Thank Mitsubishi for supporting an Autism Campus Inclusion Leadership Program

In February I posted an email from the Autistic Self Advocacy Network describing their program for this summer:

ASAN Invites Autistic College Students to Autism Campus Inclusion Leadership Training

That program was supported by the Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation (MEAF). If you feel grateful for their support of this program, you can contact some of the executives of the Foundation.

Katsuya Takamiya, President and CEO:
http://tinyurl.com/786gdcg

Kevin R. Webb, Director, MEAF:

Mitsubishi Electric Public Relations:

I can’t take credit for finding those links. That credit goes to the “Canary Party”. Never heard of them? Well, they are an offshoot of groups like SafeMinds and others. The sort who are behind the blog, Age of Autism.

No, they didn’t collect those links in order to thank the Foundation for their efforts. They wanted their membership to complain. They have a webpage (Mitsubishi Funds Group that Opposes Preventing or Curing Autism). Their discussion is rather long, but the main points are copied below. (The original has formatting problems which they don’t seem to want to fix.)

Despite the many worthwhile autism charities desperately in need of funding, Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation (MEAF) has chosen to fund one that:
1) opposes all efforts to cure or prevent autism, denies an increase in autism prevalence and now seeks to promote this form of “activism” among college students nationwide.
2) blatantly violates MEAF’s own stated guideline: “We do not fund organizations or programs connected with a controversial social or political issue.” MEAF is funding a “neurodiversity” initiative by ASAN (Autism Self Advocacy Network) – highy controversial in the autism community. According to ASAN, “The training is meant to prepare students to engage in self-advocacy and pro-neurodiversity activism on their college campuses.”
3) promotes “self-diagnosis” of autism, causing students who may have the disorder to not qualify for college disability support services and national testing service accommodations, thus diminishing, not “enhancing” chances for academic success and future employment. “Self-diagnosis” (without medical confirmation) of any disability, disease or disorder is an irresponsible practice and should not receive corporate funding.
4) does not promote “full inclusion of people with disabilities alongside their peers without disabilities,” as called for in Mitsubishi guidelines, but promotes segregation of people with disabilities in extracurricular activities.

Yes, the “canary party”, a group devoted to promoting the failed “mercury in vaccines caused an autism epidemic” idea is claiming that ASAN is “highly controversial”. A group spreading fear of vaccines is pointing fingers claiming someone else is “irresponsible”.

Take the time. Click on the links. Let the good people at Mitsubishi know that people appreciate their support.