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For Immediate Release [first published on March 29, 2009] The League to Fight Neurelitism is a public sociology and an advocacy journalism project. We actively promote the application of United Nations values on human rights and social justice for all members of the autistic community. In the United States, April of each year has been designated as National Autism Awareness Month; and on November 1, 2007, the General Assembly of the United Nations proclaimed April 2, 2008, as the first annual World Autism Awareness Day. A United Nations press release, dated April 2, 2008, announced: “On this day, the United Nations reaffirms its commitment to the rights and well-being of people with disabilities -- a commitment rooted in our fundamental principle of universal human rights for all,” United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a statement marking the day. “It is especially fitting that this inaugural Day falls in 2008 -- the year in which we celebrate the sixtieth anniversary of the United Nations Declaration for Human Rights and expect to see the entry into force of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, adopted by the General Assembly in 2006.” The League to Fight Neurelitism joins in solidarity with the United Nations, the United States government, various public and private organizations, and many persons of integrity in proclaiming World Autism Awareness Day and National Autism Awareness Month. We hope that this time period, and any commemorations associated with it, will promote both reflection and unified action on improved accommodations and access for autistic individuals. Members of the autistic self-advocacy subculture, in common with minority activists in numerous other communities, wish to be respected and honored in their differences, not changed to suit the values of the majority.
Respectfully submitted,
Mark A. Foster, Ph.D. -30- |
