Pennsylvania autism group says it will remove billboard that equates autism with kidnapping

From The York Dispatch in Pennsylvania:

Autism York has agreed to take down a controversial billboard on Route 30 after disability rights advocates said the sign unfairly compares autistic people to kidnapping victims.

The opposition began late last week when "Joe," a blogger passing through York County, wrote about the billboard at club166.blogspot.com and contacted the Autistic Self Advocacy Network. The organization then contacted Autism York, which quickly agreed to remove it.

The billboard at the intersection of Route 30 and Pennsylvania Avenue reads:

"If 1 in 150 American children were kidnapped, we'd have a national emergency."

And then, below that:

"We do. Autism."

No offense: The billboard wasn't meant to be read as a kidnapping metaphor, said Amy Wallace, president of Autism York. Rather, the idea was to educate people about how prevalent autism is and how few resources are available to families and individuals grappling with the condition.

"We could replace the word 'autism' with 'cancer,'" she said. "It's about awareness."

But Wallace said she understands the advocates' concerns.

"I have a severely affected 9-year-old boy. I know what this is," she said. "I respect where they're coming from."

Disability rights bloggers and advocates say the billboard reinforces the stereotype that all people on the autism spectrum are trapped and helpless.

"It seems to send a message that we aren't fully present in our own bodies," said Ari Ne'eman, president of the Autistic Self Advocacy Network. Autism York might have been shooting for an "edgy" message, but its billboard was eerily reminiscent of the NYU Child Study Center's ransom-note-style advertising campaign in 2007, Ne'eman said.

One such sign read:

"We have your son. We are destroying his ability for social interaction and driving him into a life of complete isolation. It's up to you now."

That billboard was signed by "Asperger's Syndrome."

Quick response: Ne'eman, who has Asperger's, said it took thousands of people from 22 disability rights organizations across the country to convince NYU to take the ransom-note billboards down.

Working with Autism York was much easier, he said. Within hours of contact, the organization agreed to remove the sign.

"It would seem that the quick response on the part of (Autism York) is indicative of the growing recognition of the need for the autism parent community to pay attention to the concerns of the autistic self advocate community," Ne'eman said.

Wallace said the billboard, which was one of three raised during an advertising campaign that kicked off in April, already was scheduled to be removed before the objections surfaced over the weekend. The organization recently separated from the Autism Society of America, and the "kidnapping" billboard still has the ASA's logo on it.

"We didn't feel that that was representative of our group anymore," she said. The other two billboards already had been taken down.

The remaining billboard was still standing August 19, but Wallace said Autism York is working with the billboard company to expedite removal of the ad.