo
creates confusion among those we serve about the source of information, it
is a disservice to all," a charity spokesman says.

Baggs insists there is a need for people with autism to publicise
their own
messages. She says the charities "change a lot about how autistic
people are
treated and understood by other people and by professionals" .

Gareth Nelson, who founded the autism rights group Aspies For Freedom is
doing his bit. In protest at Autism Speaks's actions, he has secured the
NTSpeaks.net and NTSpeaks.com domains and posted new parodies of Autism
Speaks there. "It is important to do this in order to stop Autism Speaks
from simply silencing their critics and to show them that we are not going
to sit back while they intimidate people," he says.