SIGNATURES OF INTOLERANCE
Responding to the Petition Against
Autistic Canadians
"Autism is who we are."
—Frank Klein (2004)
In Ottawa and across the country,
Canadians are being asked to sign a petition about the future of autistic
people in Canada. Here is the text:
PETITION: TO THE HOUSE OF
COMMONS IN PARLIAMENT ASSEMBLED
We, the undersigned citizens of Canada,
draw the attention of the House to the following:
Whereas children suffering from an
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are among the weakest and most vulnerable
sector of Canadian society;
and whereas, in Canada the rate of
children being diagnosed with ASD is high and increasing at an alarming
rate (currently approximately 1 child in 195);
and whereas, until the cause and
cure of autism are found, children suffering from autism can benefit from
the provision of Intensive Behavioural Intervention (IBI) therapy treatment
based on the principles of Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA);
and whereas, for a variety of reasons
including lack of assigned resources, unconscionable waiting lists, and
delegation to Ministries with little or no expertise, the provision of
IBI/ABA therapy treatment to children with autism is woefully inadequate;
Therefore, your petitioners call
upon Parliament
1) to amend the Canada Health Act
and corresponding Regulations to include IBI/ABA therapy for children with
autism as a medically necessary treatment and require that all Provinces
provide or fund this essential treatment for autism; and
2) contribute to the creation of
academic chairs at a university in each province to teach IBI/ABA treatment
at the undergraduate and doctoral level so that Canadians professionals
will no longer be forced to leave the country to receive academic training
in this field and so that Canada will be able to develop the capacity to
provide every Canadian with autism with the best IBI/ABA treatment available.
RESPONSE: WE DO NOT SHARE
YOUR VALUES
Whereas autistic Canadians are human
beings with human rights, who must as all other Canadians be protected
by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms; and
Whereas autistic Canadians do not
suffer from autism, which is integral and essential to ourselves, but from
the wide array of obstacles we face as autistic people in a world that
is willfully ignorant of our needs and strengths as autistic people,
and from the disrespect and defamation of ourselves propagated by non-autistic
Canadians presenting themselves as socially and otherwise superior; and
Whereas attempts are being made to
have one specific autism treatment (or at least approach to treatment)
designated as "medically necessary" for all autistic persons, and that
this treatment has among its stated goals the extinguishing of essential
autistic abilities and characteristics, "recovery" from autism, and a person
"indistinguishable" from his typical peers; and
Whereas autistic persons defined
by autistic traits and abilities have existed for all of known history,
and likely since the dawn of humanity; and are part of the human genetic
heritage, as well as an essential part of human culture, conscience, and
progress; and
Whereas the effective segregation
of autistics who remain autistic from Canadian society, consequent to autistics
having rights only if and when we have undergone medical treatment so as
to resemble non-autistics, would result in the impoverishment of this society;
and
Whereas autistic differences, which
are at the profound level of how we perceive the world and learn from it,
are not and have never constituted a disease, disaster, or tragedy, and
in fact encompass in all autistics strengths unavailable to the
typical population; and
Whereas campaigns to eliminate autistic
behaviours, traits, and/or genetics, including by inciting fear and hatred
of autistic people through misrepresentation and sensationalism, are similar
to previous campaigns to restrict then eliminate human differences, campaigns
now universally recognized to be reprehensible acts of intolerance; and
Whereas, consistent with the intolerant
campaigns described above, autistics have been barred from the entire public
discourse about our nature, worth, treatment, and rights; and
Whereas identifiable groups who are
barred from participation in decisions made about themselves, who are censored
when they speak out, and who are freely denigrated and demeaned in their
forced absence and silence, have the worst and most expensive outcomes:
Autistic Canadians and our allies
call upon Parliament to recognize:
| 1. |
That the portrayal of
autistic persons by those claiming to represent us is inconsistent with
the existing science and with scientific and ethical principles, as well
as being in clear violation of basic Canadian values as represented by
the Charter; and |
| 2. |
That dealing with profound human
differences, as found in all autistic individuals, by applying one "medically
necessary" treatment designed according to the needs, abilities, prejudices,
and priorities of those designated as "normal", is equally a violation
of basic Canadian values; and |
| 3. |
That excluding autistic people from
any and all decision-making about ourselves constitutes a third violation
of the basic Canadian values enshrined in the Charter; and |
| 4. |
That further to the above, it is
entirely inappropriate for one group of Canadians to insist on the publicly-funded
elimination of the differences, and therefore the existence, of another
group of Canadians; and |
| 5. |
That Parliament as a whole has a responsibility to counter intolerant and hateful views of autistics now common in the media and in judicial proceedings, which views have the purpose of scaring the public and legislators into funding programs that will ensure autistic differences—our traits and abilities—are pathologized and presumed to require eradication; and |
| 6. |
That Parliament in a non-partisan way must uphold the value and humanity of autistic Canadians; and the value and contributions of our inherent differences to society; and our essential role in all decisions made about our treatment, our worth, our nature, and our rights in Canada. |
This response was written, posted, and distributed by autistic Canadians, on behalf of all those who do not share the values represented in the PETITION, above.
Michelle Dawson
"jypsy" - janet norman-bain
Ralph Smith
October 4, 2004
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