Autism Speaks and the Neurodiversity Movement: Was This a Faux-Pas?
Some who are against the Neurodiversity Movement would say that the entire t-shirt fiasco was a faux-pas, an embarrassment for us perhaps and something we should regret.

Despite that I never like feeling foolish, despite that while I've tried to learn to take criticism well I can't pretend it doesn't wreck me, I don't think this experience was a mistake. Granted, myself and others made mistakes, especially earlier on. We assumed, based on Zazzle's word, that Autism Speaks had attempted to thwart neurodiversity free speech. In this instance, I cannot deny, we were thoroughly and utterly wrong.

But wasn't this just another opportunity for us, as a fledgling advocacy movement, to try our wings and spread them a little further?

As a movement, we are not only young in years but our membership tends to be younger as well. Young-to-middle-aged adults who are not especially experienced in advocacy and legal matters. As such, untrained, flying by the seat of our pants so to speak, it is inevitable that we make more mistakes than other older organizations and movements. Not to mention, as autistics, because socializing and cooperating are usually not our forte, it can make it all the more difficult to attempt to create a sense of solidarity amongst a group of such diverse (and sometimes stubborn) people.

What we have achieved so far, however, is immense, even if it is not keenly felt by the public and the media. Before the internet, there was no "autistic community" to speak of. Just since the 90's has an entire community been formed. In addition, while the gay rights and deaf rights groups certainly have had much to contend with and fight against, unlike us they didn't have organizations (such as Autism Speaks) who fought both FOR and AGAINST them. Therefore, while they were oppressed, they knew they were oppressed and didn't have to fight from WITHIN their ranks to be able to acquire the rights they deserved.

As verbal autistics, we are used by organizations like Autism Speaks to bolster the impression of the 1/150 "epidemic" in order to bring in more money. They dangle our numbers in front of the cameras, for the commercials, for the walks, for the senators and congressmen, and then quickly shove us back in the closet before we protest. At the very same time, somehow we're both included and excluded --go figure that one out; a little GW logic should do the trick. Therefore, when it comes down to it, we're being used without our permission: a violation in its basest sense. And this from an organization who, given their purpose, should know better.

So, my original point: Was this a mistake? Should we regret its occurrence? Should we wish that this whole Autism Speaks t-shirt incident never happened???

Answer: The best lesson learned is not from our successes but from our mistakes.