Ari Ne’eman is coming to Rochester and he’s going to be giving a talk called “Neurodiversity, Autistic Self-Advocacy and New Constituencies in the Disability Rights Movement.” It will be taking place on Thursday, October 7th from 6 – 8 pm at CDR, 497 State Street. We hope you can make it. Click Here for the Event Flyer

Ari is one of the country’s leading experts on and advocates for people with autism. He is the founding President of the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, where he initiates and directs efforts to increase the representation of autistic individuals in public policy discussions. He is an adult on the autism spectrum and a leading advocate in the neurodiversity movement, frequently briefing policymakers and speaking publicly on disability and autism policy issues. In 2009, President Obama nominated Ari to the National Council on Disability, a federal agency charged with advising Congress and the President on disability policy issues. He was confirmed by the Senate in July 2010. In April 2010, he was appointed by Secretary Sebelius as a public member to the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee, a Federal advisory committee that coordinates all efforts within the Department of Health and Human Services concerning autism.

The discussion will include what priorities the Autistic Self-Advocacy community has for the realization of that community’s civil rights, non-traditional access issues and how to think about making a world that is accessible for an even more diverse disability community, concerns over potential eugenic directions in autism research and the broader idea of “neurodiversity” and how it connects with the disability rights agenda for all people with disabilities. There will be opportunity afterwards for questions and discussion.

It is sure to be a provocative, informative evening. Join us!

For more information you can visit:

http://www.nomyths.org/
http://www.autisticadvocacy.org/

Two other unique and exciting events happening with Ari’s visit are:

*Ari will be appearing on the radio on WXXI’s 1370 Connection with Bob Smith. That’s 1370 AM on Thursday, October 7th at 1pm. You can also listen to the show online at http://interactive.wxxi.org/listen.

*For adults on the autism spectrum, there is a discussion group happening with Ari at CDR, 497 State Street on Friday, October 8th from 10am – Noon.

Please contact me if you have any questions on any of the events taking place with Ari’s visit. My phone number is (585) 546-7510 and my e-mail is datias@cdrnys.org