Autistic Pride Day
Encyclopedia
Autistic Pride Day is a celebration of the neurodiversity
of people on the autism spectrum
on June 18 each year. Autistic pride is pride in autism
, about shifting views of autism from "disease" to "difference". Autistic pride emphasises the innate potential in all human phenotypic expressions and celebrates the diversity various neurological types express.
According to The Times
of December 31, 2005, "Just as society learned to accept homosexuality, organisations such as the Autism Assembly and Aspies for Freedom
say it should accept “neurodiversity” as something to celebrate rather than cure. In June, the organisations launched the first annual Autistic Pride Day, with events around the world, to persuade the rest of us — the “neuro-typicals” — that autistic people are “unique individuals” who should not be seen as cases for treatment."
Autistic pride asserts that autistic people are not sick; rather, they have a unique set of characteristics that provide them many rewards and challenges, not unlike their non-autistic peers. Researchers and people with high-functioning autism
have contributed to a shift in attitudes away from the notion that autism is a deviation from the norm that must be treated or cured, and towards the view that autism is a difference rather than a disability. New Scientist
magazine released an article entitled "Autistic and proud" on the first Autistic Pride Day that discussed the idea.
Autistic Pride Day is an Aspies for Freedom
initiative, an autism rights group that aims to educate the general public with initiatives to end ignorance of the issues involving the autistic community.
, capital of Brazil
.
The main events of 2006 were an Autistic Pride Summer Camp in Germany
, and an event at the Scienceworks Museum
in Melbourne
, Australia
.
Neurodiversity
Neurodiversity is a "controversial concept [that] ... regards atypical neurologicaldevelopment as a normal human difference". According to Jaarsma and Welin , the "neurodiversity movement was developed in the 1990s by online groups of autistic persons...
of people on the autism spectrum
Autism spectrum
The term "autism spectrum" is often used to describe disorders that are currently classified as pervasive developmental disorders. Pervasive developmental disorders include autism, Asperger syndrome, Childhood disintegrative disorder, Rett syndrome and Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise...
on June 18 each year. Autistic pride is pride in autism
Autism
Autism is a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. These signs all begin before a child is three years old. Autism affects information processing in the brain by altering how nerve cells and their...
, about shifting views of autism from "disease" to "difference". Autistic pride emphasises the innate potential in all human phenotypic expressions and celebrates the diversity various neurological types express.
According to The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
of December 31, 2005, "Just as society learned to accept homosexuality, organisations such as the Autism Assembly and Aspies for Freedom
Aspies For Freedom
Aspies For Freedom is a solidarity and campaigning group which aims at raising public awareness of the autism rights movement. The term "Aspies" refers to people who have been diagnosed with Asperger syndrome, but the group also welcomes anyone on the autism spectrum.-Aims:The aim of Aspies For...
say it should accept “neurodiversity” as something to celebrate rather than cure. In June, the organisations launched the first annual Autistic Pride Day, with events around the world, to persuade the rest of us — the “neuro-typicals” — that autistic people are “unique individuals” who should not be seen as cases for treatment."
Autistic pride asserts that autistic people are not sick; rather, they have a unique set of characteristics that provide them many rewards and challenges, not unlike their non-autistic peers. Researchers and people with high-functioning autism
High-functioning autism
High-functioning autism is an informal term applied to autistic people who are deemed to be "higher functioning" than other autistic people, by one or more metrics. There is no consensus as to the definition. HFA is not yet a recognised diagnosis in the DSM-IV-TR or the ICD-10.The amount of...
have contributed to a shift in attitudes away from the notion that autism is a deviation from the norm that must be treated or cured, and towards the view that autism is a difference rather than a disability. New Scientist
New Scientist
New Scientist is a weekly non-peer-reviewed English-language international science magazine, which since 1996 has also run a website, covering recent developments in science and technology for a general audience. Founded in 1956, it is published by Reed Business Information Ltd, a subsidiary of...
magazine released an article entitled "Autistic and proud" on the first Autistic Pride Day that discussed the idea.
Autistic Pride Day is an Aspies for Freedom
Aspies For Freedom
Aspies For Freedom is a solidarity and campaigning group which aims at raising public awareness of the autism rights movement. The term "Aspies" refers to people who have been diagnosed with Asperger syndrome, but the group also welcomes anyone on the autism spectrum.-Aims:The aim of Aspies For...
initiative, an autism rights group that aims to educate the general public with initiatives to end ignorance of the issues involving the autistic community.
Themes
The main event of 2005 was in BrasíliaBrasília
Brasília is the capital city of Brazil. The name is commonly spelled Brasilia in English. The city and its District are located in the Central-West region of the country, along a plateau known as Planalto Central. It has a population of about 2,557,000 as of the 2008 IBGE estimate, making it the...
, capital of Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
.
The main events of 2006 were an Autistic Pride Summer Camp in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, and an event at the Scienceworks Museum
Scienceworks Museum (Melbourne)
Scienceworks is a world renowned science museum in Melbourne, Australia. It is a venue of Museum Victoria which administers the cultural and scientific collections of the State of Victoria...
in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
- 2005 Acceptance not cure
- 2006 Celebrate Neurodiversity
- 2007 Autistics Speak. It's time to listen
- 2008 Not known
- 2009 Not known
- 2010 Perspectives, not fear
- 2011 Recognize, Respect, Include
See also
- Autistic Self Advocacy NetworkAutistic Self Advocacy NetworkThe Autistic Self-Advocacy Network or ASAN is a 501 nonprofit advocacy organization for individuals on the Autism spectrum, and is run by Autistic people. ASAN believes that the goal of Autism advocacy should be a world in which Autistic people enjoy the same access, rights, and opportunities as...
(ASAN) - seeks to advance the principles of the disability rights movement in the world of autism. - List of autism-related topics
- Sociological and cultural aspects of autismSociological and cultural aspects of autismSociological and cultural aspects of autism come into play with recognition of autism, approaches to its support services and therapies, and how autism affects how we define personhood. The autism rights movement is based on a belief that autism is a different way of being and not a disorder to be...
- World Autism Awareness DayWorld Autism Awareness DayWorld Autism Awareness Day has been held every year since September 09, 1989. It was designated under by the United Nations General Assembly resolution "62/139...
External links
- Controversial New Movement: Autistic and Proud - Good Morning AmericaGood Morning AmericaGood Morning America is an American morning news and talk show that is broadcast on the ABC television network; it debuted on November 3, 1975. The weekday program airs for two hours; a third hour aired between 2007 and 2008 exclusively on ABC News Now...
- ABCAmerican Broadcasting CompanyThe American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
June 10, 2008