http://www.aspergianpride.com/blog Building a Stronger Community Together Mon, 07 Apr 2008 19:47:09 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Alex Plank, one of the founders of the popular Wrong Planet web community, sought to fill the need for useful online resources for people on the autistic spectrum when the site was created in 2004. In addition to the Wrong Planet forum, which has a large number of regular visitors, ... http://www.aspergianpride.com/blog/2008/04/02/creating-online-resources/ After taking part in community service work while preparing for his bar mitzvah, Ari Schneider-Gans of Evesham, New Jersey, decided that he wanted to do more. He formed a group called The Spectrum of Helping Hands, whose members are all teenage boys on the autism spectrum. Since the ... http://www.aspergianpride.com/blog/2008/03/29/contributing-to-the-community/ Nine-year-old Jonathan Anderson's mother was driving him to school, traveling at 70 mph on a busy highway, when she suddenly blacked out. Jonathan, who has an Asperger diagnosis, grabbed the steering wheel and managed to avoid colliding with other vehicles as he steered the car off the road. ... http://www.aspergianpride.com/blog/2008/01/31/boy-takes-wheel-saves-mother/ When Aspergian college student Heather Kuzmich auditioned for the America's Next Top Model reality show, although she sometimes lacked confidence in her ability to succeed, she persevered because she saw her appearance on the show as an opportunity to demonstrate that she wouldn't let herself be limited by stereotypes and ... http://www.aspergianpride.com/blog/2007/12/24/modeling-success/ Self-advocate Ari Ne'eman, who is studying political science and economics at the University of Maryland-Baltimore County as a Sondheim Scholar of Public Affairs, has put together an impressive list of accomplishments in the political realm even before receiving his university degree. He is the founder and president of the ... http://www.aspergianpride.com/blog/2007/12/12/a-political-dynamo/ Canadian researcher Michelle Dawson, who studies autism at the University of Montreal and is herself autistic, was recently interviewed regarding her efforts to improve ethical standards for autism-related science and advocacy. Her studies focus on cognitive science and neuroscience. She is an author of several papers published in ... http://www.aspergianpride.com/blog/2007/12/07/accurate-information/ Leland Coats, a high school student in Charleston, West Virginia, recently received a community service award for rescuing his relatives from a house fire. While staying overnight with his cousin's family, he smelled smoke. Everyone in the house was still sleeping, and he woke them up and got ... http://www.aspergianpride.com/blog/2007/11/14/teenager-rescues-family/ This year's United Way fundraising campaign in Greater St. Louis features Tyrin Rencher as a spokesman for autism services and awareness. Refreshingly, the campaign has a positive tone, with the tagline "Autism is a trait, not a debilitation," and it stresses that Tyrin, who is a junior at the ... http://www.aspergianpride.com/blog/2007/10/13/an-independent-and-rewarding-life/ When his teacher, Madonna Kenser, had a severe asthma attack during class and collapsed, nine-year-old Brendon Garman knew what to do. He immediately found her inhaler and gave it to her. If he had not done so, Ms. Kenser's doctor told her, there was a chance she would ... http://www.aspergianpride.com/blog/2007/09/29/quick-thinking-student-saves-teacher/ Bev Harp, who blogs at Asperger Square 8, got involved in online autistic civil rights advocacy in March, and she already has had a great deal of impact in changing the way people think about neurological differences. Some of Bev's posts are written in a dialogue style, as if she were ... http://www.aspergianpride.com/blog/2007/09/26/making-people-think/