You no doubt remember fundraising appeals from third world charities asking you to sponsor and give money to the ‘poor’ children of Africa with images of sorrowful little faces on begging boxes and cans, underscored by patronizing and trite appeals to your sense of sympathy and justice…AutismNI/AutismUlster’s public relations team have copped on to the power of ‘feeling sorry’ in their recent fundraising campaign. Nothing like using pain, unhappiness and pity to get what you want.
Instead of the ‘poor black babies’ of Africa, their focus of course, is our own ‘poor little autistic’ children.
Here is an excerpt from their ‘gifting’ postcard. For those of you who have not paid your membership to AutismNI/Autism Ulster, you will not have sight of the offending article. It features the photo of a child who allegedly has a diagnosis of ASD. The writing underneath his photo states, -
“This child has a diagnosis of autism. He may never develop language, is unable to relate to the outside world in a meaningful way and gets upset when taken away from familiar things. He also does not sleep well, will only eat certain foods and is very sensitive to noise. This is Autism. (Is it?)
Arggggghhhhhhhh ….it goes on….(am retaining this postcard for future posterity - i will show it to my children when they grow up and tell them what some people 'used' to think of their brother. )
“But you can help! Through your support we can provide effective services to families who have a child with Autism and can enable the 20,000 people in Northern Ireland affected by Autism to become valued members of the community.”
(Interesting to note that AutismNI/Autism Ulster has had 20 years to do this so far, and it still hasn’t happened.)
On the reverse side of the postcard suggested donations are outlined : -
£4.00 – will pay for an information pack to be sent to parents of a newly diagnosed child
£20.00 – will support our parent/user helpline
£30.00 will pay for a counselling session with a family support worker.
(£50.00 will pay for an ox, a goat, a chicken coop – you get the picture)
Considering Health Trusts already fund AutismNI/Autism Ulster for many of their helpline/counseling workers, I don’t understand the need for more money in this regard.
But, let’s get back to the language used by AutismNI/Autism Ulster to describe autism. Don’t you just love it when the word ‘never’ is used regarding our children. Self fulfilling prophesies abound regarding our kids and feed the autism industry no end. Who is AutismNI/AutismUlster that they know anything about the possibilities of our children?
The description of autism here is offensive in the extreme. Instead of dwelling on impossibility, (for which there is no such thing regarding our children) they could have said, ‘he WILL develop language if only we could get it together to get our finger out of our proverbial and provide a concerted challenge to society to change their beliefs about our kids and lobby for programs (and not expensive autism bills) that are individualized and tailored to the specific child and his family.’
It begs the question of what is the point of contributing your hard earned cash to this charity if they believe our kids are lost causes. Autism is treatable, and recovery from autism is possible. AutismNI/AutismUlster promotes a self fulfilling prophesy for our children and seems to be expecting you to pay for that. Why? If our kids are so hopeless, why bother?
They could have said, ‘this child relates to the world in a different way, one that is fascinating, unique, authentic and totally within the ability of society to understand, if only they would shuffle off their skewed beliefs about the importance of ‘conformity’, and what is ‘acceptable’.
They also could have said, ‘peer reviewed research around the world is consistently pointing to the environment as a possible causation of autism and your donation will help us fund quality research and a care pathway for children suffering from sleep disorders, gut dysbiosis, allergies and other physical correlations with an autism spectrum diagnosis.’ (Of course, when you have a charity who accepts money from huge pharmaceutical companies who ply drugs to our children and their parents, you aren’t going to bite the hand that feeds you!) AutismNI/Autism Ulster was very happy to accept money from Glaxo Smithkline here: http://www.autismni.org/news/pressreleases_view.asp?ID=25
AutismNI/AutismUlster, in my opinion, takes the low road in this regard. The biggest joke of this fundraising campaign is on the reverse of this card, where they state that AutismNI/AutismUlster ‘increases the quality and range of services available for individuals with Autism through training and education. Northern Ireland still provides one teaching program for our kids (TEACCH), no ABA, no Montessori, and limited funding for alternatives for home educators who want something specific to their children. Every year, talking heads from North Carolina TEACCH central come to Northern Ireland to drone on about the same old thing.
By now, we should have had many of our experts in this 'system' who could provide in house training across the province instead of having to spend thousands of pounds continually year after year.
Speech therapists are scarce (and often useless), sensory integration is virtually unheard of and autism specific schools, well that is another matter altogether. Meanwhile, in my opinion, parent members of AutismNI/Autism Ulster waste their time echoing and fighting for the political aspirations of Arlene Cassidy and her buddy Iris Robinson, wasting their time picketing the offices of certain political representatives who have eschewed the autism bill in favor of common sense.
‘Quality’ and autism services in Northern Ireland anyway, is an oxymoron. We need a good outcomes study of the millions of pounds already spent on so called autism training. Classroom aides in mainstream schools are wholly under-trained, if trained at all, parents get even less access to training unless they want to pay for it.
Meanwhile ‘our’ autism charity continues to tout our children as potential lost causes, making money off their backs and off their diagnosis’.
The fact that children all over the world are losing their diagnosis’ of autism doesn’t seem to interest AutismNI/Autism Ulster. Why would it? This should be on the front pages of AutismNI/Autism Ulster's web site. But no, not a dickey bird. Better to keep that kind of information hidden in case parents start to ask for more for their children.
Here is an excerpt taken from AutismNI/Autism Ulster's quarterly newsletter (Summer 2008). An article entitled 'Autism', written by a 15 year old girl explains her take on autism. As the article was vetted for the said newsletter by the charity, I presume the charity agrees with it as well. "Remember", she says, "Autism is a lifelong sentence and cannot be treated." Again, if that is so, why is it that on virtually every page of the newsletter does the charity beg for money for those 'untreatable' children? Why not just call for the blanket institutionalisation of all children with autism?
AutismNI/Autism Ulster appears to be working closely with Autism Initiatives (provider of group homes, etc) this is, in my opinion, a nice little number, a cozy airtight relationship – with one group guaranteeing the existence of the other. Autism Initiatives would not be building group homes all over the province unless they were sure they would be filled. ‘If you build it, they will come’ springs to mind. Continuing to use words like ‘never’ will ensure a steady stream of in-mates for these facilities.
AutismNI/Autism Ulster is proud of its 20 year history. I don’t know why. The only reason the charity has been allowed to flourish is because the statutory sector relinquished it’s responsibility to our children, favoring instead, to delegate the ‘problem’. AutismNI/Autism Ulster was ready and waiting to keep our kids in a holding pattern that now employs 24 staff.
In my opinion, the lack of, in fact the clear absence of lobbying by AutismNI/Autism Ulster for evidence based services and training in the province attests to this fact. The only 'lobbying' of the charity has been Arlene Cassidy’s autism bill. Politicians have realized how they had been duped, but moreso, how much it would cost, both in legal challenges and in rolling it out.
But back to the topic of this blog entry. Before you even consider giving one penny to AutismNI/Autism Ulster, please ask yourself the following questions: -
Is it ethical for the charity to fundraise from already financially overstretched parents, parents whose homes often break up with the breadwinner (husband) often leaving, homes where parents often cannot even work?
Are you sure where and for what the money is going to be used for? It costs a lot of money to pay 24 staff, money that could be used to actually lobby for real change in this province. With that many employees, the government should be inundated with demands for positive change for our children. We shouldn’t be in the mess we are currently in. Does AutismNI/Autism Ulster need money for more public relations, media and lobbying tables? Is anyone asking these questions? Does anyone actually know or care how much the charity has spent on lobbying for the autism bill? Maybe Iris Robinson knows and should indeed be asked.
Could you do better? Could you start your own autism support group and elect someone to carry out research, a scoping exercise of services in Northern Ireland? Could you disseminate that research to the wider community for free? Could you fundraise monies from the lottery or from private patrons and use it directly for your children? I bet you could, I know you could. And I am sure you could do it without the need of employing 24 people.
AutismNI/Autism Ulster will never receive a penny from me until it starts demanding what my child needs as an individual first. To date I see nothing of interest on their website, in fact compared to the NAS website, it is a blank page. There is so much going on regarding autism in Northern Ireland right now with the RASD autism strategy – yet Autism NI/Autism Ulster remains silent.
I believe AutismNI/Autism Ulster has spent much time and money and effort lobbying for something I did not want, the government does not want, and something my child does not need. Instead of financing the political aspiirations of AutismNI/Autism Ulster with your hard earned cash, a simple phone call to the charity might be better. Ring them and ask them for their current financial statement and an explanation of how next year’s projected budget is going to be spent and how it will benefit your child. The worst that we, as parents can do, is to just assume. That is what the statutory sector has done for 20 years and that is why our children are living in this current mess.
The rot we currently face regarding autism, here in Northern Ireland does not solely rest with AutismNI/Autism Ulster. I am hopeful for the future though, as more parents are becoming aware, are being empowered and governments officials are realizing the error of their ways. Big things are afoot in Northern Ireland regarding autism and they have nothing to do with AutismNI/Autism Ulster or any other charity for that matter.
It’s an exciting time and should be embraced. The word ‘never’ is slowly being removed from the autism lexicon and the autism dinosaurs here are having to face their own extinction. To all the wonderful, astute, well informed parents I have met in the past 2 months, I say thank you and thank God for the opportunity to have met you all.
Nothing stays the same forever, even here in Northern Ireland! Exciting times are ahead whether you fund AutismNI/Autism Ulster's 'never' campaign, or not.
Showing posts with label Arlene Cassidy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Arlene Cassidy. Show all posts
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Friday, October 2, 2009
SHAM - Autism Bill - Everybody Now Knows!
2 October 2009
Top doctor's autism bill concerns
NI's chief medical officer has said he has "significant concerns" about proposed autism legislation.
Dr Michael McBride said it could lead to discrimination against those with similar disabilities who have not been diagnosed on the autistic spectrum.
He warned the assembly's health committee that parents could seek an autism diagnosis to access facilities.
Arlene Cassidy of the charity Autism NI said she was "astounded" by Dr McBride's comments.
"I find the chief medical officer ill informed about the purpose of the Autism Bill," she told BBC Radio Ulster.
"This is a good thing, it is about building upon the good work of the departments of health and education - this bill is about joining up government."
Dr McBride said he had a number of major concerns about the Autism Bill (NI).
“ Legislation would encourage more strategic planning regionally across all departments ” Arlene Cassidy Autism NI
He said he was worried about the "substantive administrative costs that would be incurred and the lack of clarity over how the legislation could be put into operation, given our current equality legislation".
"I believe this legislation could discriminate against individuals who could have a similar range of disabilities such as speech, language and communication problems but are not on the autism spectrum," he added.
His comments were backed by director of mental health Dr Maura Briscoe, who warned the committee the bill could create a hierarchy of disability and create labelling "not to the benefit of the people of Northern Ireland".
An action plan to improve services was introduced earlier this year, but Ms Cassidy said legislation was necessary to ensure a multi-agency approach.
"The autism action plan is a positive step forward but it is for the Department of Health - autism is a holistic problem, it is a lifelong problem and involves other government departments," she said.
"People involved in the action plan have found they haven't got co-operation from other departments, so legislation would encourage more strategic planning regionally across all departments."
'Support'
One of the bill's supporters, SDLP assembly member Dominic Bradley, told the BBC he remained confident the bill would eventually be passed despite the objections of Dr McBride and Health Minister Michael McGimpsey.
"I don't think it's the end of the road - we have the support of the majority of political parties and indeed we did have the support of the Ulster Unionist Party until recently," he said.
Mr Bradley said cross-departmental planning would save money by removing "duplication of effort".
Ulster Unionist peer Lord Maginness, who was involved in drawing up the autism action plan, said introducing legislation would be costly and time-wasting.
"Based on the needs of parents, carers and users rather than the demands of a voluntary group or politicians, we've got a lead autism director in each trust, a project team and will soon be able to assess every two-year-old child in Northern Ireland," he said.
listen live on BBC IPlayer here: (fast forward to 1 hr and 42 minutes for this particular 9 minute clip) http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00n01vl/Good_Morning_Ulster_02_10_2009/
Story from BBC NEWS:http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/northern_ireland/8286565.stmPublished: 2009/10/02 08:50:48 GMT© BBC MMIX
**Let's remember Arlene Cassidy's references to 'looking on the bright side', following the Middletown Centre for Autism fallout in May this year.
In this clip from 18 May 2009,(http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/8056444.stm) Ms Cassidy was asked her opinion over the Middletown debacle. She responded, "maybe this provides us all with an opportunity...I am a great believer in looking for the silver lining and maybe some of the funding diverted to Middletown can be used otherwise."
Yes Ms Cassidy, I agree with you on that one. With regard to the Autism Bill and the exorbitant amount of money it would waste, your previous comments regarding 'diversion' of monies are applicable here too. Let's 'divert' money for this ridiculous bill, to those who need it most, namely our children. Seriously, what has changed for our children in the past 20 years, actually the same 20 years that AutismNI/AutismUlster has been in existence? How many ASD specific schools with trained teachers would the Autism Bill buy? How many youth/adult employment transition schemes would it fund? The comparison of Northern Ireland to the Republic or to England is dire in terms of what is available for our children. We need real early intervention, not half hazard 'attempts'. We need a complete overhaul of the belief systems of those who work with our kids in this province. Our children need so much - legislation guarantees nothing - in fact it might even make things worse by creating a restrictive perimeter around what can/cannot be done.
Autism in Northern Ireland seems to be more about wasting money than anything else. 7 million pounds has already disappeared down the Middletown rabbit hole, much of it having gone into the pockets of Directors.
The fact our 'legislators' allowed 7 million pounds to be wasted, that it was done 'legally' is not very encouraging. What we could have done with that money!!
Let's not make the same mistake again. The Autism Bill is a fruitless, redundant and ultimately damaging idea and I am so thankful that some people in Northern Ireland are seeing sense and that others are finally having their voice heard over the din of others' egos and career ambitions.
Top doctor's autism bill concerns
NI's chief medical officer has said he has "significant concerns" about proposed autism legislation.
Dr Michael McBride said it could lead to discrimination against those with similar disabilities who have not been diagnosed on the autistic spectrum.
He warned the assembly's health committee that parents could seek an autism diagnosis to access facilities.
Arlene Cassidy of the charity Autism NI said she was "astounded" by Dr McBride's comments.
"I find the chief medical officer ill informed about the purpose of the Autism Bill," she told BBC Radio Ulster.
"This is a good thing, it is about building upon the good work of the departments of health and education - this bill is about joining up government."
Dr McBride said he had a number of major concerns about the Autism Bill (NI).
“ Legislation would encourage more strategic planning regionally across all departments ” Arlene Cassidy Autism NI
He said he was worried about the "substantive administrative costs that would be incurred and the lack of clarity over how the legislation could be put into operation, given our current equality legislation".
"I believe this legislation could discriminate against individuals who could have a similar range of disabilities such as speech, language and communication problems but are not on the autism spectrum," he added.
His comments were backed by director of mental health Dr Maura Briscoe, who warned the committee the bill could create a hierarchy of disability and create labelling "not to the benefit of the people of Northern Ireland".
An action plan to improve services was introduced earlier this year, but Ms Cassidy said legislation was necessary to ensure a multi-agency approach.
"The autism action plan is a positive step forward but it is for the Department of Health - autism is a holistic problem, it is a lifelong problem and involves other government departments," she said.
"People involved in the action plan have found they haven't got co-operation from other departments, so legislation would encourage more strategic planning regionally across all departments."
'Support'
One of the bill's supporters, SDLP assembly member Dominic Bradley, told the BBC he remained confident the bill would eventually be passed despite the objections of Dr McBride and Health Minister Michael McGimpsey.
"I don't think it's the end of the road - we have the support of the majority of political parties and indeed we did have the support of the Ulster Unionist Party until recently," he said.
Mr Bradley said cross-departmental planning would save money by removing "duplication of effort".
Ulster Unionist peer Lord Maginness, who was involved in drawing up the autism action plan, said introducing legislation would be costly and time-wasting.
"Based on the needs of parents, carers and users rather than the demands of a voluntary group or politicians, we've got a lead autism director in each trust, a project team and will soon be able to assess every two-year-old child in Northern Ireland," he said.
listen live on BBC IPlayer here: (fast forward to 1 hr and 42 minutes for this particular 9 minute clip) http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00n01vl/Good_Morning_Ulster_02_10_2009/
Story from BBC NEWS:http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/northern_ireland/8286565.stmPublished: 2009/10/02 08:50:48 GMT© BBC MMIX
**Let's remember Arlene Cassidy's references to 'looking on the bright side', following the Middletown Centre for Autism fallout in May this year.
In this clip from 18 May 2009,(http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/8056444.stm) Ms Cassidy was asked her opinion over the Middletown debacle. She responded, "maybe this provides us all with an opportunity...I am a great believer in looking for the silver lining and maybe some of the funding diverted to Middletown can be used otherwise."
Yes Ms Cassidy, I agree with you on that one. With regard to the Autism Bill and the exorbitant amount of money it would waste, your previous comments regarding 'diversion' of monies are applicable here too. Let's 'divert' money for this ridiculous bill, to those who need it most, namely our children. Seriously, what has changed for our children in the past 20 years, actually the same 20 years that AutismNI/AutismUlster has been in existence? How many ASD specific schools with trained teachers would the Autism Bill buy? How many youth/adult employment transition schemes would it fund? The comparison of Northern Ireland to the Republic or to England is dire in terms of what is available for our children. We need real early intervention, not half hazard 'attempts'. We need a complete overhaul of the belief systems of those who work with our kids in this province. Our children need so much - legislation guarantees nothing - in fact it might even make things worse by creating a restrictive perimeter around what can/cannot be done.
Autism in Northern Ireland seems to be more about wasting money than anything else. 7 million pounds has already disappeared down the Middletown rabbit hole, much of it having gone into the pockets of Directors.
The fact our 'legislators' allowed 7 million pounds to be wasted, that it was done 'legally' is not very encouraging. What we could have done with that money!!
Let's not make the same mistake again. The Autism Bill is a fruitless, redundant and ultimately damaging idea and I am so thankful that some people in Northern Ireland are seeing sense and that others are finally having their voice heard over the din of others' egos and career ambitions.
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