Archived | Petition: Tell Kellogg’s to End its Partnership with Autism Speaks! | Circa 2019 #AutisticHistory

[Note: Links are original to the petition on Change.org]

2019

Tell Kellogg’s to End its Partnership with Autism Speaks!

Cassandra Crosman started this petition to Kellogg

Kellogg’s recently announced that it would be partnering with Autism Speaks to create “sensory love notes” in their Rice Krispies Treats. Kellogg’s claims to value love and inclusivity, but Autism Speaks is anything but inclusive of autistic people, as it has little to no autistic representation on its board.

The autistic community is asking Kellogg’s to reconsider its partnership with Autism Speaks. They are a controversial and ableist organization that spends less than 2% of its budget on services for autistic people. They have spread hateful messages about autistic people, such as through PSAs like its 2009 advertisement, “I am Autism,” which characterizes autism as demonic or a monster that “possesses” people. They have more recently promoted their “100 Day Kits” as part of their early screening initiative, which gives inaccurate information about autism and encourages parents to go through the “five stages of grief” after their child receives an autism diagnosis. Thousands of autistic activists protest Autism Speaks every year in person at their Autism Walks and online with hashtags such as #BoycottAutismSpeaks and #RedInstead in response to the Autism Speaks April “autism awareness” campaign, “Light it Up Blue.” Here is a roundup of posts by autistic advocates against Autism Speaks that give more information of why they are a harmful organization: Roundup of Posts Against Autism Speaks.

Most companies unfortunately do not listen to the grievances of the autistic community about Autism Speaks, while some companies, such as Voodoo Doughnut have listened to the autistic community and have changed the organization to raise funds for from Autism Speaks to the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, an organization run by and representative of autistic people. We are asking that Kellogg’s do the same and end its partnership with Autism Speaks, and instead consider partnering with an organization that supports autistic rights and advocacy, such as the Autistic Self Advocacy Network or the Autistic Women’s and Nonbinary Network. Please Kellogg’s, be one of the few companies that do the right thing and listen to and respect the autistic community by ending your partnership with Autism Speaks.

See petition here >>