The Spectrum 10k Controversy and a History of Eugenics Actually Autistic Educator

This week a new project was announced in the UK called Spectrum 10k, with the goal to collect the DNA of 10,000 autistics for various research purposes. It is supported by several big names in autism research, but numerous autistics have raised serious concerns regarding the use of genetic testing to eliminate or cure autism, as well as regarding several of the researchers and groups associated with the project. This has resulted with #ActuallyAutistic and #StopSpectrum10k going viral as the autistic community has pushed back against this internationally. This episode details many of the concerns raised by autistics regarding the research and people involved, as well as looking into the history of eugenics against the disabled in the last century and currently occurring even today. Finally we look at some ways to avoid these outcomes by creating more inclusive research teams and being willing to examine privilege and power dynamics present in academia.

Content warnings for eugenics, Nazis, offensive/dated labels, and general mistreatment of autistics.

Transcript at https://docs.google.com/document/d/1n1Z-otb6420Bx9CV3N6YhZW6qbJHqqNARcLAT5jr6Zk/edit?usp=sharing