VOR ACTION ALERT
April 9, 2010PRESIDENT'S NOMINEE for NATIONAL COUNCIL ON DISABILITIES
IS REPORTED TO OPPOSE AUTISM CURE RESEARCH FUNDING
Sent by request of Robin Sims, VOR President.IS REPORTED TO OPPOSE AUTISM CURE RESEARCH FUNDING
"This Action Alert pertains to a Presidential nominee for the National Council on Disability (NCD), Ari Ne'eman. Mr. Ne'eman, who has Asperger's syndrome, is a self-proclaimed self-advocate for all persons with autism. He is best known for his radical position against seeking causes and cures for autism, feeling that preventing and curing autism suggests there is something wrong with the individual. As recently as December 2010 he stated, "Autism is currently viewed as a disease of the medical model---Something to be cured or eliminated. That doesn't reflect how we view ourselves, that doesn't reflect our realities."
Robin is familiar with Mr. Ne'eman's advocacy. They both reside in New Jersey and her family is very active in autism advocacy. Her daughter has a severe, regressive form of autism, and her nephew also has autism. The needs of her daughter, who resides in a state-operated ICF/MR, are vastly different from Mr. Ne-eman's, who is a college student who is planning to attend graduate school and has applied for a Rhodes scholarship." Scroll down for details.
Robin is familiar with Mr. Ne'eman's advocacy. They both reside in New Jersey and her family is very active in autism advocacy. Her daughter has a severe, regressive form of autism, and her nephew also has autism. The needs of her daughter, who resides in a state-operated ICF/MR, are vastly different from Mr. Ne-eman's, who is a college student who is planning to attend graduate school and has applied for a Rhodes scholarship." Scroll down for details.
Details and Contact Information
Source:
Autism Action Coalition and ACHAMP
Action:
If you agree with these concerns, also raised by the
Autism Action Coalition & , A-Champ Action
To stop the Ne'eman Nomination:
CALL YOUR TWO SENATORS TODAY!
Call the Washington offices of your two Senators
&
ask to speak to the staffer who is responsible for approving nominations to federal councils
Find at their website (copy & paste URL):
http://capwiz.com/a-champ/issues/alert/?alertid=14874836
their alert
&
a list of Senators
&
an online template letter that you can sign and send
&
Autism Action Coalition and ACHAMP
Action:
If you agree with these concerns, also raised by the
Autism Action Coalition & , A-Champ Action
To stop the Ne'eman Nomination:
CALL YOUR TWO SENATORS TODAY!
Call the Washington offices of your two Senators
&
ask to speak to the staffer who is responsible for approving nominations to federal councils
Find at their website (copy & paste URL):
http://capwiz.com/a-champ/issues/alert/?alertid=14874836
their alert
&
a list of Senators
&
an online template letter that you can sign and send
&
White House contact
PETITION AGAINST MR. Ne'eman's CONFIRMATION:
FIND IT HERE (copy & paste URL):
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/opposeari/
PETITION AGAINST MR. Ne'eman's CONFIRMATION:
FIND IT HERE (copy & paste URL):
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/opposeari/
MORE DETAILS FROM VOR
"Ari Ne'eman, a vocal critic of the need to find the causes and potential cures for autism has been nominated by President Obama to an influential post on the National Council on Disability. Ne'eman's nomination was approved last month in committee and must now go to a vote of the entire Senate.
Fortunately, it was announced on Saturday that an unnamed Senator or Senators had placed a "hold " on his confirmation. But this may just be a temporary situation and Autism Action Network is extremely concerned that Ne'eman could have any role in forming federal autism policy or research goals, and we need you to get active to oppose his nomination.
Ne'eman is an articulate spokesperson for the many services people on the spectrum, especially high-functioning people like himself, need to function better in the world. We agree with many of those goals. Mr. Ne'eman, however, disqualifies himself from being a candidate for the National Council on Disability by his repeated attacks on the need to find the causes, treatment and possible cures for autism. He doesn't just advocate for a bigger pie that includes additional resources for the issues important to him, he wants to divert the relatively paltry sums that are currently spent on the causes, treatments and cures into other needs he finds more pressing. And that is unacceptable.
We don't need opponents of autism treatment and a possible cure.
Ne'eman is an extremely high-functioning person who first received a diagnosis of Asperger's at age 12. He is a college student planning on attending graduate school and has applied for a Rhodes Scholarship. You can see many clips of him on Youtube.
We wrote to Ne'eman in January asking for clarification of his views but he declined to comment. And we see no possible way that Ne'eman's participation on the National Council on Disability is the interest of our children and the vast majority of people with autism.
Here are a few of his quotes:
June 10, 2008 on Good Morning America, Neeman said, "We do not think to aim for a cure is the right approach to take."
December 10, 2009 interview with the CBC, "Autism is currently viewed as a disease of the medical model---Something to be cured or eliminated. That doesn't reflect how we view ourselves, that doesn't reflect our realities."
In his essay Equality Demands Responsibility, 2006, Ne'eman wrote, "But if we are to demand equal legitimacy, if we are to assert that a 'cure' is not only unnecessary and undesirable but morally reprehensible, then we must accept for ourselves equal responsibilities."
Fortunately, it was announced on Saturday that an unnamed Senator or Senators had placed a "hold " on his confirmation. But this may just be a temporary situation and Autism Action Network is extremely concerned that Ne'eman could have any role in forming federal autism policy or research goals, and we need you to get active to oppose his nomination.
Ne'eman is an articulate spokesperson for the many services people on the spectrum, especially high-functioning people like himself, need to function better in the world. We agree with many of those goals. Mr. Ne'eman, however, disqualifies himself from being a candidate for the National Council on Disability by his repeated attacks on the need to find the causes, treatment and possible cures for autism. He doesn't just advocate for a bigger pie that includes additional resources for the issues important to him, he wants to divert the relatively paltry sums that are currently spent on the causes, treatments and cures into other needs he finds more pressing. And that is unacceptable.
We don't need opponents of autism treatment and a possible cure.
Ne'eman is an extremely high-functioning person who first received a diagnosis of Asperger's at age 12. He is a college student planning on attending graduate school and has applied for a Rhodes Scholarship. You can see many clips of him on Youtube.
We wrote to Ne'eman in January asking for clarification of his views but he declined to comment. And we see no possible way that Ne'eman's participation on the National Council on Disability is the interest of our children and the vast majority of people with autism.
Here are a few of his quotes:
June 10, 2008 on Good Morning America, Neeman said, "We do not think to aim for a cure is the right approach to take."
December 10, 2009 interview with the CBC, "Autism is currently viewed as a disease of the medical model---Something to be cured or eliminated. That doesn't reflect how we view ourselves, that doesn't reflect our realities."
In his essay Equality Demands Responsibility, 2006, Ne'eman wrote, "But if we are to demand equal legitimacy, if we are to assert that a 'cure' is not only unnecessary and undesirable but morally reprehensible, then we must accept for ourselves equal responsibilities."
We do not believe that anyone who believes curing someone of autism is a "morally reprehensible" act can or should represent the interests of our children.
Here is what you can do:
CALL YOUR TWO SENATORS TODAY! Call the Washington offices of your two Senators and ask to speak to the staffer who is responsible for approving nominations to federal councils .
Let them know that you want the federal government to make finding the causes and cures of autism a top priority, and that you see no need for someone opposed to those goals, like Ne'eman, to serve on the National Council of Disability. Ask them to reject Ne'eman's nomination. Be polite. Be firm.
Forward this message to your family, friends and coworkers and post it to Facebook, My Space and other networks.
Thank you for your support.
