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A Presumption of Competence: Empowering Disability Advocacy and Independent Living
On June 18, 2024, the White House hosted an Olmstead 25th Anniversary Observance to commemorate the Supreme Court decision (Olmstead v. L.C.) that ruled institutionalizing people with disabilities who were capable of community living was a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). One...
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Amid Increasingly Extreme Weather, Autistic Individuals Left Particularly Vulnerable to Climate Change Effects
Sherman Gillums Jr., the Federal Emergency Management Agency Director of Disability Integration and Coordination, remembers the event that made him realize emergency responses during natural disasters needed to be more autism-inclusive. In the throes of Hurricane Ian — the fifth strongest storm...
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The Power of Person-Centered Planning in Supporting Autistic Adults
Everyone wants to be heard and supported in ways that truly resonate with them. For adults with autism, this means having a voice in how their lives are shaped, and person-centered planning is the key to making that happen. It’s a process that ensures individuals are at the heart of their own...
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Diagnosis, Resources, and Behavior Changes – A Journey of Self-Discovery
Time changes our framing of incidents. When they go poorly, it’s not unusual to replay them in our minds in search of a more acceptable arc. This narrative is what I’ve learned from a situation that resolved well but which has also coughed up useful lessons. In the two or three years...
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Tapping Into Strengths: Empowering Autistic Individuals to Self-Advocate in the Workplace
Up to 85% of autistic individuals with a college degree are unemployed or underemployed (Autism Society). This often is attributed to a variety of factors, including differences in communication and challenges in reading social cues and making eye contact, all of which are an integral part of the...
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Building Self-Advocacy Skills in Autistic Young Adults
Adulthood is the time when teachers and parents can no longer advocate for their children the same way they could during the school-age years. Much of it becomes the responsibility of the adult. At the beginning of my career, I had the opportunity to develop an evidence-based curriculum in...
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Embracing Neurodiversity: A Social Revolution of Autism and New Perspectives
Over the past 25 years, I have noticed a movement that has been gaining momentum, aiming to reshape societal views and acceptance of autism and the broader community of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). If I could name this movement, I would call it Embracing...
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Fostering Independence for Young Adults with Autism and Low Vision
VanBergeijk and LaVoie (2024 April & January) established in previous issues of Autism Spectrum News that “autism is the most commonly reported co-existing developmental disorder in children with blindness and other severe visual impairment.” They highlighted the need for a proper...
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Empowering Autistic Communities: The Role of Co-Creation in Research Partnerships
Participatory research is an approach that can empower autistic community members through the co-creation of knowledge, addressing power imbalances, and fostering meaningful collaboration between autistic community members and academic researchers (Stack & McDonald, 2018). By actively involving...
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Navigating Career Pathways: Challenges and Opportunities for Autistic Individuals
It is, indeed, not easy for many people to make sense of the job market, but often, additional obstacles make autistic people’s lives much more challenging. With both finding a job and sustaining it, and at every level of the employment process, we face challenges which, unfortunately, may affect...
