-----Original Message-----
From: AutismLink
To: redacted
Sent: Mon, Nov 30, 2009 3:28 pm
Subject: Editorial: Autism Speaks. Its a Living.
Autism Speaks. It’s a Living.
Autism Speaks recently announced on their website that due to the
poor economy they have to “postpone” grant making and giving for
2009. Yes, this charity that hauled in a reported $68 million in funds
last year has fallen on hard times. Sad, really, on the surface. But
dig deeper. I ask you to consider the following information, taken
straight from this organization’s IRS 990 form on their own website:
Geraldine Dawson, Chief Science Officer – Salary: $669,751
Mark Roithmayer, President – Salary: $400,413
Peter Bell, Executive Vice President – Salary: $265,981
Glenn Tringali, Executive Vice President – Salary: $255,256
Alison Tepper Singer, Executive Vice President – Salary: $201,942
Amount Spent on Travel: $2,873,667
Credit Card and Banking Fees: $989,344
Premiums: $1,452,807
Management Fees: $2,038,024
Advertising and Promotion: $2,108,778
Temporary Help: $718,686
Income: $65,826,829
GRANTS PAID OUT: $27,593,390
Now I ask you, does this look like an organization that is suffering?
It looks, to me, to be an organization that cares more about highly
paid salaries, posh offices on #2 Park Avenue in New York, pricey
fundraisers and getting it’s name in the newspaper. They seem to
exist solely to pay salaries and throw parties.
But hey, they’ve fallen on hard times. So can someone please tell
me why the first thing to go is the grant making and giving -- the one
thing that they claim as their #1 mission? To give grants to find a
cure for autism? And don’t they seem a little top heavy to you? A
$700,000 salary?? Four Executive Vice Presidents?
Autism Speaks is gaining quite a reputation in the autism community.
The come into a town near you with their sweeping public relations
teams, hold their annual “walk for autism” dog and pony show,
sucking every last dollar out of the community, only to take it back
to those posh #2 Park Avenue offices. While it may seem like a noble
cause, the main result of Autism Speaks’ tactics is that LOCAL
organizations that actually HELP people in your very own community by
providing services and supports end up begging for funding. How long
are we, as an autism community, going to close our eyes to what’s
really going on here? The big corporate New York “show”
organization is going from town to town like an infestation of locusts
sucking out every last dollar that they can in order to pay 68% of its
income in salaries and overhead.
The average corporation or Joe on the street doesn’t have time or
inclination to investigate the charity. After all, they’re so well
known and have such a bevy of Hollywood stars behind them, they have
to be legitimate, right? Well, I’ll leave that for you to decide,
but I urge you to look at their official IRS 990 form, right on their
own page, and do a little bit of math. Maybe you will open your eyes
to reality, and take those walking shoes off, give to local
organizations, and tell Autism Speaks to walk off.
Many adults living with autism have done just that and have even gone
to the extreme of protesting their walks and events. Jerry Seinfeld,
one of their performers, was confronted by an adult with autism,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iH2otGcEfYU
– in which he was completely blown off by the star. Their
controversial “I am autism” video controversy was even recently
covered by Time Magazine:
http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1935959,00.html
.
Dozens of websites and blogs from around the globe are condemning
Autism Speaks for their spending habits, their scare tactics and their
treatment of the “neurodiverse” community. Their Washington, DC,
New York, Ohio State University, and several other locations for the
annual autism walk have been picketed and protested by individuals
with autism as well.
Even when Autism Speaks was in its infancy, the co-founders of the
organization told their daughter publicly (the mother of the child
with autism who was the impetus for starting the charity) that she was
not allowed to speak for them in any capacity. The story ended up on
the front page of the New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/18/us/18autism.html?pagewanted=print
With a history mired in controversy and upheaval, Autism Speaks has
been at the Center of debate in the autism community for quite some
time, but now even die hard AS supporters are starting to see the
light. I used to be one of those supporters.
Pittsburgh was the very first walk for autism in the country, and I
was involved from the get-go. I did their newsletters, coined the
whole “Walk Talk” concept, produced and edited videos for them,
and helped raise thousands of dollars for this organization over the
years. Luckily, someone opened MY eyes to the truth, and I stopped
supporting them and began trying to educate others on how they
actually spend their money.
And, hot off of their website from today:
Announcement of Budget Reductions for Continuation Years of Autism
Speaks Research Grants
In view of the serious challenges that the economy is facing, Autism
Speaks made the difficult decision to institute budget reductions of
15% for all grant payments in FY2009. This includes most of the grants
awarded in December 2008 as well continuation budgets for grants
originally awarded prior to December 2008. Thus, if your second- or
subsequent budget year commences in 2009, a 15% reduction will apply
and you will be asked to submit a modified budget for the remaining
years before the continuation award will be activated. Please note
that Pilot and Fellowship grants are not subject to this reduction.
These changes were instituted to continue funding as many research
projects as possible and we regret any difficulty that you may
encounter because of the reduced budget. "
I wonder if the staff took a 15% wage reduction? So does this mean
that projects that were already promised funding won’t be fully
funded? That this will result in layoffs and the research not being
completed? Sounds like it to me.
I urge everyone to please take the time to read the IRS 990. The
proof is in the pudding – right there in black and white for
everyone to see. Don’t be a kool aid drinker – educate yourself
and get the facts before you walk even one more step for this
organization.
Cindy Waeltermann
Director, AutismLink
More Information and Links:
http://adventuresinautism.blogspot.com/2007/06/i-take-back-every-nice-thing-i-have.html
http://stanford.wellsphere.com/autism-autism-spectrum-article/local-chapter-of-autism-speaks-splits-from-autism-speaks/287832
http://www.autismspeaks.org/about_us.php
http://www.blisstree.com/articles/a-sad-story-on-fathers-day-the-wright-family-feud/
http://neurodiversity.com/weblog/?c=Advocacy
