Larry Bissonnette

Last updated
Larry Bissonnette
Born1957 (age 66–67)
Winooski, Vermont, U.S.
Nationality American
Occupation(s)Artist, Activist

Larry John Bissonnette (born 1957 in Winooski, Vermont) is an American autistic artist who starred in two films showcasing his art and travels. 2005 in My Classic Life as an Artist and in 2011 Wretches & Jabberers . Both films have been criticized by the science community for claiming that Bissonnette can communicate through the discredited pseudoscience facilitated communication.

Contents

Biography

Bissonnette is the son of Albert Bissonnette and his wife Alma Marie, née Bashaw. [1] He has three brothers and sisters. [1] At age two, he experienced a high fever, which might have caused some kind of damage to his nervous system. [2] By the time he was eight, he was sent to the Brandon Training School, which was Vermont's only institute for people with intellectual disabilities at the time. [2] [3] [4] During this time, he used techniques of art such as drawing and painting to help himself through self-expression. [2] By the time he was 18, he was transferred to Vermont Psychiatric Hospital in Waterbury, Vermont. [5] In 1991, Bissonnette was introduced to facilitated communication. [6] Although this was quickly discredited as a valid communication technique [6] ( Skeptical Inquirer claims that "it is clear that their facilitators are prompting them by touching an arm or shoulder as they type"), [7] Bissonnette and his therapists and facilitators continued to use it. [2] [6]

Art

Bissonnette has created many works of art (over three hundred by 1990). [4] In 1989, he received an honorable mention from the Vermont Council on the Arts for his painting and sculpture. [8] Some of his works depict "faces peering through a veil, as if imprisoned". [4] Bissonnette's art is in the collection of the Musée de l'Art Brut in Switzerland.

In media

In 2005, Larry starred in his biographical film, My Classic Life as an Artist: A Portrait of Larry Bissonnette. [9]

In 2011, Larry and his ally Tracy Thresher were in a documentary called Wretches & Jabberers , which documented his travels around the world. [10] [11] [12] The film has been criticized for claiming that Bissonnette and Thresher can communicate through facilitated communication. [13] [14]

In 2012, they were both featured in an episode of the National Geographic Taboo television series which was titled "Strange Behavior".[ citation needed ]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burlington, Vermont</span> Largest city in Vermont, U.S.

Burlington is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the seat of Chittenden County. It is located 45 miles (72 km) south of the Canada–United States border and 95 miles (153 km) south of Montreal. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the population was 44,743. It is the least populous city in the 50 U.S. states to be the most populous city in its state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Winooski, Vermont</span> City in Vermont, United States

Winooski is a city in Chittenden County, Vermont, United States. Located on the Winooski River, as of the 2020 U.S. census the municipal population was 7,997. The city is the most densely populated municipality in northern New England, an area comprising the states of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. It is the smallest of Vermont's 10 cities by area, though the city of Vergennes has the smallest population. As part of the Burlington, Vermont metropolitan area, it is bordered by Burlington, Colchester, and South Burlington.

Facilitated communication (FC), or supported typing, is a scientifically discredited technique that claims to allow non-verbal people, such as those with autism, to communicate. The technique involves a facilitator guiding the disabled person's arm or hand in an attempt to help them type on a keyboard or other such device which they are unable to properly use if unfacilitated.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Clavelle</span> American politician

Peter A. Clavelle is an American politician who served as the 38th and 40th mayor of Burlington, Vermont, and was the first member of a third party to hold the office since James Edmund Burke in 1935. Bernie Sanders also won several elections as an independent candidate in the 1980s, defeating both Republican and Democratic candidates. Sanders and Clavelle founded the Vermont Progressive Party during Sanders' time as mayor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Stafford</span> American politician (1913–2006)

Robert Theodore Stafford was an American politician from Vermont. In his lengthy political career, he served as the 71st governor of Vermont, a United States representative, and a U.S. Senator. A Republican, Stafford was generally considered a liberal, or "Rockefeller Republican".

<i>Autism Is a World</i> Documentary promoting a discredited communication technique

Autism Is a World is an American short subject documentary film allegedly written in 2004 by Sue Rubin, an autistic woman who is purported to have learned to communicate via the discredited technique of facilitated communication. It was nominated in the 77th annual Academy Awards for Best Documentary Short Subject. The film is controversial for promoting the debunked facilitated communication technique.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington</span> Latin Catholic ecclesiastical jurisdiction in Vermont, United States

The Diocese of Burlington is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church for Vermont in the United States. It is a suffragan diocese of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Boston.

Douglas Paul Biklen is an American educator, fine art photographer, leading proponent of facilitated communication, a scientifically discredited technique which purports to allow non-verbal people to communicate; and an advocate of educational inclusion. A graduate of Bowdoin College, Biklen joined Syracuse University in 1969 and completed his doctorate there in 1973. He was controversially appointed Dean of the Syracuse University School of Education in 2005 and retired in 2014. Biklen has authored and co-authored several books and served on production teams for several documentary films, including 2004's Autism Is a World.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mel Baggs</span> American blogger (1980–2020)

Amelia Evelyn Voicy Baggs, also known as Mel Baggs, was an American non-binary blogger who predominantly wrote on the subject of autism and disability. At times, Baggs used a communication device to speak and referred to themself as a low-functioning autistic. Revelations about Baggs's past created some uncertainty about their diagnosis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Autistic art</span> Art created by autistic artists to capture the autistic experience

Autistic art is artwork created by autistic artists that captures or conveys a variety of autistic experiences. According to a 2021 article in Cognitive Processing, autistic artists with improved linguistic and communication skills often show a greater degree of originality and attention to detail than their neurotypical counterparts, with a positive correlation between artistic talent and high linguistic functioning. Autistic art is often considered outsider art. Art by autistic artists has long been shown in separate venues from artists without disabilities. The works of some autistic artists have featured in art publications and documentaries and been exhibited in mainstream galleries. Although autistic artists seldom received formal art education in the past, recent inclusivity initiatives have made it easier for autistic artists to get a formal college education. The Aspergers/Autism Network's AANE Artist Collaborative is an example of an art organization for autistic adults.

<i>Annies Coming Out</i> Film that promotes a discredited communication technique

Annie's Coming Out is a 1984 Australian drama film directed by Gil Brealey. It is based on the 1980 book Annie's Coming Out which was written by Rosemary Crossley, with the assistance of Anne McDonald. The book tells the story of McDonald's early life in a government institution for people with severe disabilities and her subsequent release, as well as her therapist's attempts to communicate with her through the discredited method of facilitated communication.

<i>Wretches & Jabberers</i> Discredited communication technique promotion

Wretches & Jabberers is a 2010 American documentary film directed by Gerardine Wurzburg and produced by Wurzburg and Douglas Biklen that promotes the scientifically discredited facilitated communication technique. The film is about two autistic men, Larry Bissonnette and Tracy Thresher, who travel the world helping other autistic people break out of their isolation. It opened in theaters in New York and California on July 30, 2010.

Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) or autism spectrum conditions (ASCs) describe a range of conditions classified as neurodevelopmental disorders in the DSM-5, used by the American Psychiatric Association. As with many neurodivergent people and conditions, the popular image of autistic people and autism itself is often based on inaccurate media representations. Additionally, media about autism may promote pseudoscience such as vaccine denial or facilitated communication.

<i>The Reason I Jump</i> 2007 biography book by Naoki Higashida

The Reason I Jump: One Boy's Voice from the Silence of Autism is a biography attributed to Naoki Higashida, a nonverbal autistic person from Japan. It was first published in Japan in 2007. The English translation, by Keiko Yoshida and her husband, English author David Mitchell, was published in 2013.

The rapid prompting method (RPM) is a pseudoscientific technique that attempts to aid communication by people with autism or other disabilities to communicate through pointing, typing, or writing. Also known as Spelling to Communicate, it is closely related to the scientifically discredited technique facilitated communication (FC). Practitioners of RPM have failed to assess the issue of message agency using simple and direct scientific methodologies, saying that doing so would be stigmatizing and that allowing scientific criticisms of the technique robs people with autism of their right to communicate. The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association has issued a statement opposing the practice of RPM.

Deej is a 2017 documentary about David James (DJ) Savarese, a nonspeaking autistic teenager with disabilities who is depicted as communicating through the scientifically discredited facilitated communication technique. The film's unskeptical depiction of facilitated communication, including the claims that DJ's degree from Oberlin College is legitimate, and that he is the author of the film's script, have been the subject of criticism.

Clement Joseph Bissonnette is an American politician in the state of Vermont. He was a member of the Vermont House of Representatives, sitting as a Democrat from the Chittenden-6-7 district, representing Winooski and part of Burlington, Vermont. He was first elected in 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Pieciak</span> American politician

Michael S. Pieciak is an American politician from Vermont. A member of the Democratic Party, Pieciak has served as Vermont State Treasurer since January 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Earle B. McLaughlin</span> U.S. Marshal for Vermont (1921–2003)

Earle B. McLaughlin was a career law enforcement officer from Vermont. A veteran of World War II, he was most notable for his service as Sheriff of Chittenden County, Vermont, from 1955 to 1977 and United States Marshal for Vermont from 1977 to 1982.

References

  1. 1 2 "Obituarie. Alma Marie Bissonette (Beshaw). Age: 97. Winooski/Milton". The Burlington Free Press. Burlington, Vermont. 18 April 2017. p. 10A. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Barna, Ed (28 May 2000). "Truly expressionist. Grass-roots art program sets creative minds free". Rutland Daily Herald. Rutland, Vermont. pp. E1, E4. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  3. ↑ Edwards, Bruce (16 November 2013). "Ex-residents recall Brandon Training School closing". Times Argus.
  4. 1 2 3 Rosenak, Chuck; Rosenak, Jan; Museum of American Folk Art (1990). Museum of American Folk Art encyclopedia of twentieth-century American folk art and artists. Abbeville Press. pp. 46–47. ISBN   9781558590410 . Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  5. ↑ Jameslov (2016-08-24). "Larry Bissonette". GraceArt.org. Grass Roots Art and Community Effort (GRACE). Retrieved 2018-07-06.
  6. 1 2 3 Blackburn, Maria (31 October 1993). "Debate may silence people with autism. Communication method questioned". The Burlington Free Press. Burlington, Vermont. p. 1. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  7. ↑ Kreidler, Marc (11 May 2015). "Facilitated Communication: The Fad that Will Not Die". Skeptical Inquirer. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
  8. ↑ "People and Notes". The Burlington Free Press. Burlington, Vermont. 18 August 1989. p. 3D. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  9. ↑ "Documentary by SU School of Education dean named Best Short Film at Vermont International Film Festival". 19 October 2005.
  10. ↑ "'Wretches and Jabberers' documentary on autism draws support (and music) from Scarlett Johansson, Antony, Bob Weir, others [Updated]". October 22, 2010.
  11. ↑ "Film "Wretches & Jabberers" : vous ne verrez plus les autistes sévères comme avant !". November 24, 2015.
  12. ↑ Genzlinger, Neil (31 March 2011). "'Wretches & Jabberers,' a Documentary on Autism – Review". The New York Times. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
  13. ↑ Wombles, Kim (4 April 2011). "Facilitated Communication: Bandwagon Endorsements; It All Feels Good". Science 2.0. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
  14. ↑ Lutz, Amy S. F. (16 January 2013). "Controversy and Curious Case Histories in the Autism Community". Slate Magazine. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.