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The Cost of Literacy for Autistic Adults
Today, more than ever, literacy agencies nationwide are being called upon to assist adults with low literacy. Literacy Statistics “48 million adults lack basic reading, writing, and math skills beyond a third-grade level” (Literacy Facts, 2023). If every adult in the US functioned at...
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Aging with Autism: Innovations for Independent Living to Address the Housing Crisis
At the beginning of the COVID pandemic, a friend came down with a particularly bad case of the virus which required emergency transport to the hospital. Laying on the gurney in the back of the ambulance she panicked as they placed the oxygen mask over her face. The EMS workers were frustrated with...
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Living and Aging Independently on the Autism Spectrum: An Inside View
Having been diagnosed late in life at the age of 44, I lived for the better part of my life on the autism spectrum without myself or anyone else being aware of it. During the time in which I finally knew about this, I was already an older adult and, most recently, a senior citizen. Unlike so many...
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Helping Autistic Individuals Navigate Barriers to Adulthood
An adult on the spectrum can accomplish or achieve everything his/her/their cohort who is not on the spectrum has accomplished or achieved, and yet not be rewarded with that same level of independence and autonomy for his/her/their efforts (Cheak-Zamora, Tait & Coleman, 2022). Although young...
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Tenants Celebrate Two Years of Independent Living in New Residential Model for AHRC New York City
When AHRC New York City asked different departments to identify perspective tenants with intellectual and other developmental disabilities (I/DD) for 12 new Bronx apartments, it was uncertain about what to expect. But what is abundantly clear after two years is that a partnership among AHRC...
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Teaching Community Skills to Prepare for Independent Living
Independent living may be conceptualized as a philosophy of individual control, peer support, self-help, self-determination, equal access, and individual and system advocacy, in order to maximize the leadership, empowerment, independence, and productivity of individuals with disabilities, and the...
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Perspectives From Two Adults Living Independently in the Chapel Haven Community
Brave, Bold Kimber By Kimber Marchesi Kimber Marchesi came to Chapel Haven Schleifer Center from her hometown of Darien, CT in 2013. She learned how to live independently while enrolled residentially in Chapel Haven’s REACH program, graduated and now lives in her own apartment in the community,...
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How Preparing Early Improves Independent Living in Adulthood
It is never too early to prepare for any skill, but especially skills needed to live independently. Many young adults feel that moving out on their own is a rite of passage, whether that be attending college to live in a dormitory, renting their own apartment, buying their first home, among many...
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Community Living in the Era of COVID-19
As we cope with the disruption of this pandemic, many of us are wondering what our new normal will look like on the other side. Before COVID-19, many people with disabilities went to day programs or had individualized 1:1 staff supporting them at work or in activities in the community. Now, because...
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Housing and Supports: Parents are Vital to Positive Post-Secondary Outcomes
Keeley is a 23-year-old college graduate who was diagnosed with autism at age 8. To all those acquainted with her, Keeley appears to navigate the community and manage her life independently. Despite her independence, Keeley experiences much of her day with communication breakdowns between herself...
