Aspergian Pride
Jan 17
After being selected as a winner of his school district’s book-writing contest, 12-year-old Dyllan Rafail had the opportunity to have his book published. In “Super Senses,” he compares his autistic sensory experiences to being a superhero who has abilities others do not share and who struggles with the resulting difficulties and misunderstandings.
According to an article in Ann [...] [...more]
Posted: under Speaking Out.
After being selected as a winner of his school district’s book-writing contest, 12-year-old Dyllan Rafail had the opportunity to have his book published. In “Super Senses,” he compares his autistic sensory experiences to being a superhero who has abilities others do not share and who struggles with the resulting difficulties and misunderstandings.
According to an article in Ann Arbor.com, Dyllan wrote his book because he wanted to explain his feelings and to help others understand his experiences. In response to the idea that autism should be cured, Dyllan said, “They’re not taking mine away.”
Dec 17
Ari Ne’eman, who heads the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, has been nominated by President Obama to the National Council on Disability (NCD). The White House issued a press release yesterday announcing his selection and describing the NCD positions as key administration posts.
The Autistic Self Advocacy Network is a nonprofit group that seeks to advance the principles of the [...] [...more]
Posted: under Government and Politics.
Ari Ne’eman, who heads the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, has been nominated by President Obama to the National Council on Disability (NCD). The White House issued a press release yesterday announcing his selection and describing the NCD positions as key administration posts.
The Autistic Self Advocacy Network is a nonprofit group that seeks to advance the principles of the disability rights movement with regard to autism by empowering the Autistic Community to take control of its own destiny, working toward the goal of a world in which those on the autism spectrum enjoy the same access, rights, and opportunities as all other citizens.
Nov 05
Doctoral candidate C.S. Wyatt, who is himself autistic, is conducting research for his dissertation at the University of Minnesota on the use of online courses by autistic students. This research may help to persuade university administrators that providing accommodations to improve educational access for the autistic population makes both ethical and financial sense. If you have a [...] [...more]
Posted: under Research.
Doctoral candidate C.S. Wyatt, who is himself autistic, is conducting research for his dissertation at the University of Minnesota on the use of online courses by autistic students. This research may help to persuade university administrators that providing accommodations to improve educational access for the autistic population makes both ethical and financial sense. If you have a moment, please consider completing the survey described below.
Survey to Assess Needs for Improved Course Designs
As colleges and universities offer more courses online, it is important that we consider how students with autism spectrum disorders approach online communities, especially online classes. My experiences as a diagnosed high-functioning autistic student and instructor have led me to question how online courses could be designed to better serve students with autism spectrum disorders. I am conducting a survey, seeking to determine if there are characteristics of some online communities ASD individuals prefer. I am also interested in learning what qualities of online communities might be disliked by individuals with ASDs.
If you are an individual with an officially diagnosed autism spectrum disorder interested in offering opinions about online communities, I hope you will consider completing this brief online survey. You do not have to be a student. However, you should have some experiences with online communities so you can explain what design qualities are or are not appealing in various communities.
This will be an anonymous survey. Only your answers to interview questions will be saved and referenced during the study.
If you are interested in participating in these interviews, please visit the following survey link:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=6hUN2HISyDpNYnlwPpLkxQ_3d_3d
Thank you,
Christopher Scott Wyatt
Doctoral Candidate
Rhetoric; Scientific and Technical Communication
Digital Literacy and Pedagogy
Dept. of Writing Studies
University of Minnesota
wyatt050@umn.edu
This study is referenced by University of Minnesota IRB Code Number 0909P72516.
Oct 27
Ten-year-old Kyle Forbes of Houston, Texas, was alone in his classroom with his teacher Sheri Lowe when she choked on an apple. As reported by a local TV station, Kyle, who is autistic and has a passion for learning, had been taught the Heimlich maneuver in Cub Scouts, and he immediately performed it as he had practiced. He [...] [...more]
Posted: under Caring Acts.
Ten-year-old Kyle Forbes of Houston, Texas, was alone in his classroom with his teacher Sheri Lowe when she choked on an apple. As reported by a local TV station, Kyle, who is autistic and has a passion for learning, had been taught the Heimlich maneuver in Cub Scouts, and he immediately performed it as he had practiced. He is now being honored as a hero for saving his teacher’s life.
According to the report, Kyle’s father is quite proud of his son and says that this is proof that children with autism can do anything others can do.
Oct 19
Elesia Ashkenazy, a community partner of the Academic Autistic Spectrum Partnership in Research and Education (AASPIRE) and chair of the Portland, Oregon chapter of the Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN), is familiar to many in the autistic community because of her leadership of the ASAN-Portland protest at an Autism Speaks walk, after which she was interviewed on the TV [...] [...more]
Posted: under Research.
Elesia Ashkenazy, a community partner of the Academic Autistic Spectrum Partnership in Research and Education (AASPIRE) and chair of the Portland, Oregon chapter of the Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN), is familiar to many in the autistic community because of her leadership of the ASAN-Portland protest at an Autism Speaks walk, after which she was interviewed on the TV news. She is distributing the following announcement about AASPIRE’s Gateway Project, which is currently seeking participants for community-based research studies:
Be Included in Autism Research
The Academic Autistic Spectrum Partnership in Research and Education (AASPIRE) believes in research WITH autistic adults, not just ABOUT autistic adults.
The AASPIRE Gateway Project is an online gateway to research that fulfills AASPIRE’s mission to
encourage the inclusion of autistic adults in matters which directly affect them;
include autistic adults as equal partners in research about autism;
answer research questions that are considered relevant by the autistic community;
use research findings to effect positive change for people on the autistic spectrum.
The AASPIRE Gateway Project needs your help, whether or not you are on the autistic spectrum.
If you are at least 18 years old and have access to the Internet, you can participate in a series of continuing online research studies that help AASPIRE achieve its mission. Upcoming studies address topics such as healthcare, Internet use, and problem-solving.
To participate in the AASPIRE Gateway Project:
1. Register online for an AASPIRE Gateway account starting at www.aaspire.org/gateway.
2. Take the online AASPIRE Gateway Survey. The survey takes about 20 minutes to complete.
3. You will be notified by email when new studies for which you are eligible become available.
Completing the survey entitles you to a 1 in 25 chance to win a $25 Amazon gift certificate.
If you would like to learn more about AASPIRE or the Gateway Project, you can
Go to the Gateway home page at www.aaspire.org/gateway.
Send an email to Dora Raymaker at dora@aaspireproject.org.
Make a telephone call to Dr. Christina Nicolaidis at 1-503-494-9602.
OHSU IRB # 3762; UW IRB# SE-2008-0749
Principal Investigators:
Christina Nicolaidis, MD, MPH, Oregon Health & Science University
Morton Ann Gernsbacher, PhD, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Katherine McDonald, PhD, Portland State University
Dora Raymaker, Autistic Self-Advocacy Network
Please pass this information along to your friends!
Sep 25
Since Autism Speaks released its appalling video “I Am Autism” earlier this week, to widespread global condemnation from parents and autistic self-advocates alike, British blogger Socrates of The New Republic has taken a leading role in organizing resistance to this latest atrocious effort to demonize autistic people. He has taken the top Google spot from Autism Speaks [...] [...more]
Posted: under Internet Activism.
Since Autism Speaks released its appalling video “I Am Autism” earlier this week, to widespread global condemnation from parents and autistic self-advocates alike, British blogger Socrates of The New Republic has taken a leading role in organizing resistance to this latest atrocious effort to demonize autistic people. He has taken the top Google spot from Autism Speaks with a parody of the “I Am Autism” video. To show your support for his efforts, go to his blog and leave a message in the comments! And if you have a blog or other website where you can express your views, please write your own post making clear why Autism Speaks does not speak for you. It’s past time to put an end to their hatred.
Sep 13
The video games created by Jack Booth, an 11-year-old autistic boy living in Swindon, UK, are so difficult that even the most experienced gamers have been unable to complete some of them. Jack is now taking on a larger challenge; he seeks to change public perceptions of autism.
Interviewed for a local newspaper article, Jack said, “I would like to show people [...] [...more]
Posted: under Speaking Out.
The video games created by Jack Booth, an 11-year-old autistic boy living in Swindon, UK, are so difficult that even the most experienced gamers have been unable to complete some of them. Jack is now taking on a larger challenge; he seeks to change public perceptions of autism.
Interviewed for a local newspaper article, Jack said, “I would like to show people they shouldn’t be scared to be friends with me.” Some of the children at his school, perhaps frightened by sensational media stories, thought that autism was a disease they could catch from him.
Jack’s mother, Tracey, has always supported his focused interests and his keen desire to learn. “There is definitely not enough understanding about autism,” she said, “from children and adults. I used to apologise for the way he was but now I don’t – why should I? He’s a joy to have as a son and I’m very proud of him.”
Jul 14
Sebastian Dern, who is on the community advisory board of the Academic Autistic Spectrum Partnership in Research and Education (AASPIRE) Gateway Project, has provided information to Aspergian Pride about participation in these studies. The AASPIRE Gateway Project is a community based participatory research project that studies aspects of autism relevant to autistic adults from the [...] [...more]
Posted: under Research.
Sebastian Dern, who is on the community advisory board of the Academic Autistic Spectrum Partnership in Research and Education (AASPIRE) Gateway Project, has provided information to Aspergian Pride about participation in these studies. The AASPIRE Gateway Project is a community based participatory research project that studies aspects of autism relevant to autistic adults from the perspective of autistic adults, seeking to positively influence services, awareness and research and its impact in general for autistic people.
Announcement: Participate in the AASPIRE Gateway Project
You are invited to participate in a continuing online research project
called the AASPIRE Gateway Project. This online research project is
conducted by the Academic Autistic Spectrum Partnership in Research and
Education (AASPIRE, http://aaspireproject.org) in collaboration with
Oregon Health & Science University, the University of Wisconsin-Madison,
Portland State University, and the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network.
The AASPIRE Gateway Project is recruiting participants with and without
disabilities, and participants on the autism spectrum, for a series of
continuing online studies on topics such as health care, Internet use,
online sense of community, identity, problem solving, and perspective
taking. The goals of the online AASPIRE Gateway Project are
(1) to collect the Gateway Survey data;
(2) to use the Gateway Survey data to invite eligible participants to
AASPIRE’s continuing online research studies; and
(3) to use the Gateway Survey data in AASPIRE’s continuing online
research studies.
You may participate in the AASPIRE Gateway Project and contribute to
continuing AASPIRE research studies if you are at least 18 years old,
and you have access to the Internet.
The first step in joining the AASPIRE Gateway Project is completing the
online AASPIRE Gateway Survey. The AASPIRE Gateway Survey asks about (a)
personal information, such as age, gender, disability, education, and
employment status, (b) information about which hand you prefer to use
when doing activities such as writing with a pen or pencil, and (c)
information about your personal preferences regarding interests, habits,
and social interactions. Completing the AASPIRE Gateway Survey will take
approximately 20-40 minutes. In return, you may choose to be entered
into a drawing for a 1 in 25 chance to win a $25 gift certificate to
Amazon.com or to receive 1 extra credit point in your introductory
psychology class if you are a student at the University of
Wisconsin-Madison.
Adults who identify as having a disability and adults who identify as
being on the autistic spectrum are especially encouraged to participate
in the AASPIRE Gateway Project.
If you’re interested in participating in the AASPIRE Gateway Project, or
would like to learn more about AASPIRE or the study, here are three ways
you can get started:
1) Go to the study’s website at www.aaspire.org/gateway.
2) Send an email to info@aaspireproject.org.
3) Make a telephone call to Christina Nicolaidis, MD, MPH, at 001- (503)
494-9602 or Morton Ann Gernsbacher, PhD, at 001 – (608) 262-6989.
OHSU IRB # 3762; UW IRB# SE-2008-0749
Principal Investigators: Christina Nicolaidis, MD, MPH, Oregon Health &
Science University
Morton Ann Gernsbacher, PhD, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Katherine McDonald, PhD, Portland State University
Dora Raymaker, Autistic Self-Advocacy Network
Jul 06
Christopher Beaulieu, valedictorian at Littleton High School in New Hampshire, spoke of the importance of following one’s own path and of being careful not to stereotype others. “Being labeled as having Asperger’s, I was told I couldn’t do things such as telling jokes or giving speeches,” he told the audience. He mentioned this to make [...] [...more]
Posted: under Academic Success.
Christopher Beaulieu, valedictorian at Littleton High School in New Hampshire, spoke of the importance of following one’s own path and of being careful not to stereotype others. “Being labeled as having Asperger’s, I was told I couldn’t do things such as telling jokes or giving speeches,” he told the audience. He mentioned this to make a point about labeling, he said.
He received a standing ovation from the families and friends in the packed gymnasium.
Jun 12
Kim Hing, a student at De Anza College in Cupertino, California, wrote a letter to the campus newspaper protesting a film club event at which the owner of a local donut shop called “Psycho Donuts” had been invited to speak. The owner suggested that the film club could raise funds by selling his donuts, which [...] [...more]
Posted: under Speaking Out.
Kim Hing, a student at De Anza College in Cupertino, California, wrote a letter to the campus newspaper protesting a film club event at which the owner of a local donut shop called “Psycho Donuts” had been invited to speak. The owner suggested that the film club could raise funds by selling his donuts, which are named after psychiatric diagnoses, on campus. The donut shop’s decor includes a padded cell and a straitjacket, and its employees dress in white coats.
A longer statement by Kim Hing has been widely circulated on the Internet, in which she explains that she has several diagnoses, including Asperger’s syndrome, and that she does “not expect to be publicly humiliated and to have my disability ridiculed at a school sponsored event… I do not feel I should be subjected to this at school.”
Indeed, so-called humor that mocks people with disabilities is not at all funny, and nobody should have to be subjected to it. Kudos to Kim Hing for speaking out against it.
Edit: The owner of Psycho Donuts has agreed to make some changes, such as turning the padded cell into a music studio.