Edited by author 10-13-2004 01:26 PM
Here is the letter I e-mailed today to Prime Minister Paul Martin:
 Subject: Autistic Canadians
Dear Prime Minister,
I am writing to you because Michelle Dawson has not received an adequate reply to her letter to you dated July 22 2004.
She took the time and effort to inform you at considerable length about the denigration, disrespect and exclusion of autistic Canadians. Cabinet Ministers have replied to her letters with condescension, disrespect and no attempt to seriously address the concerns she raised.
She wrote to you because she wanted you to be aware of the real situation of autistic Canadians.She expected and is entitled to receive a reply from you personally which genuinely engages with the important issues which she has broiught to your attention.
Please see http://www.sentex.net/~nexus23/naa_one.html for Ms. Dawson's accurate analysis of Autism Society Canada's new policy of token representation of autistic persons in an organisation which together with their member societies denigrate, demean and refuse to welcome them with full meaningful inclusion.
Ms. Dawson wrote: "I am waiting for someone in a leadership position to say one positive, accurate word about autistic people and to acknowledge our great contributions to Canada. I am waiting for someone in a leadership position to protest when prejudicial statements are made about autistic people and our worth as autistics is denied."
lthough I am a British autistic, I ask you to please take this issue seriously and not dismiss it as something of no importance.
Thank you for your time.
Yours sincerely
Philip Ashton

The fourth paragraph (beginning "Please see") is the revised version which I e-mailed to the Prime Minister after my first e-mail, which had errors in that paragraph.
I thought that after more than two months since Michelle's letter to the Prime Minister, and with the holidays now over, it was now the time to write to him.