A week ago today in Washington, D.C., the Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN) presented Anita Cameron, NDY’s Director of Minority Outreach, with its 2017 award for Service to the Self-Advocacy Movement.
Anita was introduced by Samantha Crane, ASAN’s Legal Director and Director of Public Policy, and the incoming Board Chair of NDY. ASAN’s write up about Anita in the award announcement said:
Anita Cameron has been involved with community organizing across social justice movements for 36 years. She is an ADAPT media liaison and has been at the forefront of this year’s civil disobedience actions to protest attacks on Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act. She has experience working on transportation issues, LGBT+ issues, emergency preparedness for people with disabilities, and a variety of other social causes. Anita is a proud autistic activist of color and serves as Director of Minority Outreach at Not Dead Yet.
People who follow Anita’s work saw her interviewed in numerous articles over the summer in the fight for healthcare and home and community based long term care services. Examples are:
- If You Celebrated the Health Care Vote Last Week, You Should Probably Thank a Disability Activist (Elle, 8/1/17)
- Your Call: Medicaid cuts and the Republicans’ latest plan to repeal the ACA (NPR/Your Call, 7/26/17)
- This woman has been arrested 131 times fighting for disability rights—and she’s not done yet (Quartz News, 7/22/17)
The ASAN gala event featured a keynote address by Judy Heumann, an internationally recognized leader in the disability community and lifelong civil rights advocate for people with disabilities. ASAN’s Executive Director Julia Bascom gave a powerful speech and call to action at the event as well.
Congratulations to Anita Cameron! We are *very thankful* to be working with her in the fight for our lives!