Possibly due to pressure from the Autism community, it appears that the advertising company hosting PETA's 'Got Autism?' billboard has pulled the ad. PETA has placed a positive spin on the ad's removal by featuring supportive quotes from parents of Autistic children in a blog post, but Autism advocates are also claiming a victory.
Ari Ne'eman of the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network points proudly to a petition with nearly 300 signatures demanding the advertisement's removal. Says Ne'eman, "Our community came together to communicate the need for a swift withdrawal of this ill-informed piece of advertising, and I'm pleased to say that were able to achieve a swift result."
The advertisement in question suggests that dairy products may cause or exacerbate symptoms of Autism. Autism advocates say the 'Got Autism?' campaign amounts to exploitation of the Autistic community, and that PETA is using individuals with disabilities as pawns to advance PETA's cause.
Filed under: advocacy, autism, advertisers, autistic self-advocacy network, peta, ari ne'eman, milk, autistic community, advertising, got autism, dairy
