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Moderation, respect, and offensive language.

Scorpion0x17

I find the following post deeply concerning:

Autismtwo,

Please stop this. You have no business demanding that Rachel uses words in a particular way. You have already been asked recently to treat other users with respect. This is your last warning. If you do this again, your posts will be moderated, requiring approval from me, or one of the other moderators, before they are published.

When you signed up, you agreed to obey rule 1:

"Don’t post messages that are offensive or insulting to other users."

You made your own views about Rachel's words very clear. This has now gone well beyond that, into aggression and harassment.

I know you don't like the way the NAS does things. I have never censored your opinions about us. But when you harass other users like this, we will intervene.

If you wish to discuss this privately, please email community.manager@nas.org.uk.

Yours,

Alex R - mod

A post was made that used language that several members, who have clearly stated that they themselves are on the autistic spectrum in numerous posts, found to be offensive and dengrating to those on the spectrum.

When this was pointed out it was dismissed out of hand by the original poster, as if the use of such language did not matter.

The above quoted post clearly takes the side of the original poster, and thus, by implication, condones the use of that language.

Should not a representative of the NAS at the very least remain neutral in such matters (reprimanding both those who denigrate people on the spectrum and those who speak out against it too strongly)?

Should an NAS representative not also be aware of the nature of the traits common amongst many on the spectrum and, in particular, their propensity to use very honest, direct, and sometimes too blunt, language without meaning any disrespect or offence?

Should a representative of the NAS, in fact, not actively discourage any language that denigrates those on the spectrum, not matter how mild the nature of the denigration?

Are these not things that every representative of the NAS, no matter their position, or role, should do, and bear in mind, at all times when dealing with the public, or anyone else, be they on the spectrum, or not?

Parents

  • Can I endorse Alex's point about not knowing whether someone is on the spectrum. I've just realised after writing this I may be on the wrong thread.

    There are professionals out there helping people on the spectrum but on the spectrum themselves. I don't know what happens with NAS. I know they have committees that include people on the spectrum. For all I know there may be moderators on the spectrum.

    I was myself in this duality, although retired now nearly three years. As an educator I had a role supporting disabled students, and supporting colleagues to help disabled students, and that included working with a number of students on the spectrum, and trying to do what I could to resolve some of the many issues affecting students on the spectrum in higher education.

    I wasn't allowed to disclose my own asperger's syndrome status to students. Indeed I thought long and hard about this, and it wasn't necessarily a good thing to reveal this to students. It did create some problems though as some students couldn't fathom why I was so clued up on their issues, and there were tricky times - why are you so interested? why do you seem to know what I'm thinking?

    This goes against the ethos of the Disability Equality Duty which asks educators to disclose their disabilities so as to provide a role model to disabled students. It does happen for mobility, hearing or sight disabled staff and occasionally dyslexia, but rare for autistic spectrum. Also only 1% staff in universities disclose a disability compared to over 10% students.

    So yes, you are going to be in the dark whether someone else is on the spectrum.

Reply

  • Can I endorse Alex's point about not knowing whether someone is on the spectrum. I've just realised after writing this I may be on the wrong thread.

    There are professionals out there helping people on the spectrum but on the spectrum themselves. I don't know what happens with NAS. I know they have committees that include people on the spectrum. For all I know there may be moderators on the spectrum.

    I was myself in this duality, although retired now nearly three years. As an educator I had a role supporting disabled students, and supporting colleagues to help disabled students, and that included working with a number of students on the spectrum, and trying to do what I could to resolve some of the many issues affecting students on the spectrum in higher education.

    I wasn't allowed to disclose my own asperger's syndrome status to students. Indeed I thought long and hard about this, and it wasn't necessarily a good thing to reveal this to students. It did create some problems though as some students couldn't fathom why I was so clued up on their issues, and there were tricky times - why are you so interested? why do you seem to know what I'm thinking?

    This goes against the ethos of the Disability Equality Duty which asks educators to disclose their disabilities so as to provide a role model to disabled students. It does happen for mobility, hearing or sight disabled staff and occasionally dyslexia, but rare for autistic spectrum. Also only 1% staff in universities disclose a disability compared to over 10% students.

    So yes, you are going to be in the dark whether someone else is on the spectrum.

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