My Money $peaks is a call to action follow-up to  Fear, Hate, and Exclusion: It’s time to silence Autism Speaks!

There is a growing movement to inform and pressure the corporate sponsors of Autism Speaks to withdraw their support from this organization. An important part of this action is ASAN’s Joint Letter to the Sponsors of Autism Speaks. Another important part to this is the move to mobilize our voices to contact the sponsors and ultimately to boycott businesses that continue to support the destructive and stigmatizing organization that is Autism Speaks.

Through ending their sponsorship, businesses would be taking a stand for social justice and supporting a massive and much-needed shift in the conversation. You can read more about this action and contact the corporate sponsors of Autism Speaks through the beautifully organized links provided on the Boycott Autism Speaks site.

Here is an excerpt from the eloquent joint letter ASAN has written to inform the sponsors of the concerns around supporting Autism Speaks:

“…We applaud you for your interest in supporting the autism and developmental disability, yet firmly believe that your support would have a more positive impact were it invested elsewhere. As a result, we the undersigned members of the disability community stand together in urging you to end your support of Autism Speaks and re-allocate your donations to a recipient who can better represent the needs and desires of autistic people and our families.” (from ASAN’s Joint Letter to the Corporate Sponsors of Autism Speaks)

We have a powerful opportunity to let these sponsors know that we want them to shift their funding to organizations that support Autistic people and their families, rather than one that excludes the voices and perspectives of Autistic people, and focuses on spreading fear and shame through the use of negative stigma.

Boycott Autism Speaks! http://boycottautismspeaks.com

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30 Days of Autism is a project designed to fight stigma, promote civil rights, and increase understanding and acceptance for those who process and experience the world differently.

©Leah Kelley, Thirty Days of Autism (2013)