Aspies For Freedom (AFF) is a solidarity and campaigning group that aimed at raising public awareness of the
autism rights movement
The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) characterized by difficulti ...
. The aim of Aspies For Freedom is to educate the public that the autism spectrum is not always a
disability
Disability is the experience of any condition that makes it more difficult for a person to do certain activities or have equitable access within a given society. Disabilities may be Cognitive disability, cognitive, Developmental disability, dev ...
, and that there are advantages as well as disadvantages. For this purpose, the group organizes an annual
Autistic Pride Day
Autistic Pride Day is a pride celebration for autistic people held on 18 June each year. Autistic pride recognises the importance of pride for autistic people and its role in bringing about positive changes in the broader society.
Although ...
. AFF provides support for the autistic community and protests attempts to cure autism.
Established in 2004 by Amy and Gwen Nelson, AFF has received coverage from publications such as ''
New Scientist
''New Scientist'' is a magazine covering all aspects of science and technology. Based in London, it publishes weekly English-language editions in the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia. An editorially separate organisation publishe ...
'' magazine. As of August 2007, ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' estimated the group's membership at 20,000.
Rob Crossan, writing for the BBC, mentioned their belief that higher functioning autistics are often in possession of extraordinary talents in the fields of mathematics, memory, music or arts.
Current activities
AFF provides a chatroom which provides support for autistics and their carers such as family members. AFF also helps organise and encourage meetups within the autistic community.
Activism
Gwen Nelson, the founder of Aspies For Freedom, has made internet parodies of
Autism Speaks
Autism Speaks Inc. is a controversial autism advocacy organization and the largest autism research organization in the United States. It sponsors autism research and conducts awareness and outreach activities aimed at families, governments, an ...
, saying that they were silencing opposing views. Aspies For Freedom petitioned the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
in 2004 to have members of the autistic community recognised as a
minority status group. A statement was released from the group titled 'Declaration of the autism community'. This article detailed reasons for seeking such official recognition from the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
and the work towards achieving this.
AFF was cited by ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' as a resource for autism employment assistance.
Gwen Nelson and Aspies For Freedom have spoken out against prenatal
genetic testing
Genetic testing, also known as DNA testing, is used to identify changes in DNA sequence or chromosome structure. Genetic testing can also include measuring the results of genetic changes, such as RNA analysis as an output of gene expression, or ...
for
autism spectrum disorders
The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental disorder, neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) ...
, portraying autism as a difference as opposed to a disease.
See also
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Anti-Psychiatry
Anti-psychiatry is a movement based on the view that psychiatric treatment is often more damaging than helpful to patients, highlighting controversies about psychiatry. Objections include the reliability of psychiatric diagnosis, the questionabl ...
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Autism friendly
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Controversies in autism
Diagnoses of autism have become more frequent since the 1980s, which has led to various controversies about both the cause of autism and the nature of the diagnoses themselves. Whether autism has mainly a genetic or developmental cause, and the ...
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Neurodiversity
Neurodiversity refers to diversity in the human brain and cognition, for instance in sociability, learning, attention, mood and other mental functions.
It was coined in 1998 by sociologist Judy Singer, who helped popularize the concept alo ...
*
List of autism-related topics
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to autism:
Autism – neurodevelopmental disorder that affects social interaction and communication, and involves restricted and repetitive behavior.
What ''type'' ...
References
External links
Official websiteAspies for freedom support chatroom
{{Autism resources
Autism rights movement
Autism-related organisations in the United Kingdom
Organizations established in 2004
Disability rights organizations
Disability organisations based in the United Kingdom
2004 establishments in the United Kingdom