With this in mind, I have decided to embed the new I Am Autism video put together by Autism Speaks. My hope is that there will be some discussion here about why or why not this video makes you feel heard or makes you angry. Sharing different points of view and ideas is a powerful thing. I hope that we can learn from each other.
I do, however, insist that the discussion remain civil. If you submit a disrespectful or hateful comment, it will be deleted. It is at the discretion of AutMont to determine what is considered disrespectful.
I'd like to get the conversation started by giving my opinion. My opinion is my own, and I do not claim to know the experience of anyone other than myself. I have a child diagnosed with PDD-NOS, and can only speak to the experience of parenting him.
I'd like to get the conversation started by giving my opinion. My opinion is my own, and I do not claim to know the experience of anyone other than myself. I have a child diagnosed with PDD-NOS, and can only speak to the experience of parenting him.
I watched I Am Autism and saw negativity and anger. I saw a dismissal of autistic individuals as wrong and "less than." When I look at my child with autism, I do not see any of the things that Autism Speaks sees. Instead I see joy, intelligence, and curiosity. I don't see autism as something that is wrecking my family. Rather I see it as something that has broadened my horizons and will hopefully do the same for my neurotypical children. Yes, autism can make life hard, but it can also add some incredible layers.
What do you think? Spout off in the comments section or in the AutMont Forum. (Quick, free registration is required to post in the forum.)
4 comments:
Can I post eventhough I am not local? Well my feelings are here: http://miscthing.blogspot.com/2009/09/tis-not-my-life.html I posted something else to my local listserve, and there are people who love the video and people that don't.
Ugh. I don't like the video. I don't like it at all. I agree with you Jean that it conveys autism in a negative light. And that, I don't like. The ending of the video, with the families standing beside a loved one with autism wasn't so bad, but the first part just made me angry. That's not autism, that's society's "sad story" autism. People look at a general picture and imagine the worst. They see autism as something that will "kill" or "maim" their children. Yes, autism is hard on families, I never want it to be misconstrued that it's easy, but there is so much to gain from loving someone who has autism. And maybe it's because I see it that way. I see a person as HAVING autism, not BEING autistic. But that's just me.
What is the purpose for this video? Is it to raise money for research? It doesn't speak to finding a cure. Is it to raise awareness in the broader community? Than why pose such a negative face on it? I just don't get what the video is trying to achieve. It did seem to discount all the positive aspects of our children and our lives that we so carefully nurture and need to survive. If the point is to show that families are standing by their kids, who wouldn't? I don't get it.
The video is a scare tactic and appeal to people who see the worse in everything! This is the wrong message... people with Autism are people first and there is a wide spectrum. I find this video very offensive to those with Autism and not the message a disability organization should put out.
We have too many organizations that concentrate on the negative rather than looking at a person's strengths and providing the supports they need to be successful!
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