Autism t-shirt 'politically incorrect'
Here's a fascinating and slightly gobsmacking story from 91Èȱ¬ News: a 10-year-old Dorset schoolboy with autism was told by his school that he could not wear a t-shirt containing a positive message about his condition because its design was . The caption emblazoned across the tee read: "Autism - it's no mystery, it's mercury", which refers to the theory that autism is linked to mercury preservatives in vaccines.
The boy, Sam Rodwell, was told that he could not go on a school trip unless he changed the t-shirt.
Now here's the odd thing. This is no mainstream school which issued such an instruction to young Sam. in Poole is run by and caters specifically for children who are on the autistic spectrum. So what was the big problem?
Well, according to Bob Lowndes, the Society's chief executive: "The shirt was changed as the child was due to engage in a public outing with other students ... [it] would have drawn attention to their disability, which was not considered to be in their interest". Sam's parents, however, couldn't disagree more. His father said that not only had his son worn similar t-shirts to school before, but that such items of clothing were "a way of alerting people to his condition", and that the shirt's message was also factually correct because Sam had been found to have mercury toxicity following testing.
So, Ouch'ers - who's in the wrong and who's in the right here? Should Sam have been allowed to wear the t-shirt? Should a mere 10-year-old boy be drawing attention to his impairment in this fairly overt way? Or were the school right and simply looking out for someone in their care on a school trip when he would be mixing with the general public? Tell us in the comments - all you need to do is click on the 'comment on this entry' link, leave your details and speak your mind.
I would also be interested in knowing whether you've worn any shirts or t-shirts featuring references to your disability and got in hot water over it. Here at Ouch, we often get sent links to stores selling tees with a selection of highly irreverent phrases about impairments - which we'd love to feature but unfortunately can't because they're obviously commercial sites. Do you wear items like this, and what have people said about them? Let me know in the comments.
Comments
Such a shame! To me that was quite a positive T-shirt. But I can kind of see why the school might not have wanted other people to know that the children were disabled on their outing. It might get them more stares which is probably negative.
The school is way off base here. I wear much more provocative Disability-themed t-shirts. I like to see the shocked reactions. I once went to NAIDEX wearing one that said "Sex On Wheels" on it - and some older lady gave me a disgusted look.
I wear t-shirts with the blue badge emblem and "I'm only in it for the parking" printed on it. They always get a smile.
I think that it was right to ban the shirt on a school trip because it drew attention to the fact that they had autism, which they might not all have wanted.
I think it would have been different if they all had different disabilities, some of which were clearly visible.
I'd wear a t-shirt proclaiming I'm disabled and autistic, yes. However, I wouldn't want to wear a shirt advertising a scientifically ignorant theory claiming the way I am is a matter of toxicity damage that needs to be cured at any cost. (There have now been autistic kids killed by attempts to chelate out the supposed mercury!)
For more on what I'm about to say below, I have my public bookmarks set as my "website" here... You can click on "vaccines" to get a couple of links on that, or just browse the "autism" ones. :-)
The mercury people believe that autism is actually brain damage or toxicity caused by vaccines, because autistic people having a different developmental pattern that first becomes obvious around or slightly after when vaccines are given. This is supposedly "supported" by scientifically invalid "hair testing" for mercury.
The "mercury" theory is counter to all the scientifically valid research and the knowledge that thimerosal (the mercury used in vaccines) can't cross the blood-brain barrier to do the kind of harm they claim. It also ignores the fact that people/kids with actual mercury toxicity have almost nothing in common with autistic people, and that in areas that banned thimerosal years ago, autistic diagnosis rates either haven't changed at all or have increased!
Further, the mercury people are putting *everybody* at horrible risk, by discouraging others from vaccinating their kids and thereby causing the rates of deadly diseases to soar. They feel a person is better off chancing death from a horrible disease than being disabled, which as we all know is insulting and ignorant.
On the basis that the school didnt want to draw attention to the childrens disability, does this mean they would have required a child to get out of their wheelchair? Take off their caliphers? Remove any dental braces?
Yet another example of PC gone mad again!
If the child had "hidden" his disability, it could have been far more traumatic when someone discovered it by "accident" , talking to him or whatever, at least this way people were forewarned and could take appropriate action, even if it was crossing the road to get away! (yes that has happened to me!)
I dont really get it / Disability is not somethignto be hidden away or be ashamed of. So why deny an essential part of who you are?
There is nothing wrong with being autistic and it might do some good to remind the general public that we are differnt!
What an absolute bunch of wowsers. Who do they think they are trying to twell people with disabilities what to think about themselves.
Its like telling Deaf people not to sign in public, Blind people to put a cover on their gude dogs, wome to straotheir boobs so people wont ogle ... SHEEESH
Always one for controversy, I have two T shirts. One bought commercially proudly proclaiming-" I'm not handicapped, I'm just lazy" and one of my own making, the slightly more offensive-" You stare at me because I'm disabled...I stare at you because you're stupid"
I just got fed up of people gawping at me..All power to me, I say.
The school was worried that the public might notice the disability. Well, to hell with the public. I'm an 'out' crip and I don't even understand the idea of 'hiding' disability or 'understating' difference. If people stare - then they should change their behaviour. People with disabilities are the only minority group that is forced to bend to the public will and be as 'non-disabled as possible' so as to not upset the bigots. Perhaps black kids should wear 'white face' when they go out so that racists bigots won't stare and be uncomfortable. Please.
All the mails received in support of the t shirt wearing have been from people with a disability, who have been able to make a choice about wearing something that draws attention to their disability. A ten year old boy with autism may not be able to make that decision for himself and I beleive if he cannot make that decision then his dignity should be preserved.His parents should not make that decision for him.
"A ten year old boy with autism may not be able to make that decision for himself and I beleive if he cannot make that decision then his dignity should be preserved"
so by the same token the school must have been wrong to change him out of the T-shirt ?
Autistic kids are often distressed by changes of routine , I would expect this school to know better!
His mum was interviewed on radion5 live last night and said that he often went on school trips with "i'm not naughty I have autism" but the school never changed him out of that. she also asserted that he had been tested and did have high levels of heavy metals.
Maybe the NAS should fund some research into the causes as well as providing schools.
Let's not make any assumptions about a child with autism's capacity to decide how to dress him... I don't think that is the issue... and it's mean to assume that because he has a disability he doesn't have decision making powers or the right to express himself - most courts argue that point for years and many experts have to write papers before we can confirm or deny that line of prostrating.
I don't understand why the school doesn't see a social outing with the children as having a positive influence on the community... and feel comfortable with having it's disabled students outting themselves if they want to be outed... not everyone was wearing the t-shirt... one kid wanted to make a statement or maybe just like the colour of his shirt... the question is why is the message in appropriate...
I would have thought it perhaps lead other parent's feeling uncomfortable if they didn't agree with the stateement... but you know what, it's not their child wearing the t-shirt and not representative of everyone in the group. It might be nice to reflect the diversity within disability, some would agree with the t-shirt, some disagree... but I don't think it was offensive enough to ban...
Nope... In fact I want to customise my own...
"I have dwarfism, it's not a mystery... it's magic"
I have 2 children with autism. I would have no concern about another child or even either of them (should they wish to) wearing a T shirt with a positive logo about autism on it - but I would have a problem with another child wearing a shirt proclaiming something that was not true about autism. It would really confuse my kids (age 15 and 12) who are very interested in the genetic links with their conditions and others who can't tell the difference between a coincidental finding and a cause of anything.
You are right KS, we should allow kids with disability to "out" themselves if they want to. So let's hear from the 10 year old shall we? We have only heard from his parents so far.
The profile of ASD has been raised enormously over the last few years and much positive work has been done to educate people about the disability it can cause. If we are to minimise the impact disability has on all of us should we wearing T shirts proclaiming anything that makes us different? Lets just accept that people are all diferent, we all have behaviours and physical differences that make us unique, but don't feel the need to tell everyone.
I'm kind of with Carole on this one. I have a couple of t-shirts I wear if I'm so inclined. One says "Freak" the other says "Normal" However, I'm 35yrs old.
I don't know many 10yr olds who have an opinion on what they'd like for dinner tomorrow, let alone whether they want to make a positive and slightly political statement about their physical or mental impairment.
It seems to me the only people who want to make an issue about this is the childs parents.
There is such a thing as going over the top and this smacks of "Hey look at us. We have a disabled child and we're cool with it and so should you be or else".
Did this child actually go online or to a printers and say "I really really want a t-shirt that's a bit controversial yet explains why I might behave differently", or like most 10yr old boys, did his parents buy it for him?
As for whether it was right the school asked the child to change, well all schools have dress codes and limits and maybe this t shirt was one step too far.
My daughter wore a t-shirt saying, I'm beautiful, clever and have autism, printed in English and French for a holiday that involved a small bit of travel surrounded by the public. She was three at the time, it meant that people could understand that she needed a little space and may get stressed in the limited time when we were close to a lot of people. We had a smiley, warm and helpful but respectful response. It helped immensely. Now she's 6.5 and still oblivious to her Autism, I would consider it again, if it made her life easier. However the t-shirt wasn't political about vaccinations, I wouldn't use them.
I don't know all the facts here so it is difficult to make a valued judgement.
I'm all for tee-shirts celebrating ones impairment, however wih one small caveat. Should the child in question parents being using him to raise a political point? And it is a political point that is being raised here whether it is meant to be or not.
If the child is old enough to make decisions about what they wear then I would be very suportive but if it is someone else making the decision then I'm less happy.
I don't wish to comment on the T-Shirt per se, but rather on the attitude of the school.
To quote from Jim Sinclair:
"Autism isn't something a person has or a 'shell' that a person is trapped inside. Autism is a way of being..."
Autism is an identity - not something external to the person. Therefore by prohibiting a person on the spectrum from 'drawing attention' to their autism you are implicitly accepting the view that the PERSON themselves is somehow invalid the way they are and should be hidden away from normal [neurotypical] society.
I accept the comments of others with regard to the debate about mercury, however the school's argument was not based on this.