Posted @withregram • @neuroclastic Breaking news: Yesterday, NeuroClastic's CEO received a certified cease-and-desist letter from a law firm representing the Judge Rotenberg Center alleging defamation and demanding "prompt compliance," reserving the right seek damages. Their grievance is with an article we published after surveying 900+ABA professionals. They take umbrage with our use of the word "torture." Only comments made by autistic people, including autistic ABA professionals, are targeted. Our org is new. We will soon file our taxes. Total income for year one is under 10k. Our leadership are autistic volunteers. Unpaid. Our platform exists to amplify autistic voices. The JRC is claiming, “No JRC client has been harmed as a result of JRC's behavioral treatment program or, in particular, its use of skin shock.” Yes. That’s a direct quote. They want us not to use the word “torture.” To that, we say to stop torturing disabled people. JRC claim we are “causing harm to JRC.” JRC is causing US harm. Every day. Every autistic person alive is harmed by normalizing electroshock torture as appropriate for treating “behaviors.” This cease and desist is an abuse of authority and disrespect to all autistic people, just like the use of the GED. Most egregious is the claim that this is defamation: "Proponents of the JRC argue that use of the GED is used with consent, but built into JRC's structure is the systematic stripping of consent to ensure the resident being admitted cannot say no” and "[a]ll of JRC's residents are all capable of consent, even in the absence of having access to using words as communication” Nonspeakers are capable of consent and withdrawing consent. Period. We will soon publish the cease and desist letter from Judge Rotenberg. As we prepare a public statement, we look to build community and accountability. We need legal representation. We need journalists. We need protection. We need every ally out there. Stay tuned for more on this and action items. #StopTheShocks https://www.instagram.com/p/CdZY5-7MYeC/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
