Stop Autism Speaks & send autism advocates on a protest tour at Autism Speaks walks across the USA. 

In 2013 I made a film titled CITIZEN AUTISTIC because I saw the pressing need to address political issues within the autism community, and to expose society at large to the many controversies surrounding autism funding.

For a number of years the organization Autism Speaks has been draining the community of funds and resources. My film exposes how Autism Speaks relies on propaganda and myths to fund their genetic research, not considering the families that it states to support. Featured interviews include Ari Ne'eman of the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, Landon Bryce of thAutcast, Author/Artist Robyn Steward, Shannon Des Roches Rosa of a Thinking Person's Guide to Autism, Paula Durbin-Westby of the Autism Acceptance Day, and other autism self advocates.

Does Autism Speaks represent the autism communities authentic concerns, or are they only exploiting the cause for financial means? The divide between parents of children on the spectrum and adults with autism/Aspergers is at the core of the film. Also featured in the film is an examination of the horrors committed at the Judge Rotenberg center in the name of therapy.

We are trying to raise funds to do a number of things. First to purchase booths at autism resource fairs during Autism Speaks Walks. Autism speaks raises funds throughout the country by conducting walks. They organize hundreds of these walks. What we would like to do is infiltrate these walks by purchasing booths, and speaks the word of the truth of what Autism Speaks is doing to local communities. We would also distribute print material and sell DVD's of Citizen Autistic. We would then have a film screening organized, that would have free admission and invite people that we meet at the walk. We will have a discussion before and after the film. The tour will be documented, including the discussions and a documentary will be produced, as well as, extensive social media.

Autism is misunderstood and what this leads to is the continued suppression of a valuable resource. Someone on the spectrum is not someone that needs to be cured. So much money is waisted on genetic research. Funding needs to go into education and vocational training. People need to know about great organizations, such as ASAN (Autistic Self Advocacy Network) http://autisticadvocacy.org/ and AASCEND http://www.aascend.org.

ABOUT ME:My name is William Davenport. I have been involved in working with autism for over a decade.I am a special education teacher, autism activist and documentary filmmaker. I have worked with many people on the autistic spectrum, and have many friends who are either on the spectrum or identify as neurodiverse. My specialty is teaching filmmaking to people on the spectrum. I have done this for years and many of my students have become close friends. In 2011 I released a feature documentary titled "Too Sane for This World". The film features interviews with twelve adults on the spectrum, ages 19 to 68. The film was shown at festivals around the globe. The film originated from my work with a San Francisco based organization called AASCEND (Autism, Aspergers Syndrome Coalition for Education Networking and Development.)

After screening the film, people have remarked to me, "I didn't even know that adults have autism". I have been shocked at times by the lack of awareness. This is due to the fact of how the media has portrayed autism. Things have been changing, but slowly. We need to address this issue as a community. Many of my friends and associates on the spectrum are effected by the lack of awareness in their day to day lives.