From the Executive of Neurodivergent Labour.
Austin Harney asks in his LabourHub article [https://labourhub.org.uk/2021/02/10/is-there-ableism-in-the-british-labour-party/] whether there is ableism in Labour. We agree with him that there is, but we take issue with what he identifies as its source. We would like to explain our view on the origins of Austin’s grievance against Neurodivergent Labour (ND Labour), and urge him and your readers to reconsider the view he expresses.
ND Labour launched two years ago, on the initiative of a group of people who had been working with John McDonnell MP to develop a manifesto on autism and neurodiversity for the Labour Party. At our launch meeting, we elected Austin as the convenor of our volunteer group tasked with setting up ND Labour and organising its founding AGM at the end of 2019.
ND Labour is an organisation of dyslexic, autistic, dyspraxic and otherwise neurologically-atypical Labour party members and supporters. We campaign for Labour to be more accessible to neurodivergent members, and for the policies set out in our manifesto that would, if implemented, bring about radical improvements in the lives of neurodivergent people. We campaign for better treatment of neurodivergent people in the justice system, for equal and inclusive education, for rights at work, for appropriate care provision – and for scientific research and against abusive ‘treatments’.
During 2019, Austin posted on social media his interest in a claim that the higher rates of autism in Silicon Valley were caused by chemicals in the local water. This caused concern to others involved in ND Labour. One of the main sources of mistreatment of autistic people is groundless speculation about the causes of autism. Theories without scientific backing are systematically used to stigmatise autistic people and to justify abusive ‘treatments’. We wanted to make clear that we oppose speculation about autism being caused by chemicals in water, just as we oppose groundless theories attributing autism to pesticides, vaccination or many other claims.
We support scientific enquiry into neurology. We are interested in what causes brains to develop in the way that they do, in both typical and atypical ways. So far, the only thing that scientific consensus agrees contributes to autism is genetic predisposition. Perhaps there are other, epigenetic factors, but none have yet been scientifically proven, and many suggestions have been scientifically disproven.
Austin also posted that his own autism was caused by a lack of oxygen to his brain (hypoxia) during his birth. We know from Austin’s previous accounts that his doctor told him when diagnosing him with ‘quasi-autism’ as a child that it was caused by hypoxia during birth. (Please note that we are uncomfortable writing about an individual’s neurology in this way, but Austin has spoken and written about it publicly, and given his accusations against ND Labour, we feel we have no choice but to respond.) Scientific understanding and diagnostic labels and criteria have changed a lot in the decades since then, and today’s thinking does not support a definitive statement that an individual’s autism is caused by lack of oxygen during birth, although it can cause various other neurological divergences and conditions. This is subject to ongoing research.
ND Labour’s Publicity Officer Emma Dalmayne is a well-known campaigner against fake and abusive ‘treatments’ and ‘cures’ for autism, and explains how statements like this can be used to justify harmful practices: “One of the main treatments pushed and touted as a cure-all for autism is HBOT, Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy. The scientifically-unproven reason given by the snake-oil salespeople involved is always that autism is caused by a lack of oxygen to the brain. The phrase ‘starved of oxygen’ is often used. This treatment entails putting the autistic individual through hours of intense oxygen therapy inside a tank. The side effects include lung damage, fluid build-up or rupture of the middle ear, sinus damage, changes in vision, causing near-sightedness or myopia. Oxygen poisoning can cause lung failure, fluid in the lungs, or seizures.”
The other members of ND Labour’s organising group raised their concerns with Austin on the group’s private Facebook group, pointing out that it was harmful for ND Labour to be associated with the promotion of scientifically-unfounded theories, or scientifically-unproven theories as fact. Unfortunately, Austin responded in a defensive way, even stating that having his statements challenged was as “low as having racially derogatory remarks to one’s face”; Emma Dalmayne is Black and found this extremely offensive.
We fully respect Austin’s, and anyone else’s, right to post whatever they choose in a personal capacity. However, we are sure that labour movement supporters who read this website will understand that there is a difference between that and a person in a leading position in an organisation making statements that are at odds with that organisation’s core principles.
ND Labour could not support Austin’s statements and when no other resolution could be reached, the organising group voted to remove him as its convenor. Readers will recognise this as a democratic process that labour movement organisations have to follow on occasion.
Since then, Austin has repeatedly accused ND Labour of ableism, and has made formal complaints to both the Labour Party and a trade union about named ND Labour office-holders, none of which has resulted in any disciplinary action, not because of any failing in the process but because those office-holders had done nothing wrong. One complaint was addressed using mediation, which we hope can be used again to address this or other issues. However, Austin’s LabourHub article suggests that he is continuing in his misguided crusade against ND Labour.
ND Labour welcomes members on the basis of their own self-definition of their neurodivergence. Austin and anyone else is entitled to label their neurodivergence how they choose and to hold their own beliefs as to its causes. Equally, ND Labour as an organisation is entitled to democratically agree our policies, to promote them, and to expect our elected representatives to uphold them.
We appreciate that Austin has his own autistic identity and we remain sensitive to people whose identity and sense of pride as autistic people are attached to ideas that may have been discredited or are now widely considered to be obsolete. We continue to reflect on these issues. We recognise that Austin felt hurt because he perceived his identity as being challenged; however, the ideas he promoted also hurt and conflict with the identity of others.
We wish Austin well in his future endeavours.