jeez Kathleen .. your writing is awesome and your passion is palpable.
Thank you for taking such initiative in advocating. In these moments ...
Ben likes Queen's "We are the champions, my frie-nd; and we'll keep on
fighting 'till the end!" :o)

~*~ Tink

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Kathleen Seidel [mailto:anima@...]
> Sent: Wednesday, March 02, 2005 8:24 AM
> To: autismlist@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [Autismlist] FC-Bashing & Disrespect
>
>
>
>
> The following is a post that I just made to another list in response
> to a discussion about "interventions recommended and not recommended."
> I thought that the members of this list might enjoy reading it.
>
> Kathleen Seidel
>
>
> *****************
>
> There are many zealots and skeptics who are going out of their way to
> slam FC these days in panicked response to the recent Oscar nomination
> for "Autism Is A World." The recent, incredibly one-sided article
> about FC that appeared in the Washington Post (viewable at
> http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A42582-2005Feb21.html)
> was disgraceful. Fortunately, just yesterday the paper published a
> raft of letters in response to it, the majority criticizing the paper
> for not even bothering to interview Sue Rubin before suggesting that
> her communication is inauthentic. Here is one of my favorites; you can
> read them all at
> http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A61619-2005Feb28.html:
>
> "Even though many individuals using FC type without physical support,
> even though several have attended college, even though some have used
> it for years without being questioned by their home communities, the
> "controversy" over facilitated communication continues. One might
> wonder what folks like Sue Rubin need to do in order to have their
> voices honored. People with disabilities are engaged in a civil rights
> battle. They have cried out for professionals to consult them on
> issues related to disability; they have asked those without
> disabilities to do "nothing about them without them." The article is a
> reminder that journey will be a long one. -- Paula Kluth, PhD, Sally
> Young, PhD , Chicago"
>
> I know a number of parents for whose children FC has served as an
> invaluable stepping stone to independent communication. It is a shame
> that certain people feel the need to promote their pet educational and
> therapeutic approaches as if they were the One True Religion rather
> than a tool. It is also a shame that there are so many people who leap
> to discredit techniques that result in the identification of child
> abusers. Sure, mistakes can be made and have been made, but mistakes
> are made in every discipline, and measures can be taken to prevent
> them from recurring.
>
> One can hardly read Sharisa Joy Kochmeister's essay at
> http://soeweb.syr.edu/thefci/2-4koc.htm and not be profoundly dismayed
> at the disrespect that is heaped upon autistic citizens who have
> succeeded in developing communicative skills. We parents will all be
> dead and gone someday, and all of our spectrum-dwelling offspring will
> continue to be at risk of disrespect and disenfranchisement from
> people who claim to champion their interests should this climate of
> suspicion of autistic citizens' communication continue to be nurtured
> and tolerated. I have addressed some of these issues in a lengthy
> letter to Lenny Schafer, in response to his recent tirades against the
> "diagnostic legitimacy" of autistic citizens who can communicate (and
> especially those who disagree with him). You can find it at
> http://www.neurodiversity.com/inquisition.html.
>
> Kathleen Seidel
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> Yahoo! Groups Links
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