Aspergian Pride


Aspergian Pride Forum Closure


Nov 23

Posted: under Internet Activism.

I would like to thank everyone who contributed to my forum community over the past four years.  Aspergian Pride’s forum was one of several web communities inspired by Aspergia, which closed its forum in July 2004.  My goals in creating this site were to nurture a sense of pride and self-acceptance among the autistic/Aspergian population and to help bring about mainstream awareness of the neurodiversity movement.  I believe that my efforts and those of many others have been successful in this regard, although there is still much work to be done in the cause of autistic civil rights.

The Aspergian Pride website will stay up, and I plan to continue writing blog entries to highlight the accomplishments of individuals within our community.  Best wishes and happy holidays to all.

Bonnie

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First Full Marathon


Oct 20

Posted: under Sports Stories.

Canadian athlete and autistic self-advocate Alex Bain, who is 20 years old, ran his first full marathon today.  His previous running experience includes several half-marathons.  In July 2006, Alex ran a series of half-marathons across Prince Edward Island to raise money for seminars presented by Dennis Debbaudt to educate police officers and firefighters about how to interact with autistic people in emergency situations.  For his efforts in raising awareness and acceptance of autism, Alex received an award from the P.E.I. Council of the Disabled.

Alex’s marathon time was 3:29:29, and he came in 45th out of 201 runners.  Congrats!

Update, November 23: Alex has just been named a 2009 iRun Award Winner.

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Future Firefighter Builds Truck


Oct 12

Posted: under Career Paths.

Sammy Xerri, an 11-year-old Aspergian boy who plans to become a firefighter, built a working miniature fire truck in his garage with parts from Home Depot.  He takes it on neighborhood calls to put out small grass fires.  His local fire department in Pickering, Ontario, has encouraged his interest by providing stickers for his truck and inviting him to visit open house events.

He recently attended a junior firefighters’ camp and received an award for his exceptional knowledge of fire fighting and fire safety.  His mother says that “a fire manual is his bedtime reading.”

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Candlemaker Looks Forward to Bright Future


Sep 22

Posted: under Career Paths.

Autistic entrepreneur Nathan Young has created a company called Compassionate Integrations, which employs autistic workers and others with developmental disabilities in the production of scented candles.  He obtained federal grant money to start the company while he was living on social security disability benefits, and he reports that the business is expanding to nearly 20 resellers of the candles.

The candles, which are made from soybean wax, are not yet available for sale online.  However, Internet ordering capability through PayPal is expected to become available at the Fortuna Candles website in the near future.

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Covering a Lot of Ground


Aug 28

Posted: under Government and Politics.

College student Evan Delaney Rodgers, who just turned 19 years old, is a city council candidate in Carlsbad, California. In a campaign press release quoted by the San Diego Union-Tribune, she discusses her Asperger diagnosis:

“Having a little autism helped me achieve my goals and not miss what most people thought I was missing out on. I’m not really ‘driven’ in the sense of being a wound-up over-achiever – marching to my own drum just happens to cover a lot of ground.”

An avid skateboarder, she gave an interview at the city’s skate park.  She proposes to build a new park and aquatic center and to invite the city’s youth to improve abandoned storefronts by filling them with art and science projects.

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Just Add Water


Aug 14

Posted: under Sports Stories.

The recently released film Just Add Water describes the life, talents, and challenges of 19-year-old champion surfer Clay Marzo, who recently received an Asperger diagnosis. He has won three NSSA National surfing titles and has appeared in several surf movies.

A portion of the proceeds from the film, which is expected to be available in stores in October, will be donated to the charitable foundation Surfer’s Healing. The foundation seeks to enrich the lives of autistic children and their families through the experience of surfing.

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A Positive Voice


Jul 31

Posted: under Arts and Music.

Jessica Summers, an 18-year-old autistic student who attends the University of Central Arkansas, sang the national anthem at the Cal Ripken Southwest Regional Championship youth baseball tournament at the Maumelle Diamond Complex two weeks ago.

She and her mother enjoy traveling to autism conferences and sharing a positive message.

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Nothing About Us, Without Us


Jul 17

Posted: under Speaking Out.

A South African autistic activist who goes by the name of “Adi” is working to bring about more representation of autistic people’s views in autism organizations, community events, and public policy discussions in the Western Cape area. She has drawn attention to harmful misrepresentations and negative images associated with fundraising efforts by the charitable group Autism Western Cape, which she points out could have been avoided if autistic people had been consulted during the planning stages.

After seeing a poster that advertised a “Jail4Bail” fundraiser for Autism Western Cape with a photo of a child in a jail cell, she objected strongly to the poster because it created the damaging impression that autistic children were imprisoned by their autism. The poster was changed to show an adult behind bars instead. However, as Adi writes, much more needs to be done to end stigmatizing portrayals of autistic people and to ensure meaningful representation of self-advocates:

“One has to be so careful how autism is portrayed to society. The problems that autistics face today are often more those caused by lack of acceptance and inclusion in society than the actual disabilities. If your hope is to give autistics the freedom of society one day, how can you portray it as a jail?”

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On Top of the World


Jul 08

Posted: under Academic Success, Growing in Faith.

The New Straits Times reports that 12-year-old autistic student Muhammad Danial Zainuddin “felt like he was on top of the world” on July 5th when, along with over 5,000 other Malaysian students at an indoor stadium, he participated in a recital ceremony known as Khatam al-Quran, in which students receive public recognition for completion of the Quran.

Although he could speak only a few words when he started public school six years ago, his speech and academic performance improved considerably over the years. He became a straight A student, and his headmaster “marvelled at his pupil’s progress.”

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A New Page on Capitol Hill


Jun 06

Posted: under Government and Politics.

Democratic Rep. Nancy Boyda of Topeka, Kansas, recently announced the selection of 16-year-old Benjamin Eric Berlin to the congressional page program. He attended the Kansas Youth Leadership Academy, gained experience serving as a page for two Kansas state legislators, and will become the first person with an autism spectrum diagnosis to serve in the congressional page program. He was selected for the congressional page program by a board based on an essay, extracurricular activities, character and motivation. As reported by the Lawrence Journal-World:

“Ben did not get this chance because he was autistic. Ben got the chance because he was extremely involved, mature and caring, and he demonstrated that to everyone that was around him,” Boyda said.

But Boyda said that as a page Berlin will be able to show others how people deal with disabilities.

In a prepared statement, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., praised the selection of Berlin.

“Congress is committed to ensuring that individuals with disabilities have the opportunity to participate in this historic learning experience,” Pelosi said.

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