Aspergian Pride
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.
May 27
Ben Brock, who teaches at the Footprints Preschool and Family Resource Center in Camarillo, California, decided to pursue a child development degree after he received an Asperger diagnosis. His parents founded the preschool, and his father also is autistic. The preschool originally was a day care center; the family then decided to develop an inclusive [...] [...more]
Posted: under Career Paths.
Ben Brock, who teaches at the Footprints Preschool and Family Resource Center in Camarillo, California, decided to pursue a child development degree after he received an Asperger diagnosis. His parents founded the preschool, and his father also is autistic. The preschool originally was a day care center; the family then decided to develop an inclusive program designed to serve both autistic and non-autistic children.
Four of the five members of the Brock family are involved in running the school. As reported by the Ventura County Star, the Brock family has become passionate about inclusion because of their experiences with being misunderstood by others.
Apr 25
After being refused a place at his local high school because of prejudice related to his Asperger diagnosis, British teenager Alex Goodenough studied at home for two years and achieved top scores on several exams. He has received a conditional offer to study engineering at prestigious Cambridge University, provided that he earns a satisfactory score on a practical physics [...] [...more]
Posted: under Academic Success.
After being refused a place at his local high school because of prejudice related to his Asperger diagnosis, British teenager Alex Goodenough studied at home for two years and achieved top scores on several exams. He has received a conditional offer to study engineering at prestigious Cambridge University, provided that he earns a satisfactory score on a practical physics exam.
Alex became motivated to work harder and to excel, according to a story in The Guardian, after his high school application was rejected. The high school wrote him a letter of apology after his case went to a disability tribunal.
Apr 06
Joe Steffy of Louisburg, Kansas, owns a thriving small business selling popcorn. As reported by Yahoo News, he has five part-time employees, and his sales have grown from $16,000 in 2005 to $50,000 in 2008.
He has autism and Down syndrome and uses an augmentative speech device to communicate. His parents, who have been very supportive [...] [...more]
Posted: under Career Paths.
Joe Steffy of Louisburg, Kansas, owns a thriving small business selling popcorn. As reported by Yahoo News, he has five part-time employees, and his sales have grown from $16,000 in 2005 to $50,000 in 2008.
He has autism and Down syndrome and uses an augmentative speech device to communicate. His parents, who have been very supportive of his efforts, helped him to get the business started by preparing a business plan and applications for grants.
Mar 21
Two Michigan high school students, Jacob Gritter-Dorr and Robert Brindley, recently became National Merit semifinalists. This distinction goes to students in the United States who receive a preliminary SAT score in the top one percent. Both students received Asperger’s diagnoses when they were in elementary school.
A local newspaper published an article about their academic successes, [...] [...more]
Posted: under Academic Success.
Two Michigan high school students, Jacob Gritter-Dorr and Robert Brindley, recently became National Merit semifinalists. This distinction goes to students in the United States who receive a preliminary SAT score in the top one percent. Both students received Asperger’s diagnoses when they were in elementary school.
A local newspaper published an article about their academic successes, their interests, their college plans, and characteristics of autism such as heightened senses and a strong focus on particular topics. Kathy Dorr, who is the mother of Jacob Gritter-Dorr, spoke of her concern about society’s perceptions of autistic people. Her son is very ethical and concerned about people around him, she says, even though he may not show it as others do.
Feb 03
Michael Mayes, an 18-year-old senior at Marshfield High School in Massachusetts, is currently serving a two-year term on the Governor’s Statewide Youth Council, which advises Gov. Deval Patrick on youth issues. He also plays baseball and football, coaches younger baseball players, and mentors younger autistic students in the Marshfield schools.
In an interview, he told reporter Lydia [...] [...more]
Posted: under Government and Politics.
Michael Mayes, an 18-year-old senior at Marshfield High School in Massachusetts, is currently serving a two-year term on the Governor’s Statewide Youth Council, which advises Gov. Deval Patrick on youth issues. He also plays baseball and football, coaches younger baseball players, and mentors younger autistic students in the Marshfield schools.
In an interview, he told reporter Lydia Mulvany that he wants to speak for youths with disabilities. “I want autistic kids to have a voice… People underestimate autistic kids, and I don’t think people should.”
Jan 10
Dora Raymaker of Portland, Oregon, has been hired by the social action network Change.org to blog about autism issues. She is Co-director of the Academic Autistic Spectrum Partnership in Research and Education and is a member of the Autistic Self Advocacy Network’s Board of Directors. Kristina Chew, formerly of Autism Vox, is her partner in writing the [...] [...more]
Posted: under Internet Activism.
Dora Raymaker of Portland, Oregon, has been hired by the social action network Change.org to blog about autism issues. She is Co-director of the Academic Autistic Spectrum Partnership in Research and Education and is a member of the Autistic Self Advocacy Network’s Board of Directors. Kristina Chew, formerly of Autism Vox, is her partner in writing the Change.org autism blog.
On the blog, she writes that she is committed to improving quality of life for individuals on the autistic spectrum–including herself. Her posts highlight issues of importance to the autistic community, encourage input from self-advocates, and seek to make a positive difference in the lives of autistic citizens.
Jan 06
The First United Lutheran Church of San Francisco has a new minister, Jay Wilson, who plans to focus on helping the homeless and those with disabilities to find housing. The congregation belongs to the Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries, which supports and advocates for the GLBT population.
Because of Jay Wilson’s tactile sensitivities associated with autism, a red ribbon [...] [...more]
Posted: under Growing in Faith.
The First United Lutheran Church of San Francisco has a new minister, Jay Wilson, who plans to focus on helping the homeless and those with disabilities to find housing. The congregation belongs to the Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries, which supports and advocates for the GLBT population.
Because of Jay Wilson’s tactile sensitivities associated with autism, a red ribbon was threaded among the participants during the ordination, instead of the laying on of hands that would otherwise have been part of the ceremony.
Dec 28
Katie Miller has been announced as a winner of the annual Wynn Newhouse Awards for artists of excellence who have disabilities. She enjoys painting children and says that although she is faceblind and often finds eye contact uncomfortable, she prefers to paint faces that stare out and confront the viewer.
Her application essay, which explains how her autistic [...] [...more]
Posted: under Arts and Music.
Katie Miller has been announced as a winner of the annual Wynn Newhouse Awards for artists of excellence who have disabilities. She enjoys painting children and says that although she is faceblind and often finds eye contact uncomfortable, she prefers to paint faces that stare out and confront the viewer.
Her application essay, which explains how her autistic perceptions and hyper-acute senses have influenced her art, has been reposted on the website of the Autistic Self Advocacy Network.
Update, February 25: Here’s a link to a report by a local TV station.
Dec 24
Andrew Pegg of Frostburg, Maryland, who is 22 years old, recently received the annual Personal Achievement Award from the Maryland Division of Rehabilitation Services and the Maryland Rehabilitation Association. He owns a small business, Andilla Designs & Graphics, which personalizes gifts and advertising products.
He is a non-speaking autistic who communicates in writing. As reported by the Cumberland [...] [...more]
Posted: under Career Paths.
Andrew Pegg of Frostburg, Maryland, who is 22 years old, recently received the annual Personal Achievement Award from the Maryland Division of Rehabilitation Services and the Maryland Rehabilitation Association. He owns a small business, Andilla Designs & Graphics, which personalizes gifts and advertising products.
He is a non-speaking autistic who communicates in writing. As reported by the Cumberland Times-News, he is very active in disability advocacy and often brings a slide presentation on disability issues to events.