Autistic self-advocate Katie Miller speaks at the IACC May 4, 2009

Katie Miller giving public testimony at the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) on May 4, 2009. Location: National Institute of Health campus in Bethesda, MD.
Self-advocates Ari Ne'eman and Paula Durbin-Westby also gave public testimony at this meeting.

Permission to post this segment granted by the NIH.

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• autism
• IACC
• NIH
• autism genes
• aspergers
• self-advocate
• autism rights
• disability
• disability rights
• Autistic pride
• neurodiversity
• Autistic
• Autistic self-advocate
• ASAN
• Autistic adults
• autism healthcare
• autism language
• eugenics
• research dollar parity
• quality of life
• AAC
• Katie Miller
• Ari Ne'eman

[PDurbinWestby]

This is just excellent testimony, Katie. Even on second hearing. I am glad you posted it because I will probably watch it more than once.

[almightyjamez]

Wow, you read my mind and then made sweet, sweet love to it

[Lisaannjoel]

Thanks Katie!

[cjamdj]

This took place 2 years ago, and Katie's mind is still ahead of her times....REPOST! Let us press on in all aspects Neurodiversity!!!

[paulwady]

The Eugenicists/Curebies/Neurofaci­sts need to be relate to by our cause. To explain that its all very well trying to change someones brain to being they way some parents want it to be, but is that natural or healthy for the individual? No matter how 'normal' the behaviour you are after, you may just be teaching autistics to pretend to be something they are not.

I spent my life pretending not to be autistic. It does not help when society only thinks in terms of 'normal' and 'abnormal & bad'.

[CHistrue]

I made a video with a similar message. Do parents of young children want a cure twenty years down the road, one that might be a chimera? It makes more sense to invest in the full potential and civil rights of each person now. Genetic research is fine in and of itself. However, in the long run, given the fact that America seems to have eugenics buried deep in its culture, resurfacing every so often, extreme danger exists when genetic research is seen in that context.

[tlcoopi7]

I am definitely showing this when I do my autism presentation.

[BumsenDK]

awesome.