Autistic presidential appointee advocates for less focus on a cure

By Staff Writer

The first-ever openly autistic White House appointee recently said that he believes too much effort has been focused on trying to cure autism spectrum disorder, rather than the more important task of improving the quality of life for those who have it.

Ari Ne'eman, who is 22 years old, serves on the National Council on Disability after his nomination from President Barack Obama last year. Ne'eman told Wired.com that he aims to change the public's perception that autistic people are ashamed or embarrassed by their diagnosis.

Ne'eman believes there has been a misdirected national mission to find the cause of autism and place the blame on different triggers, such as vaccines or other environmental factors. He believes that the focus should be on helping those with autism, instead of finding a cure.

"We need to stop making autism advocacy about trying to create a world where there aren’t any autistic people, and start building one in which autistic people have the rights and support they deserve," Ne'eman told the news source.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports than an average of one in 110 children in the U.S. are autistic.