How do you effect change, change that's big, change that's lasting? Can you, can one person, have that kind of impact? I remember arguing adamantly with my grandfather nearly 24 years ago that one person can change the world. We argued back and forth for a good long while, my grandfather getting more agitated but also more resolute that one person couldn't make any difference at all. "Jesus Christ!" I yelled at him, frustrated but not taking the Lord's name in vain. One man made all the difference. One man's followers changed the world. My grandfather wasn't having any of it. Lincoln. Surely, he would concede that Lincoln freeing the slaves, waging the civil war made a difference? John Wilkes Booth made a difference, as well, changed the course of the nation, possibly.
Everywhere on facebook, on yahoo news, on Huff, everyone's talking about the super moon. Some are even wondering if it will cause problems. There's even
an article on myths about the moon. Everybody's out taking pictures of the moon and posting it.
April 30. The last day of Autism Awareness Month. The last hurrah, although let's be honest, the wider world didn't really notice all that much and probably didn't learn all that much, either.
The truth is that autism awareness happens at the individual level every time we, as parents, take our autistic children out and have them interact with the world. For autistic people, it happens every time they are out in public and self-disclose, but also when they don't, when the people they interact with don't know they have autism, or as they get to be known by others, when that label fades into the background, and they are just seen as uniquely themselves, perfect as they are.
Gregory Miller, a former JRC employee, has set up a
petition on Change.org, and given permission to repost his petition letter:
Steven Muller, President of The National Association of Residential Providers for Adults with Autism has released the following statement regarding the Judge Rotenberg Center:
The video of staff at the Judge Rotenberg Center applying electrical shock as punishment for teenagers with developmental disabilities is deeply disturbing and an embarrassment to those professionals that devote their career to helping people.
Yes, there are some individuals that display extremely aggressive behaviors toward self or others. Yes, some families are grateful that this center has accepted responsibility for treating their loved one.
But in what world are these “treatments” acceptable?
That Shouldn't Happen: The Just World Fallacy and Autism
Heaviness: Euthanasia For Expediency
What's the Harm: When Reality and Wishful Thinking Clash
Facilitated Communication: Same As It Ever Was (Same As It Ever Was)
