Spectrum 10k Blog Posts
To read the full statement (with images) and sign, please click here. Joint statement from Autistic community members, academics, representatives of advocacy organisations, and allies about grave concerns regarding the Spectrum 10K study announced Tuesday 24th August 2021 (document includes plain language summaries for accessibility and uses a font easier to read for some people. The plain language summaries can be found on their own for those who need them HERE. There is a dedicated @BoycottSpect10K account on Twitter, and you can find Autistic people discussing the study via the #StopSpectrum10K). BACKGROUND: On the 24th of August 2021 with a […]
Spectrum 10k, what is it? Spectrum 10k is the latest research project to be announced by the Autism Research Centre at the University of Cambridge. It is a collaborative effort with the Wellcome Sanger Institute and the University of California Los Angeles. On the 24th of August 2021, the Spectrum 10k (S10k) research project was announced. You may have seen it on the news, it arrived with a lot of celebrity endorsement and media coverage. You may have also seen that there has been a major backlash from the Autistic community. This is of huge importance to the Autistic community […]
I am angry. I am beyond angry. I am angry, tired, sad, stressed, and quite frankly, sickened to my core. Since S10k was announced, I have watched as their blithe request for our DNA has traumatised a community that I love beyond measure. My friends and colleagues have poured their heart into fighting your (not so covert) eugenics program. I have shared in their triumph, I have shared in their sadness. I have shared in their horror. You, S10k, have traumatised an entire minority group. You have taken our emotions, and laid them bare for the vultures. Enough is enough. […]
As you may remember from last year, Spectrum 10k was the project that “definitely wouldn’t be used for eugenics” but had involvement from people with links to (you guessed it) eugenics. I won’t bore you with the details of this project’s history, it has been detailed on this website Here, Here and Here. No, what I want to bring attention to is the betrayal we are experiencing at the hands of Autistic people, now involved in the project, who wouldn’t know their own tokenism even if they were walked up to it and introduced. These Autistic people, paid to run […]
It is perhaps fitting that Spectrum 10k has reappeared during the dark months of the year. Much like the cryptids of antiquity, it inspires fear in our community, and obscures itself from the sight of all who attempt to quantify it’s nature. There are no “versions” of the truth. Truth is a singular point, constructed from a collective of subjective experiences. So when the collective experience of the Autistic community tells you that S10k is the wolf among the lambs, we beg you to take heed. There are three points I want you to consider before handing your DNA over […]
“We have to tear down these structures, not just at the surface where projects such as S10k exist, but also at the root… Autistic people are not some sideshow exhibit, we do not exist to shock and astound you. There is beauty in our existence.”
CW: Termination of pregnancies, amniocentesis, pre-natal testing, eugenics Edit: This is just a focus group at this point, but it is terrifying none-the-less. Spectrum 10k is being run by a team from the Autism Research Centre (ARC) attached to the University of Cambridge. The scandalous research project has been a source of contention for a couple of years now, with researchers showing their flagrant disregard for the wishes and wellbeing of Autistic people in overt ways. Despite their claims that this project has no ties to eugenics, a leaked communication from ARC has now confirmed their intentions. Find images below […]
In the summer of 2021, it was announced that a new study would be seeking the DNA of 10,000 Autistic people and their families. They wanted to do this to look at co-occurring conditions amongst Autistic people and improve our wellbeing. Great right? Wrong. Upon further scrutiny, it became clear that there were no guarantees on how data would be used beyond the scope of the project. While project leads were quick to deny any eugenics oriented goals, they were going to sell the data on, and even stated that they “couldn’t guarantee” that buyers wouldn’t use the data for […]
During my time in the Autistic community, I often heard murmurings of eugenics projects, but in all honesty, I was unaware of the reality of just how many sought to eradicate Autistic people. Perhaps then you can understand just how upsetting Spectrum 10k has been; not just for me, but for tens of thousands of Autistic people, for whom eugenics has been a mythical creature. This project has served as a rude awakening to a world in which we are not welcome. Such a world as the ones found in dystopian fiction. They say that ignorance is bliss, and truthfully, […]
I’m going to start with an admission. The text-based images in this article came to me via a DM. I am yet to find their original source, and as such, I can not confirm whether the people behind Spectrum 10k wrote this. I do, however, feel that as these statements are out there, it’s necessary to address the misleading information contained within. Below are the screenshots that I have received. I will address this point by point to the best of my ability. 1. “Spectrum 10k are not looking for a prenatal test for autism” This technically true if you […]
Thanks to Fierce Autie a significant revelation has happened. Spectrum 10k and Autism Speaks are connected.
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