For Immediate Release:

Autism Delegation to Hold Accountable Toastmasters

and the Policies that Shield it from Accountability

For Immediate Release:

Tucson, AZ, and March 7, 2018: The majority of autistics cannot defend themselves against bullying. What happens when bullying occurs in a club? What happens when the facility where the club meets claims bullying is not their problem? The club is District 3 Toastmasters, and some of the facilities with this noninterference policy are Tucson City Council offices

When John Bowen Brown II, who is autistic, complained to Distinguished Toastmaster Randy Casarez, he was told, "Don't disrespect me, John, or you will have a problem with me." Then Casarez started to bully Brown, which included challenging Brown to a speech contest to prove to Brown he was not "dumb." When he complained to other local Toastmaster leaders, he was told to mind his own business. "It is my business because it happened to me," says Brown. Brown dug deeper. He discovered worse issues in Tucson Toastmasters that included a four-year-old pattern of bullying and nepotism in a speech contest. Toastmaster International's response to this issue is apathy

Brown complained to the Ward 3 City Council Office. They told Brown it was not their problem unless violence was involved. Brown, who studied conflict issues with the U.S Institute of Peace, says, "Violence is not a punctiliar event. Violence is the result of a series of escalations. Violence is preventable, but waiting until a violent act occurs is too late to address violence.

Brown complained to the Better Business Bureau about Toastmaster reprehensible behavior. District Director Enid Cranshaw said Brown was not a member of Toastmasters. When Brown challenged the claim, Cranshaw never responded. The Better Business Bureau closed the case as unresolved and gave Arizona, District 3 Toastmasters, a D+

To respond to District 3 Toastmasters and Toastmaster International unwillingness to address these issues Brown started the Autism Delegation. The mission of the Autism Delegation is to hold accountable any autism apathy in Toastmaster clubs and the facilities that harbor them. These current noninterference policies have produced harmful side effects that in application permit bullying. These noninterference policies create an unsafe environment for autistics. The only option for autistics that cannot advocate their concerns are to suffer in silence or leave. These policies give groups that meet in Tucson City Council offices the license to bully at-will knowing that no one will step up to protect vulnerable populations that include autistics and other members of the disability community.

Ends

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Do Not Join Toastmasters

Wednesday, March 7, 2018