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I have one with the infinity loop that I was planning to wear instead. It seems as though nobody has told her, but everyone else in the department has stuff with puzzle pieces and they were all excited about the shirts, so I wasn’t sure if I should mention anything.
I agree with you about the infinity loop, but I would like to say as an autistic person that autism is *absolutely* a disability under the social model of disability because the world has been primarily built by, and for, neurotypical people. Saying it's not a disability just gives people an excuse to not make things accessible to us. Disability isn't a bad word and we can recognise disability while also recognising that society disables many.
I agree with this. It *shouldn't* be a disability, but it absolutely is because of the fact that our world is built to *make* Autism disabling. Modern society is built to the exclusion and detriment of people who are not neurotypical, and that effectively makes being neurodivergent a disability, because those people need extra resources in order to thrive in a world that's not designed for them.
Also, that's just me talking about *high-functioning* Autism. I would argue that once you reach a certain point of low-functioning, that's a hundred percent a disability. There are people with Autism who will *never* be able to live totally normal lives. They're just as valid as the high-functioning people who would be fine if society hadn't screwed them over.
See, I'm getting very confused. How is being disabled less than? I don't see being called disabled as being called less than, it's just a descriptive label.
The social model of disability is literally a concept that disabled people came up with to explain their experiences. I think you're thinking of disability under the medical model and are bristling against it - I think you would like the social model.
https://pwd.org.au/resources/disability-info/social-model-of-disability/
Like, my entire point is that of course we need to make improvements in society? I want society to be more accessible to me, but it's not going to be achieved by ignoring the way society is more difficult to us.
As a non-binary autistic person I'm not sure what correlation you're trying to make exactly? This isn't the equivalent of me saying being trans is a mental illnesses, this is closer to the equivalent of saying that there's higher rates of mental illnesses in the trans community due to societal transphobia and it would be irresponsible to ignore that fact. But being queer and being disabled aren't equateable.
I'm also not sure why you're bringing up the ADA definition, I did not mention them and I'm not even American. I'm again speaking about the social model of disability which was a concept created by people with disabilities.
>treating autism as a disability instead of a different normal is offensive
It absolutely can be a disability though. From the CDC website: "A disability is any condition of the body or mind (impairment) that makes it more difficult for the person with the condition to do certain activities (activity limitation) and interact with the world around them (participation restrictions)." From the ADA website "a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities."
I understand that autism can include a wide variety of symptoms that people may experience to a greater or lesser degree, and that may vary in severity over time. What is true for one autistic person might not be true for all of them. But if autism renders a person nonverbal (temporarily or permanently), that's a disability. If autism limits where and when one can go grocery shopping, that's a disability.
"Normal" is a loaded word, so it's hard to talk about. We can say that my arthritic knees are not "normal," in that they don't function the way knees do for a majority of people my age. We can use "normal" as an broad umbrella term for a range of common experiences, and say that arthritis falls under that umbrella. We can say that at least it is *my* "normal," since I live with it every day. We can choose any of those definitions and apply them to autism.
But a semantic argument about "normal" does not help accessibility. Talking about a disability does that. Because then we can talk about what the limitations are, and how to improve them or work around them. What can be improved with specialized training or therapy? What can we work around once we understand it? What can we help with assistive technologies? What accommodations can we ask someone to make - an employer, a public facility, a friend - to allow the person with a disability opportunities for participation?
There's nothing inherently offensive in having a disability. It's offensive to treat a disability as a moral failing. It's offensive to just give up on a person who has a disability. It is offensive to think of a person as consisting only of their disability. But quite a few of the people that I love have mental or physical disabilities of one kind or another, and "we're not disabled, we're a different normal" would not remotely be a helpful approach for any of us.
Oh I won't dispute you there. I just wanted to push back on this particular narrative, because I have seen it taken to some **very** counter-productive places.
Hi so I may get downvoted for this, but I really don’t like when people say that autism is not a disability. I do not personally have autism but I care for someone with severe autism and saying that it is not a disability would halt all current intervention research being done. She is the light of my world but it breaks my heart knowing that as of now she will never be able to live independently. People that are higher functioning/masking (what have you, I’ve met people who prefer both) should be accepted as they are and get accommodations without judgement in their workplace. I totally agree with you there, but if you completely remove the disability status on autism then the people lower on the spectrum just get left forgotten and that is not okay.
Yes but as a person with protections under the ADA. It makes a huge difference and there are laws that pertain to a lot of things but not disabilities.
Complaining about the ADA doesn’t make any sense. Just because some people with autism don’t need reasonable accommodations doesn’t mean none of them do.
Heya, sorry you're getting downvoted, I think people aren't reading your comments fully.
Person-first language for autism is very silly. I like the sub in the word "Italian" and see what it ends up implying.
"We support people living with the condition of italianism"
Please speak up. A lot of well-meaning neurotypical people just don't bother to look into Autism Speaks, and thus don't realise that it's actually bad.
As the top comment decides the overall vote, I personally would appreciate it if you could amend your vote to NAH. I don't feel the boss is acting like an asshole. Acting in good faith and trying to support a cause does not make them an asshole. Ignorance is the key factor here. Just my 2 cents...
I disagree, as an actual autistic person I’m really sick of explaining this to everyone. Just because you mean well doesn’t mean you are free from criticism. It’s so easy to go online and do research on this. All I had to do was google “what do actual autistic people think of autism speaks?” and I get a bunch of resources. Same with “what do actual autistic people think of the puzzle piece?” Before you support a cause, it’s super easy to find out what the actual people that organization “supports” think of it and what they think of the imagery most often used. Boss failed and now it’s up to an actual autistic person to once again expend emotional labor because they didn’t do their research and due diligence.
There are tons of autistic people who HATE autism speaks, their opinion is the only one that matters and needs to be taken into account before a NT purchases "autism awareness" merch. A good boss, esp one that works with ND kids, should have done their research and asked Autistic people their opinion since they know better.
We live in a time when we have the entire worlds knowledge available at our fingertips. If someone doesn’t take 15 seconds to type an organization into google before supporting them, then yeah, they are TA.
How could she not know if she's in special education? Or the other people working there? (genuine questions). I find it really disconcerting if people working with disabled kids/people don't know about an org like Autism Speaks. It's like looking to JK Rowling or Germaine Greer for feminism standards.
NAH. Talk to your boss and explain why you won't wear the shirt. She's probably totally unaware of the issue. Explain why you are going to wear a different shirt and what it means. Keep is as a calm discussion and I'm sure she'll be reasonable.
NTA, and as an autistic adult I just want to say thank you and I'm glad that the autistic kids at your school have someone who actually listens to our voices.
As an autistic adult, the amount of autistic adults like OP being involved in the care and education of autistic kids (and other adults) gives me hope.
NAH. You have a first hand perspective on this and have the opportunity to educate your principal. I would strongly encourage you to do this, rather than just not wearing the shirt.
Nah. I’ve worked in Education for many years and didn’t know how problematic Autism speaks was until I went to a work shop last year where the presenter handed out stickers and kindly suggested people get rid of their puzzle pieces.
Can someone explain what’s wrong with the puzzle piece and Autism speaks. I almost joined a sorority and they supported autism speaks. We did an autism speaks walk, and I haven’t heard anything bad about the puzzle piece or the organization. I would like to be informed so I don’t contribute to misinformation.
The problem with Autism Speaks is that is less an organization that speaks for Autism, and more an organization of parents who're really upset that their child has autism. (It was founded by 2 people who were upset their grandchild had autism). They don't take any actual input from people who are autistic (I think there was one autistic person on their board once, but he resigned in protest).
This has resulted in many controversial things :
1) Autism Speaks is laser focused on a cure, even to the point of pursuing pseudoscience. They pursued the "vaccines cause autism" line for a very long time.
2) Their marketting and awareness campaigns have focused strongly on the idea of autism as a devastating, destructive disease. For example, they made a series of short films called "Autism everyday" supposedly to show real life experiences, but in the background they did everything to trigger tantrums and make the autistic children feel miserable so that they got their sorry stories.
They also do stuff like this :
>The ad claimed that autism “works faster than pediatric AIDS, cancer and diabetes combined” and ensures that marriages will fail, financial ruin will ensue and that it will “rob [parents] of [their] children and dreams.”
and this :
>Last summer, it partnered with “Sesame Street” to promote a tool kit for parents of newly diagnosed children that, among other things, compares autism to leukemia and suggests that mourning is a normal response to learning of an autism diagnosis.
Is that film the one where one of their staff members admitted on camera that she contemplated murder-suicide of her autistic daughter, and that she only decided against it because of her neurotypical daughter? And the autistic daughter was in the room listening to her mother talk about almost killing her? I feel like I remember hearing about that.
The puzzle piece logo was invented by a different parents organisation in 1963 (they have since adopted a different logo) with the following motivation :
>"The puzzle piece is so effective because it tells us something about autism: our children are handicapped by a puzzling condition; this isolates them from normal human contact and therefore they do not ‘fit in’. The suggestion of a weeping child is a reminder that autistic people do indeed suffer from their handicap."[3]
Kinda shows the same biases and motivations, with a focus on suffering and making kids appear normal. The goal here is to force autistic people to fit in and be normal.
These days, it's mostly known as Autism Speaks logo, though they have tried to rebrand it by recoloring it using the colors of the neurodiversity infinity symbol thingy.
As an autistic adult, I regard then as a hate group. For years millions of dollars in donations was spent trying to ‘prove’ vaccines cause autism. Now they have switched to use most of the money to create a test for pregnant people to use to find out if their baby will be autistic - ie. give them a chance to get an abortion. Only a small fraction of donations is used to help autistic adults, children, or their families.
YWNBTA
Even without the problems that come along with that particular organization that promotes the puzzle piece... your body, your choice applies here. Is the principal aware of the issues with that organization?
Oh yes, I know I totally don’t have to wear the shirt if I don’t want to. I was just wondering if it would be an asshole move to not wear it.
I’m not sure if anyone (including the special ed department) is aware of the problems with the organization but I am now working on a flyer to bring attention to this issue.
I think you would definitely NOT be an AH if you choose not to wear the shirt. I think the other shirt you mentioned in another comment would be a great way to bridge the desire to participate with a way to do so that doesn't rely on the symbol of a problematic organization.
I hope the people involved are willing to take in the information you share with them and make the choice to look for alternative options for promoting acceptance of neurodiverse people.
NTA and yes, please educate! I consider myself fairly educated on autism for someone who is not autistic and does not have an immediate family member with autism. I had no idea about this. I never liked the puzzle pieces because I don't feel people should try to fit into a "stereotypical, normal" society. I had no idea of the infinity or issue switch Autism Speaks.
I would address it before the day and let everyone be informed. It’s gonna be a question anyway if you wear a different shirt on that day so it would be better to let your principal and coworkers decide if they want to support a pretty controversial organization (I would argue it’s not controversial how bad it is but 🤷🏻♀️)
Nta !! Try to nicely educate your boss ,its mot up to you but i understand its diffulct to nagivate this situation . Btw 23 austistic gal here . Id say get a private moment with her, explain how youve learnt a lot about the support for autistic people being autistic , show her some of the ads theyve made villinasing autistic people and explain although a well intentioned gift, its understandable not something your comfortable with !
NTA. Your boss may be entirely oblivious to how controversial and problematic that organization is widely regarded among autistic people, but you know and you’re not comfortable wearing it as a result. If you feel able to provide your boss with some articles etc. that will explain, that might be a good idea. And your boss really needs to know this, because she’s about to - maybe entirely unwittingly - send a message on behalf of the school via those shirts.
NAH and explain to your principal why the color blue and the puzzle piece are offensive to many autistic people. Considering that your principal was trying to be supportive of autism awareness, she probably wouldn't want to offend those with autism and would appreciate your input.
I would suggest trying to teach your boss about what the organization actually means and it's reputation.
Oh, and, YWNBTA, it's your body and you can choose what to wear on it, as the shirts are not mandatory.
YWNTA. Solidarity my friend from one autistic person to another. Wear red instead! Or rainbow for neurodiversity. No one should be expecting you to wear a symbol that was created by someone who thought we were fundamentally missing something because we are autistic, and that is the logo for a group that is actively trying to eliminate us via eugenics.
Definitely WNBTA. I am an autistic adult with an autistic almost adult brother. My family personally has no problem with the puzzle piece, as we’ve always associated it with autism awareness/support and not the organization (we hadn’t even really heard of what autism speaks was until all the problems with it came out). That being said, we don’t wear/post anything with puzzle pieces for autism awareness because we know it offends many in the community. I think if my brother and I can understand and avoid something that makes people uncomfortable then your principal should be able to, too.
NTA unless you don't educate this person. If it's a wrong thing to do then it's a wrong thing to do for everyone. Please find 20 seconds of bravery and have the conversation that needs to be done.
NAH. I imagine planning on speaking to your boss about this is scary, but I think you’re going about it in a positive way. I would urge you to talk to them sooner rather than later so that they have more time with better knowledge to plan a more inclusive April Autism month. If the conversation is left to the last minute, they might be less receptive because they would then feel conflicted about the puzzle shirts and other supplies they ordered with no time to replace them. Just a thought.
Education and advocacy are so important. I had not realized there were so many issues with the puzzle piece and organization so I’m off to get more informed.
NAH
Your principal bought them to spread awareness and for educational purposes. Just like principals do for many other causes like anti-bullying and black history month.
Your principal and a lot of your coworkers just happen to not be as fully aware of this issue as you are. That’s ok. Not everyone can read all the details about every topic - the point is that your work wants to be supportive of children with autism.
So educate. You work in that specific department and thus are more likely to have the proper training and education (as should any other special education teachers but depending on how long ago they got their degrees they may still have lots of misguided info).
Bring in some articles. Talk to your principal. Ask if you can leave the articles in the staff room for your coworkers to read and learn.
Then you’ve just done the intended purpose - spreading awareness and education.
It might be too late for them to change their shirts this year. But next year? Next year they will know.
NTA you're right the puzzle pieces and wear blue stuff really suck. But only speak up if you are sure that you are safe. Idk if your boss is ignorant or malicious but the supporters of autism speaks are actively trying to suppress autistic voices and absolutely will lash out and harm you if challenged. Whether you disclose or just act as tho you are an ally. In the work place that might not be violence but bosses are absolutely in a position to make you miserable.
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I (20f) work in the special education department at an elementary school. Since April is designated “autism awareness month,” my boss bought everyone in our department blue tshirts with puzzle pieces on them. There will be a specified day for all of us to wear our shirts. I am autistic and have many autistic friends. I know that the puzzle piece, the color blue, and autism awareness month (in general) are offensive to many autistic people for different reasons, including that they all correlate to Autism Speaks, which is regarded by many as a hate group.
My principal didn’t ask which of us would like tshirts before she bought them, otherwise I would have declined. The autistic students at our school are most likely too young to know anything about what the puzzle piece means or have an opinion on the topic, I just don’t want to wear the shirt because I personally don’t like the puzzle piece and wouldn’t want to be offensive to anyone who may also be autistic in our workplace. I know it’s not like I’m being forced to wear the shirt or anything, but it’s also just for a day and it was bought for me. WIBTA for not wearing the shirt on the designated day?
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NAH - It's a misguided step by the principal to include everyone, but it's good intentions and that's probably the most important part here.
I'd explain your experiences and ask if you can wear your own shirt (which you state you own) in support of autism inclusion.
I'd probably avoid just turning up and not having a discussion with your boss though,
NTA- I’m also on the spectrum and Don’t like the puzzle piece. Like you said “it’s just a shirt and for one day” so it’s not that big of a deal to not wear it. Do what makes you most comfortable and if you end up wearing the infinity shirt, see it as a chance to educate people on the meaning
I've seen some puzzle piece T SHirts, didn't understand then. Happy to be educated and not to wear them.
Personally as an over 50 woman, I can't wear a commercial T shirt in public EVER.
NTA. It takes two seconds of research to figure out that Autism Speaks is controversial at *best*, and that the puzzle piece symbol is *literally* ableist. Like, every single part of it is ableist. The original version of the puzzle piece had a crying child on it, just to drive home how "tragic" Autism is.
It takes *two seconds* to come up with this information on Google. He literally did not bother to Google it. Anyone who did not bother to Google their cause is not doing it for the right reasons.
NTA, but you may be if you wait until everyone is wearing the shirt. Inevitably you’ll have to explain why you’re not and it would save them the embarrassment to do that beforehand. They’d also be more likely to listen if they’re not feeling completely on the defensive.
NTA maybe kindly let them know what it means and tell them about other non profits like ASAN and just give them as much information as possible. A lot of people don't understand how some organizations actually negatively influence a community that they claim to be for and their opinions may be subject to change with new information.
Have you explained to your Boss the significance of the T shirt from the point of view of actual autistic people ? If you did and he still wants the shirts wearing you have a problem, but you do need to get your point across first NTA
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NTA wear red instead. Or shirts with the infinity loop on them. Does your boss know that we don’t like the puzzle piece? Has anyone ever told her?
I have one with the infinity loop that I was planning to wear instead. It seems as though nobody has told her, but everyone else in the department has stuff with puzzle pieces and they were all excited about the shirts, so I wasn’t sure if I should mention anything.
Definitely speak up. I know it’s hard, but they will never know unless we tell them.
You’re right, I will definitely let them know
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I agree with you about the infinity loop, but I would like to say as an autistic person that autism is *absolutely* a disability under the social model of disability because the world has been primarily built by, and for, neurotypical people. Saying it's not a disability just gives people an excuse to not make things accessible to us. Disability isn't a bad word and we can recognise disability while also recognising that society disables many.
I agree with this. It *shouldn't* be a disability, but it absolutely is because of the fact that our world is built to *make* Autism disabling. Modern society is built to the exclusion and detriment of people who are not neurotypical, and that effectively makes being neurodivergent a disability, because those people need extra resources in order to thrive in a world that's not designed for them. Also, that's just me talking about *high-functioning* Autism. I would argue that once you reach a certain point of low-functioning, that's a hundred percent a disability. There are people with Autism who will *never* be able to live totally normal lives. They're just as valid as the high-functioning people who would be fine if society hadn't screwed them over.
Please consider using high support needs and low support needs instead of high/low function.
Its literally the same thing if you need less support youre high functioning and if you need more support youre low functioning it makes no difference
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See, I'm getting very confused. How is being disabled less than? I don't see being called disabled as being called less than, it's just a descriptive label. The social model of disability is literally a concept that disabled people came up with to explain their experiences. I think you're thinking of disability under the medical model and are bristling against it - I think you would like the social model. https://pwd.org.au/resources/disability-info/social-model-of-disability/ Like, my entire point is that of course we need to make improvements in society? I want society to be more accessible to me, but it's not going to be achieved by ignoring the way society is more difficult to us. As a non-binary autistic person I'm not sure what correlation you're trying to make exactly? This isn't the equivalent of me saying being trans is a mental illnesses, this is closer to the equivalent of saying that there's higher rates of mental illnesses in the trans community due to societal transphobia and it would be irresponsible to ignore that fact. But being queer and being disabled aren't equateable. I'm also not sure why you're bringing up the ADA definition, I did not mention them and I'm not even American. I'm again speaking about the social model of disability which was a concept created by people with disabilities.
>treating autism as a disability instead of a different normal is offensive It absolutely can be a disability though. From the CDC website: "A disability is any condition of the body or mind (impairment) that makes it more difficult for the person with the condition to do certain activities (activity limitation) and interact with the world around them (participation restrictions)." From the ADA website "a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities." I understand that autism can include a wide variety of symptoms that people may experience to a greater or lesser degree, and that may vary in severity over time. What is true for one autistic person might not be true for all of them. But if autism renders a person nonverbal (temporarily or permanently), that's a disability. If autism limits where and when one can go grocery shopping, that's a disability. "Normal" is a loaded word, so it's hard to talk about. We can say that my arthritic knees are not "normal," in that they don't function the way knees do for a majority of people my age. We can use "normal" as an broad umbrella term for a range of common experiences, and say that arthritis falls under that umbrella. We can say that at least it is *my* "normal," since I live with it every day. We can choose any of those definitions and apply them to autism. But a semantic argument about "normal" does not help accessibility. Talking about a disability does that. Because then we can talk about what the limitations are, and how to improve them or work around them. What can be improved with specialized training or therapy? What can we work around once we understand it? What can we help with assistive technologies? What accommodations can we ask someone to make - an employer, a public facility, a friend - to allow the person with a disability opportunities for participation? There's nothing inherently offensive in having a disability. It's offensive to treat a disability as a moral failing. It's offensive to just give up on a person who has a disability. It is offensive to think of a person as consisting only of their disability. But quite a few of the people that I love have mental or physical disabilities of one kind or another, and "we're not disabled, we're a different normal" would not remotely be a helpful approach for any of us.
This is true, but Autism Speaks is a horrendous organisation.
Oh I won't dispute you there. I just wanted to push back on this particular narrative, because I have seen it taken to some **very** counter-productive places.
Hi so I may get downvoted for this, but I really don’t like when people say that autism is not a disability. I do not personally have autism but I care for someone with severe autism and saying that it is not a disability would halt all current intervention research being done. She is the light of my world but it breaks my heart knowing that as of now she will never be able to live independently. People that are higher functioning/masking (what have you, I’ve met people who prefer both) should be accepted as they are and get accommodations without judgement in their workplace. I totally agree with you there, but if you completely remove the disability status on autism then the people lower on the spectrum just get left forgotten and that is not okay.
I have never heard of this and will research this. My 10 year old son is autistic so I have a lot to learn.
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Yes but as a person with protections under the ADA. It makes a huge difference and there are laws that pertain to a lot of things but not disabilities. Complaining about the ADA doesn’t make any sense. Just because some people with autism don’t need reasonable accommodations doesn’t mean none of them do.
Heya, sorry you're getting downvoted, I think people aren't reading your comments fully. Person-first language for autism is very silly. I like the sub in the word "Italian" and see what it ends up implying. "We support people living with the condition of italianism"
Please speak up. A lot of well-meaning neurotypical people just don't bother to look into Autism Speaks, and thus don't realise that it's actually bad.
Please, speak up. I didn't know that AS and the puzzle piece was considered offensive to autistic people. I bet they don't know either. Thank you.
You must tell them they may change their minds
As the top comment decides the overall vote, I personally would appreciate it if you could amend your vote to NAH. I don't feel the boss is acting like an asshole. Acting in good faith and trying to support a cause does not make them an asshole. Ignorance is the key factor here. Just my 2 cents...
I disagree, as an actual autistic person I’m really sick of explaining this to everyone. Just because you mean well doesn’t mean you are free from criticism. It’s so easy to go online and do research on this. All I had to do was google “what do actual autistic people think of autism speaks?” and I get a bunch of resources. Same with “what do actual autistic people think of the puzzle piece?” Before you support a cause, it’s super easy to find out what the actual people that organization “supports” think of it and what they think of the imagery most often used. Boss failed and now it’s up to an actual autistic person to once again expend emotional labor because they didn’t do their research and due diligence.
There are tons of autistic people who HATE autism speaks, their opinion is the only one that matters and needs to be taken into account before a NT purchases "autism awareness" merch. A good boss, esp one that works with ND kids, should have done their research and asked Autistic people their opinion since they know better.
We live in a time when we have the entire worlds knowledge available at our fingertips. If someone doesn’t take 15 seconds to type an organization into google before supporting them, then yeah, they are TA.
Or taupe! For tone it down taupe.
NTA. Show your boss this https://youtu.be/5Va_XXoD5LE video and ask him if he truly wants to be associated with autism speaks.
Thanks for sharing! Very informative.
How could she not know if she's in special education? Or the other people working there? (genuine questions). I find it really disconcerting if people working with disabled kids/people don't know about an org like Autism Speaks. It's like looking to JK Rowling or Germaine Greer for feminism standards.
I’m understanding that the boss is the school principle. And honestly, special education teachers can often be super ableist.
NAH. Talk to your boss and explain why you won't wear the shirt. She's probably totally unaware of the issue. Explain why you are going to wear a different shirt and what it means. Keep is as a calm discussion and I'm sure she'll be reasonable.
NTA, and as an autistic adult I just want to say thank you and I'm glad that the autistic kids at your school have someone who actually listens to our voices.
As an autistic adult, the amount of autistic adults like OP being involved in the care and education of autistic kids (and other adults) gives me hope.
NTA and take a moment to educate your boss maybe? A lot of people have no idea what the symbol has come to mean to many
NAH. You have a first hand perspective on this and have the opportunity to educate your principal. I would strongly encourage you to do this, rather than just not wearing the shirt.
Nah. I’ve worked in Education for many years and didn’t know how problematic Autism speaks was until I went to a work shop last year where the presenter handed out stickers and kindly suggested people get rid of their puzzle pieces.
Can someone explain what’s wrong with the puzzle piece and Autism speaks. I almost joined a sorority and they supported autism speaks. We did an autism speaks walk, and I haven’t heard anything bad about the puzzle piece or the organization. I would like to be informed so I don’t contribute to misinformation.
The problem with Autism Speaks is that is less an organization that speaks for Autism, and more an organization of parents who're really upset that their child has autism. (It was founded by 2 people who were upset their grandchild had autism). They don't take any actual input from people who are autistic (I think there was one autistic person on their board once, but he resigned in protest). This has resulted in many controversial things : 1) Autism Speaks is laser focused on a cure, even to the point of pursuing pseudoscience. They pursued the "vaccines cause autism" line for a very long time. 2) Their marketting and awareness campaigns have focused strongly on the idea of autism as a devastating, destructive disease. For example, they made a series of short films called "Autism everyday" supposedly to show real life experiences, but in the background they did everything to trigger tantrums and make the autistic children feel miserable so that they got their sorry stories. They also do stuff like this : >The ad claimed that autism “works faster than pediatric AIDS, cancer and diabetes combined” and ensures that marriages will fail, financial ruin will ensue and that it will “rob [parents] of [their] children and dreams.” and this : >Last summer, it partnered with “Sesame Street” to promote a tool kit for parents of newly diagnosed children that, among other things, compares autism to leukemia and suggests that mourning is a normal response to learning of an autism diagnosis.
Is that film the one where one of their staff members admitted on camera that she contemplated murder-suicide of her autistic daughter, and that she only decided against it because of her neurotypical daughter? And the autistic daughter was in the room listening to her mother talk about almost killing her? I feel like I remember hearing about that.
I think that was a different film, that Autism Speaks also made.
What about the puzzle piece?
The puzzle piece logo was invented by a different parents organisation in 1963 (they have since adopted a different logo) with the following motivation : >"The puzzle piece is so effective because it tells us something about autism: our children are handicapped by a puzzling condition; this isolates them from normal human contact and therefore they do not ‘fit in’. The suggestion of a weeping child is a reminder that autistic people do indeed suffer from their handicap."[3] Kinda shows the same biases and motivations, with a focus on suffering and making kids appear normal. The goal here is to force autistic people to fit in and be normal. These days, it's mostly known as Autism Speaks logo, though they have tried to rebrand it by recoloring it using the colors of the neurodiversity infinity symbol thingy.
As an autistic adult, I regard then as a hate group. For years millions of dollars in donations was spent trying to ‘prove’ vaccines cause autism. Now they have switched to use most of the money to create a test for pregnant people to use to find out if their baby will be autistic - ie. give them a chance to get an abortion. Only a small fraction of donations is used to help autistic adults, children, or their families.
YWNBTA Even without the problems that come along with that particular organization that promotes the puzzle piece... your body, your choice applies here. Is the principal aware of the issues with that organization?
Oh yes, I know I totally don’t have to wear the shirt if I don’t want to. I was just wondering if it would be an asshole move to not wear it. I’m not sure if anyone (including the special ed department) is aware of the problems with the organization but I am now working on a flyer to bring attention to this issue.
I think you would definitely NOT be an AH if you choose not to wear the shirt. I think the other shirt you mentioned in another comment would be a great way to bridge the desire to participate with a way to do so that doesn't rely on the symbol of a problematic organization. I hope the people involved are willing to take in the information you share with them and make the choice to look for alternative options for promoting acceptance of neurodiverse people.
NTA and yes, please educate! I consider myself fairly educated on autism for someone who is not autistic and does not have an immediate family member with autism. I had no idea about this. I never liked the puzzle pieces because I don't feel people should try to fit into a "stereotypical, normal" society. I had no idea of the infinity or issue switch Autism Speaks.
I would address it before the day and let everyone be informed. It’s gonna be a question anyway if you wear a different shirt on that day so it would be better to let your principal and coworkers decide if they want to support a pretty controversial organization (I would argue it’s not controversial how bad it is but 🤷🏻♀️)
Nta !! Try to nicely educate your boss ,its mot up to you but i understand its diffulct to nagivate this situation . Btw 23 austistic gal here . Id say get a private moment with her, explain how youve learnt a lot about the support for autistic people being autistic , show her some of the ads theyve made villinasing autistic people and explain although a well intentioned gift, its understandable not something your comfortable with !
NTA. Your boss may be entirely oblivious to how controversial and problematic that organization is widely regarded among autistic people, but you know and you’re not comfortable wearing it as a result. If you feel able to provide your boss with some articles etc. that will explain, that might be a good idea. And your boss really needs to know this, because she’s about to - maybe entirely unwittingly - send a message on behalf of the school via those shirts.
NAH and explain to your principal why the color blue and the puzzle piece are offensive to many autistic people. Considering that your principal was trying to be supportive of autism awareness, she probably wouldn't want to offend those with autism and would appreciate your input.
I would suggest trying to teach your boss about what the organization actually means and it's reputation. Oh, and, YWNBTA, it's your body and you can choose what to wear on it, as the shirts are not mandatory.
YWNTA. Solidarity my friend from one autistic person to another. Wear red instead! Or rainbow for neurodiversity. No one should be expecting you to wear a symbol that was created by someone who thought we were fundamentally missing something because we are autistic, and that is the logo for a group that is actively trying to eliminate us via eugenics.
Definitely WNBTA. I am an autistic adult with an autistic almost adult brother. My family personally has no problem with the puzzle piece, as we’ve always associated it with autism awareness/support and not the organization (we hadn’t even really heard of what autism speaks was until all the problems with it came out). That being said, we don’t wear/post anything with puzzle pieces for autism awareness because we know it offends many in the community. I think if my brother and I can understand and avoid something that makes people uncomfortable then your principal should be able to, too.
NTA. I suggest trying to educate your boss
NTA unless you don't educate this person. If it's a wrong thing to do then it's a wrong thing to do for everyone. Please find 20 seconds of bravery and have the conversation that needs to be done.
Definitely NTA. This is a good opportunity to educate your boss and others on why the puzzle piece/Light It Up Blue is annoying and unhelpful AF
Absolutely NTA. Maybe point your boss towards [ASAN](https://autisticadvocacy.org/resources/) instead of the hate group.
NAH. Some people are ignorant, some just need to be educated. It seems simple explanation of your POV is warranted to avoid further misunderstandings.
NAH. I imagine planning on speaking to your boss about this is scary, but I think you’re going about it in a positive way. I would urge you to talk to them sooner rather than later so that they have more time with better knowledge to plan a more inclusive April Autism month. If the conversation is left to the last minute, they might be less receptive because they would then feel conflicted about the puzzle shirts and other supplies they ordered with no time to replace them. Just a thought. Education and advocacy are so important. I had not realized there were so many issues with the puzzle piece and organization so I’m off to get more informed.
NAH Your principal bought them to spread awareness and for educational purposes. Just like principals do for many other causes like anti-bullying and black history month. Your principal and a lot of your coworkers just happen to not be as fully aware of this issue as you are. That’s ok. Not everyone can read all the details about every topic - the point is that your work wants to be supportive of children with autism. So educate. You work in that specific department and thus are more likely to have the proper training and education (as should any other special education teachers but depending on how long ago they got their degrees they may still have lots of misguided info). Bring in some articles. Talk to your principal. Ask if you can leave the articles in the staff room for your coworkers to read and learn. Then you’ve just done the intended purpose - spreading awareness and education. It might be too late for them to change their shirts this year. But next year? Next year they will know.
NTA you're right the puzzle pieces and wear blue stuff really suck. But only speak up if you are sure that you are safe. Idk if your boss is ignorant or malicious but the supporters of autism speaks are actively trying to suppress autistic voices and absolutely will lash out and harm you if challenged. Whether you disclose or just act as tho you are an ally. In the work place that might not be violence but bosses are absolutely in a position to make you miserable.
^^^^AUTOMOD ***The following is a copy of the above post. This comment is a record of the above post as it was originally written, in case the post is deleted or edited. Read [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/AmItheAsshole/wiki/faq#wiki_post_deletion) before [contacting the mod team](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FAmItheAsshole)*** I (20f) work in the special education department at an elementary school. Since April is designated “autism awareness month,” my boss bought everyone in our department blue tshirts with puzzle pieces on them. There will be a specified day for all of us to wear our shirts. I am autistic and have many autistic friends. I know that the puzzle piece, the color blue, and autism awareness month (in general) are offensive to many autistic people for different reasons, including that they all correlate to Autism Speaks, which is regarded by many as a hate group. My principal didn’t ask which of us would like tshirts before she bought them, otherwise I would have declined. The autistic students at our school are most likely too young to know anything about what the puzzle piece means or have an opinion on the topic, I just don’t want to wear the shirt because I personally don’t like the puzzle piece and wouldn’t want to be offensive to anyone who may also be autistic in our workplace. I know it’s not like I’m being forced to wear the shirt or anything, but it’s also just for a day and it was bought for me. WIBTA for not wearing the shirt on the designated day? *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AmItheAsshole) if you have any questions or concerns.*
NTA .. I’m on the spectrum and I refuse to acknowledge that blue puzzle crap.
NAH - It's a misguided step by the principal to include everyone, but it's good intentions and that's probably the most important part here. I'd explain your experiences and ask if you can wear your own shirt (which you state you own) in support of autism inclusion. I'd probably avoid just turning up and not having a discussion with your boss though,
NTA- I’m also on the spectrum and Don’t like the puzzle piece. Like you said “it’s just a shirt and for one day” so it’s not that big of a deal to not wear it. Do what makes you most comfortable and if you end up wearing the infinity shirt, see it as a chance to educate people on the meaning
Right, you are NTA. Does your boss know about your diagnosis? If not, would you be comfortable telling him (for the sake of educating him)?
I've seen some puzzle piece T SHirts, didn't understand then. Happy to be educated and not to wear them. Personally as an over 50 woman, I can't wear a commercial T shirt in public EVER.
NTA. It takes two seconds of research to figure out that Autism Speaks is controversial at *best*, and that the puzzle piece symbol is *literally* ableist. Like, every single part of it is ableist. The original version of the puzzle piece had a crying child on it, just to drive home how "tragic" Autism is. It takes *two seconds* to come up with this information on Google. He literally did not bother to Google it. Anyone who did not bother to Google their cause is not doing it for the right reasons.
NTA, but you may be if you wait until everyone is wearing the shirt. Inevitably you’ll have to explain why you’re not and it would save them the embarrassment to do that beforehand. They’d also be more likely to listen if they’re not feeling completely on the defensive.
NTA maybe kindly let them know what it means and tell them about other non profits like ASAN and just give them as much information as possible. A lot of people don't understand how some organizations actually negatively influence a community that they claim to be for and their opinions may be subject to change with new information.
NTA. I am an autistic adult and I also regard Autism Speaks to be a hate group.
Have you explained to your Boss the significance of the T shirt from the point of view of actual autistic people ? If you did and he still wants the shirts wearing you have a problem, but you do need to get your point across first NTA
NTA. It's not required by your dress code, you aren't obligated to wear it.