The ICAA President and first Vice President appeared on the Missouri Viewpoints show with Mike Ferguson. It was an honor to be invited on to share information about the ICAA, our perspective, and continue to help raise the social consciousness. Emily and Julian were invited to stay longer than expected, to discuss more in depth, some of the many issues facing educators, schools, and mostly, students on the spectrum.
ICAA is dedicated to the advancement of people on the autism spectrum and with other differences. Discrimination, educational rights, civil rights, and human rights for people with autism is not something that many people even seem to consider, and that baffles us.  Much of the focus surrounding “autism awareness” is often centered on autism as a “parent’s struggle” or  as something that causes a family suffering.  The sad result is that the actual autistic individuals (whom the awareness raising is supposed to help) are almost an afterthought, if not hurt, as a result of all this awareness raising.
Each year millions of dollars are collected for efforts like Autism Speaks to search for a cause, cure, and even prevention, for autism (talks of prenatal screenings have been stirring up for years).  If we put that same amount of effort, or even half of it, into ensuring education, practical supports, and empowerment, we would already have made enormous progress. The ICAA Autism Education and Defense Fund, and other ICAA projects, have been designed to promote inclusion, support, education, advocacy and the overall advancement of individuals with autism. Continue reading →