tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53674485004409276642024-02-20T18:47:12.615-08:00AAC: The Beautiful Unicorn ProjectUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5367448500440927664.post-88318837062356821602017-08-09T09:32:00.001-07:002017-08-09T12:17:21.303-07:00Meghan- The Beautiful Unicorn Project 1<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwZBFrDPvbEgNEF-_03HgYukQBsjfQZVU99XmBYuwbbXXbksVRvxkVuAmMnKobHNfrOZ5_jz2I0j4vvOWTJoX1JswExcWN-OC8e1ilFx3gbOkb8mahy1Spbj3U9FqMefmQYADfjELSA2Q/s1600/unicorn+meghan.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="215" data-original-width="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwZBFrDPvbEgNEF-_03HgYukQBsjfQZVU99XmBYuwbbXXbksVRvxkVuAmMnKobHNfrOZ5_jz2I0j4vvOWTJoX1JswExcWN-OC8e1ilFx3gbOkb8mahy1Spbj3U9FqMefmQYADfjELSA2Q/s1600/unicorn+meghan.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Meghan chose this beautiful white winged bluish white<br />
unicorn because in her words she "<span style="color: purple;">can fly strong</span>"</td></tr>
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<b><i>The Beautiful Unicorn Project is a way to keep the memory of nonspeaking blind autistic activist LaVonnya Gardner alive by opening space to her people, nonspeaking disabled people who benefit from Augmentative Assistive Communication support but whose voices are not being heard. Please honor LaVonnya's memory by hearing the nonspeaking members of our community and listening to words.</i></b><br />
<b><i><br /></i></b>
<b>Preferred Name:</b><br />
<span style="color: purple;"><b><br /></b></span> <span style="color: purple;"><b>Meghan</b></span><br />
<b>Preferred Pronouns:</b><br />
<span style="color: purple;"><b><br /></b></span> <span style="color: purple;"><b>She/her</b></span><br />
<b>Disability Identity (Tell us about yourself.):</b><br />
<span style="color: purple;"><b><br /></b></span>
<b><span style="color: purple;">I came to teach love. My body moves all my awake time. I cannot control moving, exhausting. many naps. my work help people cross the bridge of light without fear </span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: purple;"><br /></span> What was life like before you were able to let others know you understood them? :</b><br />
<b><br /></b> <span style="color: purple;"><b>Hard especially pain lonely mom felt me </b></span><br />
<span style="color: purple;"><b><br /></b></span> <b>How do you communicate with others now? </b><br />
<b><br /></b> <b><span style="color: purple;">Eco (eco2 mostly supported occasional independent ) </span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: purple;">Look (eye gaze mostly choices)</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: purple;">No yum (vocal)</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: purple;">Nod</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: purple;">smile</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: purple;"><br /></span></b>
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<b>Are you satisfied with your AAC support/your communication pathway?<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmXAY9FFF8N58pO2MDd2Mo9vqbScquI5hm7aazN75GAl6gtcplqDOdhcO9NFjAyO1K9hrpnhO_wCuAOyKL1fePN6RzasMdZOCgd5Az1T27xEvXGhPikJhd5cPASewy-Jf9f7n-KEUytOo/s1600/meghan_eco2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="632" data-original-width="960" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmXAY9FFF8N58pO2MDd2Mo9vqbScquI5hm7aazN75GAl6gtcplqDOdhcO9NFjAyO1K9hrpnhO_wCuAOyKL1fePN6RzasMdZOCgd5Az1T27xEvXGhPikJhd5cPASewy-Jf9f7n-KEUytOo/s320/meghan_eco2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Meghan's Eco2 AAC device in pink case with thanks to Meghan</td></tr>
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</b><br />
<b><br /></b> <span style="color: purple;"><b>Wish I could talk people too impatient with my typing</b></span><br />
<span style="color: purple;"><b><br /></b></span> <b>Can you give an example of ableism that continues despite being able to communicate? </b><br />
<span style="color: purple;"><b><br /></b></span> <span style="color: purple;"><b>No one believes I am communicating because I need support</b></span><br />
<b><br /></b> <b>This is now your platform. What would you like to say to parents and professionals about nonspeaking people? </b><br />
<span style="color: purple;"><b><br /></b></span> <span style="color: purple;"><b>Be patient and give attention </b></span><br />
<span style="color: purple;"><b>Rude to walk away when I am typing</b></span><br />
<b><br /></b> <b>What would you like to say to other autistics? </b><br />
<span style="color: purple;"><b><br /></b></span> <span style="color: purple;"><b>Don’t give up</b></span><br />
<b><br /></b>
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<b>Do you feel pressured to be a role model or an activist for communication rights? :</b><br />
<b><span style="color: purple;"><br /></span></b> <b><span style="color: purple;">no</span></b><br />
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<b>Could you share something that brings you joy?:<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieGVzaygBfglrkDMsrwGOyIb23Zq3nrdoxUwoCyHftV5lG1NfSaDEMDCEi6fN8_aCs3ussC1mmt-Mz47WC6jdkfO-JBirwdwWPEryxwXcdDk3UK0Cxzl3li68oXd_8G3kMVD_eH2tz-MA/s1600/meghan_letterboard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="850" data-original-width="960" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieGVzaygBfglrkDMsrwGOyIb23Zq3nrdoxUwoCyHftV5lG1NfSaDEMDCEi6fN8_aCs3ussC1mmt-Mz47WC6jdkfO-JBirwdwWPEryxwXcdDk3UK0Cxzl3li68oXd_8G3kMVD_eH2tz-MA/s320/meghan_letterboard.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Meghan's lovely quilted letter board </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</b><br />
<b><span style="color: purple;"><br /></span></b> <b><span style="color: purple;">Playing drums and keyboard</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: purple;">Painting</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: purple;">Helping people cross the bridge of light</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: purple;">My puppy Oscar </span></b><br />
<br />
<b>Note from Meghan's mom:</b> Meghan uses eco2 and alphabet board supported for typed communication, she also at times independently communicates with her eco2 she can also write in cursive with support she uses eye gaze for choice making nods yes and shakes head no and can say no yum good if you have any questions about her responses you can let me know and I will ask her these responses were supported on her eco2 the way I support her is I give resistance to her forward motion it helps calm her movements so she can type<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5367448500440927664.post-88331631284514234652015-07-12T07:03:00.000-07:002015-07-12T12:38:07.330-07:00With Liberty And Justice for All: Will Chuck Forget?<i>..."<b>With Liberty And Justice For All</b>" hopes to be a guest blogger series by Autistic teen voices against catastrophic violence to their neurodivergent peers that happens when preventable bullying events are ignored and escalate. Autistic teen activist Henry Frost leads with this moving post. A version of this article was previously published in <a href="http://ollibean.com/2015/07/08/chuck-forget/">Ollibean</a>. kç</i><br />
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Will Chuck Forget?</h3>
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Chuck is terrified to go to school. He has stuttering. Others laugh when he says something.</div>
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He has a breakdown at school.</div>
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Some boys do feel bad but have no courage to tell and stand up for him. The teacher pretends nothing is wrong.</div>
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Chuck went missing.</div>
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Questions:</div>
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Who is responsible?</div>
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Wha<b>t</b> can his friends do if he is found?</div>
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What does it mean to watch and look the other way?</div>
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Will his teachers take initiative and how?</div>
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What can his family do?</div>
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Will Chuck forget?</div>
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End of the story.</div>
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I wrote this story when I was in Austin with Soma in October 2013. It is part of a book of stories for discussions. Two Houses is one of the stories. There is another in Halo’s Voices and more.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxOTTXKgRs9Bnnmo3Lyw-lKq3zCklVDhA-Kd7SdngegstLIfn9XDQ7v-K_7zVICSOJJzBDAlq8GufVQtLUzQAkGsyf1alHlKviAkHexeDJPjEsZdTLwz2ws2H-KERWyzOy2I1_gZ8EIsg/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-07-12+at+1.27.41+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxOTTXKgRs9Bnnmo3Lyw-lKq3zCklVDhA-Kd7SdngegstLIfn9XDQ7v-K_7zVICSOJJzBDAlq8GufVQtLUzQAkGsyf1alHlKviAkHexeDJPjEsZdTLwz2ws2H-KERWyzOy2I1_gZ8EIsg/s400/Screen+Shot+2015-07-12+at+1.27.41+PM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"> </span>"If you are bullied, tell someone. It is not you who should feel shame. "</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">-----------------</span></h4>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span>Henry Frost<span style="font-size: x-small;">: </span><span style="font-size: x-small; font-weight: normal;">In 2012 Henry faced disability based discrimination when he was denied entry to the middle school across the street from his home. Then 12 year old Henry started “</span><span style="font-size: x-small;">I STAND WITH HENRY</span><span style="font-size: x-small; font-weight: normal;">” to take action against the segregation and low expectations he encountered and to empower others to stand together and demand full access to equal education in their neighborhoods. Henry’s international social media campaign garnered tens of thousands of supporters and he was allowed entry into his neighborhood school after months of negotiation. Henry went on to excel not only in General Education but it Advanced Honors and Gifted classes.He was the 2013 Recipient of the Autistic Self Advocacy Network's Award for Service to the Self-Advocacy Movement. You can find Henry @istandwithhenry on Facebook and Twitter.</span></h4>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5367448500440927664.post-43321249429532904322015-02-28T18:16:00.000-08:002015-03-04T12:32:55.069-08:00Annual Day Of Mourning 2015<br />This post is in support of the Annual Day of Mourning for People with Disabilities Murdered by their families or care providers. Follow this link to the Autistic Self Advocacy Network's Vigil Page:<div>
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<a href="https://sites.google.com/site/dayofmourning2015virtualvigil/">https://sites.google.com/site/dayofmourning2015virtualvigil/</a><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuuILgo0NY2XnkdH_m2EEAe0UwCyKRa2yitAr3AO8RSHFTcDw4WhGs835_M8MmmUNZqXBrPmaHxRe5J6qyWjCor9vavJ_NZKfOwuqhjJY6T8zV5LhzY1q9A4bQMjsw7jNrUwW2L35mOwY/s1600/MournDead.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuuILgo0NY2XnkdH_m2EEAe0UwCyKRa2yitAr3AO8RSHFTcDw4WhGs835_M8MmmUNZqXBrPmaHxRe5J6qyWjCor9vavJ_NZKfOwuqhjJY6T8zV5LhzY1q9A4bQMjsw7jNrUwW2L35mOwY/s1600/MournDead.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ASAN Annual Day of Mourning Poster 2015 credit Autistic Self Advocacy Network</td></tr>
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Click here for the link to the virtual vigil: <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/dayofmourning2015virtualvigil/home/virtual-vigil">Remembrance</a><br />
<div>
Tracy Latimer, age 12, 1993, gassed by her father </div>
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• Charles-Antoine Blais, age 6, November 1996, drowned by his mother </div>
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• Casey Albury, age 17, 1997, strangled by her mother </div>
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• Pierre Pasquiou, age 10, 1998, pushed into the sea by his mother </div>
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• Jim Helm, age 27, November 1998, killed by his mother in a murder-suicide </div>
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• Daniel Leubner, age 13, September 1999, burned alive by his mother </div>
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• James Joseph Cummings Jr, age 46, November 1999, stabbed to death by his father in the institution where he lived </div>
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• Justin Malphus, age 5, April 2000, beaten and drowned by his mother </div>
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• Gabriel Britt, age 6, March 2001, suffocated by his father </div>
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• Matthew Sutton, age 28, April 2001, killed by his parents </div>
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• Johnny Churchi, age 13, 2001, strangled by his mother </div>
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• Mark Owen Young, age 11, September 2001, poisoned and then pushed off a bridge by his mother in a murder-suicide </div>
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• Brahim Dukes, age 18, December 2001, starved by his stepmother </div>
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• Lilian Leilani Gill, age 4, March 2002, strangled by her adoptive mother </div>
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• Mitchell Dickson, age 10, June 2002, slashed to death by his mother </div>
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• Dale Bartolome, age 27, July 2002, killed by his father in a murder-suicide </div>
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• Jason Dawes, age 10, August 2003, suffocated by his mother </div>
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• Maggie Caraballo, age 38, August 2003, beaten to death by her sister </div>
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• Angelica Auriemma, age 20, December 2003, drowned by her mother, who first tried to electrocute her to death </div>
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• Scott Olsen, age 29, December 2003, starved to death by his sister </div>
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• Eric Bland, age 38, March 2004, starved to death by his sister </div>
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• Scarlett Chen, age 4, July 2004, drowned by her mother </div>
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• Patrick Markcrow, age 36, March 2005, drugged and suffocated by his mother </div>
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• Tiffany Pinckney, age 23, April 2005, locked in a basement and starved to death by her sister and brother-in-law </div>
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• Sarah Naylor, age 27, September 2005, shot by her mother in a murder-suicide </div>
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• Ryan Davies, age 12, April 2006, drowned after his mother caused him to fall off of a bridge in a murder-suicide </div>
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• Christopher DeGroot, age 19, May 2006, died of severe burns after he was locked in his parents’ apartment alone during a fire </div>
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• Katie McCarron, age 3, May 2006, suffocated by her mother </div>
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• William Lash III, age 12, July 2006, shot by his father in a murder-suicide </div>
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• Lakesha Victor, age 10, August 2006, starved by her mother </div>
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• Marcus Fiesel, age 4, August 2006, wrapped in heavy blankets by his foster parents and left in a closet to suffocate while they went out of town </div>
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• Ulysses Stable, age 12, November 2006, throat slit by his father </div>
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• M. E., age 13, November 2006, starved and deprived medical care by his parents </div>
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• Brandon Williams, age 5, March 2007, poisoned and beaten to death by his mother </div>
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• Criste Reimer, age 47, August 2007, thrown from a balcony by her husband </div>
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• Jared Greenwood, age 26, September 2007, died of infected bed sores after being left in place and neglected by his mother </div>
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• Francecca Hardwick, age 18, October 2007, locked in a burning car with her mother in a murder-suicide </div>
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• Naomi Hill, age 4, November 2007, drowned by her mother </div>
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• Shellay Ward, age 7, November 2007, starved and neglected by her parents </div>
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• Maxwell Eyer, age 2, December 2007, beaten to death by his father </div>
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• Maia Comas, age 2, December 2007, left to drown in a blow-up pool by her parents </div>
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• Xiao Fei, age 20, 2008, poisoned and suffocated by her mother </div>
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• Calista Springer, age 16, February 2008, chained to a bed and abandoned in a fire by her entire family </div>
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• Courtney Wise, age 17, February 2008, starved to death by her mother </div>
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• Ethan Scott Kirby, age 3, August 2008, beaten to death by his mother's boyfriend</div>
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• Jacob Grabe, age 13, September 2008, shot by his father </div>
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• Tom Inglis, age 22, November 2008, died after his mother administered an overdose of heroin to him </div>
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• Christian Clay Jenkins, age 14, 2008, given an overdose of oxycodone by his father </div>
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• Kyle Dutter, age 12, November 2008, shot by his father in a murder-suicide </div>
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• Lexie Agyepong-Glover, age 13, January 2009, left in a frigid creek by her mother and died of drowning and exposure </div>
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• Terrell Stepney, age 19, February 2009, poisoned by his grandmother in a murder-suicide </div>
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• Jeremy Fraser, age 9, 2009, died of recurrent leukemia after his mother withheld the medication that would have saved his life </div>
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• Shylea Myza Thomas, age 9, April 2009, " starved to death by her aunt, who then hid her body in order to continue to collect money she received for Shylea's care" </div>
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• Pamela Camille Hall, age 59, April 2009, stabbed by her son-in-law </div>
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• Lloyd Yarbrough, age 62, May 2009, fed an overdose of prescription medication through his feeding tube by his wife </div>
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• Jeremy Bostick, age 11, September 2009, gassed by his father </div>
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• Peter Eitzen, age 16, July 2009, stabbed by his mother </div>
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• Tony Khor, age 15, October 2009, strangled by his mother </div>
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• Betty Anne Gagnon, age 48, November 2009, tortured to death by her sister and brother-inlaw </div>
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• Walter Knox Hildebrand Jr, age 20, November 2009, died of a seizure induced by his brother's physical abuse </div>
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• Laura Cummings, age 23, January 2010, raped tortured to death by her mother and brother </div>
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• Jude Mirra, age 8, February 2010, forced by his mother to overdose on prescription medications </div>
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• Ajit Singh, age 12, February 2010, forced by his mother to drink bleach </div>
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• Gerren Isgrigg, age 6, April 2010, died of exposure after his grandmother abandoned him in a remote area </div>
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• Leosha Barnett, age 17, May 2010, starved to death by her mother and sister </div>
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• Glen Freaney, age 11, May 2010, strangled by his mother </div>
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• Payton Ettinger, age 4, May 2010, starved by his mother </div>
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• Christopher Melton, age 18, June 2010, gassed by his mother in a murder-suicide </div>
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• Rylan Rochester, age 6 months, June 2010, suffocated by his mother because she believed him to be autistic </div>
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• Kenneth Holmes, age 12, July 2010, shot by his mother in a murder-suicide </div>
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• Zain Akhter, age 5, July 2010, strangled with antenna wire by his mother, who first tried to make him drink bathroom cleaner </div>
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• Faryaal Akhter, age 2, July 2010, strangled with antenna wire by her mother, who first tried to make him drink bathroom cleaner </div>
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• Emily Belle Molin, age 85, August 2010, hit and run over with a car by her son </div>
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• Rohit Singh, age 7, September 2010, beaten to death by his father </div>
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• Zahra Baker, age 10, October 2010, murdered and dismembered by her stepmother and perhaps her father </div>
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• Chase Ogden, age 13, October 2010, shot in the head by his mother </div>
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• Karandeep Arora, age 18, October 2010, suffocated by his parents </div>
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• Donald Parojinog, age 83, January 2011, starved by his daughter </div>
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• Chad Jackson, age 25, July 2011, starved and neglected by his mother </div>
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• Julie Cirella, age 8, July 2011, poisoned by her mother </div>
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• Joseph Conant, age 11, July 2011, and Nacuma Conant </div>
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• Noe Medina Jr, age 7 months, August 2011, thrown 4 stories by his mother </div>
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• Benjamin Barnhard, age 13, August 2011, shot by his mother in a murder-suicide </div>
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• Jori Lirette, age 7, August 2011, decapitated by his father </div>
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• George Hodgins, age 22, March 2012, shot by his mother in a murder-suicide </div>
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• Daniel Corby, age 4, March 2012, drowned by his mother </div>
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• Malea Blakely-Berry, age 16, June 2012, starved by her mother </div>
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• Alayah Savarese, age 8, June 2012, starved and denied medical treatment by her mother </div>
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• Matthew Graville, age 27, July 2012, tortured and beaten to death by his half-brother </div>
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• Melissa Stoddard, age 11, December 2012, suffocated in restraints that her father and stepmother routinely used </div>
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• Darnell “DJ” Hunter Jr., age 18, February 2013, fatally neglected by his father </div>
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• Robert Gensiak, age 32, March 2013, starved by his mother and sisters </div>
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• Susan Walter, age 47, March 2013, beaten to death by her caregiver </div>
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• Gerald Lakes, age 24, May 2013, starved and denied medical treatment by his parents </div>
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• Alex Spourdalakis, age 14, June 2013, poisoned and stabbed by his mother and godmother </div>
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• Matthew Hafer, age 28, July 2013, poisoned by his mother </div>
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• Mary Swierzewski, age 59, July 2013, shot by father </div>
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• Marian Roberts, age 57, August 2013, shot by her father in a murder-suicide </div>
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• Jaelen Edge, age 13, September 2013, poisoned by his mother along with his sister Faith </div>
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• Tamiyah Audain, age 12, September 2013, starved, abused and neglected by her cousin </div>
<div>
• Nathalyz Rivera, age 3, September 2013, starved and died of neglect by mother/father </div>
<div>
• Dameian “Luke” Gulley, age 14, November 2013, strangled by his stepfather </div>
<div>
• Randle Barrow, age 8, December 2013, drowned by his mother in a murder-suicide </div>
<div>
• Mickey Liposchok, age 52, December 2013, shot by his father in a murder-suicide </div>
<div>
• Damien Veraghen, age 9, January 2014, poisoned and suffocated by his mother in a murder-suicide </div>
<div>
• Vincent Phan, age 24, January 2014, shot by his mother in a murder-suicide </div>
<div>
• Gloria Martin, age 55, January 2014, stabbed to death by her nephew </div>
<div>
• Ayahna Combs, age 9, January 2014, neglected by her mother, who then wrapped her in a blanket and stuffed her corpse in a refrigerator </div>
<div>
• Garnett Spears, age 5, January 2014, poisoned by his mother who allegedly put salt in his feeding tube </div>
<div>
• Lucas Ruiz, age 17 months, March 2014, poisoned by his mother who fed hand sanitizer and perfume into his feeding tube </div>
<div>
• Michael Sudkamp, age 53, March 2014, abused and murdered by his caretaker/roommate </div>
<div>
• Anayah Williams, age 21 months, March 2014, beaten to death by her father </div>
<div>
• Billy Ray Young, age 52, March 2014, starvation and neglect </div>
<div>
• Raquel Espinoza, age 17, March 2014, starvation and neglect </div>
<div>
• Aidan Edward Bossingham, age 13, March 2014, starved by his mother </div>
<div>
• Jonathan Samuel, age 13, March 2014, shot, stabbed, and hacked with a machete by his brother </div>
<div>
• June Lang, age 75, April 2014, shot in the head • Max Clarence, age 3, April 2014, smothered by mother </div>
<div>
• Ben Clarence, age 3, April 2014, smothered by his mother </div>
<div>
• Olivia Clarence, age 4, April 2014, smothered by her mother </div>
<div>
• Robert Robinson, age 16, April 2014, fed lethal dose of pills by his mother </div>
<div>
• Caitlin Wentzel, age 12, April 2014, suffocated by her mother </div>
<div>
• Rebecca Cotten, age 22, June 2014, neglected, abused and starved by her mother </div>
<div>
• Samantha Marcus, age 17, June 2014, strangled by her father </div>
<div>
• Jarrod Tutko, age 9, August 2014, starved and dehydrated by his parents </div>
<div>
• Dayne William Hathman, age 6, August 2014, shot by his caregiver </div>
<div>
• Isaac Robitille, age 13, August 2014, poisoned by his mother who put alcohol in his IV </div>
<div>
• Linda Kelley, age 18, August 2014, neglected and denied medical care by her parents </div>
<div>
• Joan Stack, age 82, September 2014, shot by her husband </div>
<div>
• Frank Stack Jr., age 48, September 2014, shot by his father </div>
<div>
• Mary Stack, age 57, September 2014, shot by her father </div>
<div>
• Nancy Fitzmaurice, age 12, October 2014, fluids withheld under court order </div>
<div>
• London McCabe, age 6, November 2014, thrown off a bridge by his mother </div>
<div>
• Daryne Gailey, age 29, November 2014, throat slit by his mother, who then murdered his infant daughter </div>
<div>
• Katherine Lavoie, age 49, December 2014, shot by her husband in a murder-suicide</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5367448500440927664.post-80316940671210281592014-12-16T13:58:00.000-08:002014-12-16T18:07:47.720-08:00An Activist's Wish List For Yearlong Gift GivingOn New Year's Day 2014, I wondered if I could make some changes to how I lived my life that would benefit others while adding knowledge, joy and beauty to our lives. I decided to make a conscious decision to assess my buying needs well and shop through neurodivergent vendors whenever possible. I called it my <b>Buy Neurodivergent</b> challenge. I saw it as a new step in the Amplify project.<br />
<br />
In this effort to support micro businesses run by neurodivergent people and their allies, I thought it best to go beyond the term "buy autistic" and include everyone who has divergent neurology. I tried to live as frugally as possible and saved up for a series of lovely purchases. Books, photographs, art, and artwork on customized t-shirts, in short all things that were created by neurodivergent artists, photographers and authors, seemed a great place to start.<br />
<br />
During this process, I wanted to get something amazing for my husband, but I wanted to follow my own commitment to making this a buy neurodivergent purchase. I reached out to Alyssa at <a href="http://amplifyautistics.blogspot.com/2014/04/seven-questions-because-patterns.html">Because Patterns</a> and asked if she could create a poster of her now famous Autism Acceptance pattern. This is the result:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAgBUZnT0t5aRlO08T9_Fus3gvLwjQK1KGm7HdXEFFSRrlKdehIyt4E7wQBSehxJ2d63y7Ope4ICpVl7LaDfoFghcho7Je2kU4ppopADZzN7K06dmJVWEuWedhelXYVJH0R-LWN6Hs40o/s1600/alyssa+autism+poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAgBUZnT0t5aRlO08T9_Fus3gvLwjQK1KGm7HdXEFFSRrlKdehIyt4E7wQBSehxJ2d63y7Ope4ICpVl7LaDfoFghcho7Je2kU4ppopADZzN7K06dmJVWEuWedhelXYVJH0R-LWN6Hs40o/s1600/alyssa+autism+poster.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image of a large poster with fractal pattern in the shape of a globe with stylized humans<br />
colored navy blue standing on it circumventing it and in the upper right hand corner a larger human <br />
figure in orange with flapping hands on a sky blue field with stylized clouds all framed in silver art<br />
©Alyssa Hillary</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
When the theatre ad sized poster was hung it could be seen by anyone walking past his office door.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXdJj4CunMD6iYvEVL3j-J4cLgVJ04Rev7PYcFOyKJelLaHkCMRpO7bfVkQCIDYS3tJIho79BfWqtkwmk6laVZa09-PLyw3muvZKW1HPl-jkWG8MDPVvwfRAXVNv1haz3uSNt-Gh1fGEY/s1600/AutismAcceptance.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXdJj4CunMD6iYvEVL3j-J4cLgVJ04Rev7PYcFOyKJelLaHkCMRpO7bfVkQCIDYS3tJIho79BfWqtkwmk6laVZa09-PLyw3muvZKW1HPl-jkWG8MDPVvwfRAXVNv1haz3uSNt-Gh1fGEY/s1600/AutismAcceptance.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">same poster is hanging in an open office. A bookshelf, teal office chair, tan desk and<br />
charcoal chair can be seen as wellas a partial view of two black flat screen computer monitors. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
What one can't see from the photograph is that the colors are so vibrant that people stop to stare and as a result read the inscription on the bottom of the pattern:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;">“Much like the bright orange Autistic person flapping here, Autistic people stand out. We’re completely distinguishable from our peers, as we’re meant to be. We don’t need to be just like everyone el</span><span style="background-color: white;">se, but be accepted as the unique people we are. Accept Autistics” -- <i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Alyssa Hillary</span></i></span></blockquote>
<br />
The size, colors, quote and overall beauty of the piece is having a greater impact on those who see it than any action I could take as an activist could. Viewers are engaged, informed, and also mesmerized by an arresting pattern. My husband loved this the first time he saw it and I had been wanting to purchase it ever since. We are now wishing we had commissioned one for the house as well. It is that arrestingly beautiful.<br />
<br />
I have some other wonderful purchases I'll probably speak about as well in time. But the thing that struck me the most about what happened this year, is the reaction to what my family purchased. More people asked me what "Autistic Giraffe Party" and "Neurodiversity" meant than have read my blog posts. I realized books laid out on a coffee table or bookshelf grab the eye and cause curious people to flip through pages. What people wear does say a great deal. So I thought I would take things up a notch.<br />
<br />
Beginning with this holiday season and hopefully for all of 2015, I want to encourage everyone to share my final wish, that we all try to buy and promote neurodivergent goods and services as much as we are able to afford it. This is a positive act of activism that helps our community and reaches out to those seeking knowledge and understanding. It grabs their attention, their hearts and minds.<br />
<br />
For anyone who wishes to do some last minute holiday shopping, as well as those who want to give my activist's <b>Buy Neurodivergent Challenge a try </b>in 2015, PACLA (Parenting Autistic Children With Love and Acceptance) has made a holiday shopping guide.<br />
To view it, click<a href="http://pub.lucidpress.com/PACLA2014Holidayguide/#kDXU0y0swYzB"> here.</a><br />
<br />
I think the guide could be expanded and include more books, gifts and services for parents as well as things like gifting say a few lessons at <a href="http://aikiarts.com/">Aikido Shusekai</a>, from <a href="http://aikiarts.com/instructors/">Nick Walker Sensei and Azzia Walker Sensei </a>, or gifting a sensory friendly concert from <a href="http://www.themusicalautist.org/sensory-friendly-concerts/">The Musical Autist</a>. I would have loved to see music from <a href="https://www.facebook.com/KRIPHOPWORLDWIDE">KripHop Nation</a>. Michael Scott Monje, jr's <a href="http://www.mmonjejr.com/">books</a> were great to see there. More diversity in offerings would have been welcome. It is good to see start ups like <a href="http://www.stimtastic.co/">Stimtastic</a> listed. Music producer <a href="http://sunlightmusicmedia.wix.com/officialhotmike">Mike Buckholtz</a> has both a book and a <a href="http://www.aacfinc.org/">nonprofit</a>, I would have liked to have seen a way to include this as well.<br />
<br />
Author and photographer <a href="http://amplifyautistics.blogspot.com/2013/05/photographer-jane-strauss.html">Jane Strauss</a>'s (Jane's photography site, Jane's Prints is feature in PACLA's shopping guide) effort, <b>Buy Autistic</b>, can be found <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Buy-Autistic/107523405987956">here</a>. Whatever list is built, I hope that spoken word poetry, baked goods, and neurodivergent speakers services are included.<br />
<br />
I will be updating this to add more to the listing and eventually consolidate this all into a year long list of places where art, books, crafts, clothes, other goods and services can be bought for our own enjoyment that can also send a powerful educational message to those around us while helping our community prosper. Happy Holidays, blessings and peace to all.<br />
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5367448500440927664.post-61720143280990373622014-10-21T15:34:00.001-07:002014-10-22T00:09:56.800-07:00A Moment in Self Advocacy by Ondrea Marisa Robinson<i>This is an update to Ondrea's guest post on The Autism Wars about her fight for accessible transportation and the eventual positive outcome. Amplify Autistic Voices allows the publication of unfiltered, unedited, autistics speaking. To read her first post on this topic <a href="http://theautismwars.blogspot.com/2013/10/self-advocacy-fighting-for.html">click here</a>.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d0/RIPTA_RIde_0141.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d0/RIPTA_RIde_0141.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption">Image description: RIPTA RIde vehicle #0141 in downtown Providence</td><td class="tr-caption"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i></i>I really didn't want to sign another RIde application to get on the paratransit service, because I felt like it wasn't worth fighting for, and at first, I felt like I was being forced against my own will by Monica, the Business Relations Supervisor, and Joe, my case manager, at the Office of Rehabilitation Services. But I did sign my name where I needed to sign.<br />
<br />
A day later after signing the application at the meeting, Monica called me and asked me who would be my emergency contact, and I told her that it was my mother Martha. That was fine. However, the next question she proposed to me was not appropriate, and that was if I was overweight. I asked if the question was on the application, and she said it wasn't, but she wanted to know if I was able to get on the bus. I answered that I wasn't overweight, but it was a personal question, didn't she think? (I took it personally, because I'm a curvy girl, and I'm very sensitive when it comes to people questioning my weight.)<br />
<br />
I addressed the overweight issue with her supervisor Ron, who did speak with her. He told me that her intentions were good, but they were inappropriate. And then on top of that, I wrote a letter to Ron to address the situation in full, along with sending Monica an e-mail about what she did. Did I receive a reply from the letter and/or the e-mail? No, I didn't. I am not going to force an apology from either one of them. And I hope that someone else doesn't get asked if he or she is overweight, because he or she might be devastated (or maybe not).
A couple of weeks later, I opened my mailbox to see that I received a letter from RIPTA, regarding the RIde Program. I was thinking it was another rejection letter, saying that I was not approved. But when I opened it up, I felt a sigh of relief. I was shocked. I was glad to be approved for paratransit services. I did understand why Monica asked what she asked, but it could have been put in a different context. And I thanked her for doing her best to get me on the program, but she said there was no need to thank her.<br />
<br />
I tell you, God is good all the time, and He's worthy to be praised, because sometimes you have to speak up in order to be heard. And even if some people may not like it, oh well. You're doing your best.<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5367448500440927664.post-53043593141082252362014-04-15T19:10:00.000-07:002014-09-14T20:20:19.713-07:00Seven Questions: Because Patterns<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>Alyssa Hillary is an Autistic college student who blogs at <a href="http://yesthattoo.blogspot.com/">Yes, That Too</a> and runs Because Patterns. This is all the biography she would allow and is entirely too modest. Amplify is beginning a series of interviews of really amazing people. Alyssa's is the first in the series. All artwork appears with permission of Alyssa @ Because Patterns. Enjoy!</i><br />
<br />
<br />
1. Thank you for doing this interview!
It is a very brief one. My husband and I have fallen in love with
<a href="http://facebook.com/becausepatterns">Because Patterns</a>.
There is something fractalicious about them.
<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
What is your creative process when
coming up with a design idea?</div>
<b>
</b>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><br /></b>
</div>
<b>
</b>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCeko9kOQXWvjVVVZblpaxQDcxPJjMm6vdBKf20q9awS9azOrXeDLehrbao8owlgMR71yQdr64BhEwtaohVcwq9k8XHO0Yx-CwHDYZ60oS9W2P6aQdzTXgWQWA7Ime1TXacQdieVOaxrU/s1600/because_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCeko9kOQXWvjVVVZblpaxQDcxPJjMm6vdBKf20q9awS9azOrXeDLehrbao8owlgMR71yQdr64BhEwtaohVcwq9k8XHO0Yx-CwHDYZ60oS9W2P6aQdzTXgWQWA7Ime1TXacQdieVOaxrU/s1600/because_1.jpg" height="400" width="201" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
image of a mirror image pattern shapes</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
in black, and ice blue and purple on a green</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
field flanked in light green all on a turquoise</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
background. Atop the apex of the pattern stands</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
a stylized neurodivergent human figure in orange,</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
apparent because the stylized hands are flapping</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
© Alyssa Hillary</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><span style="color: #351c75;">*Big smile*</span></b></div>
<b><span style="color: #351c75;">
</span></b>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<b><span style="color: #351c75;">So my process is actually pretty
simple. I grab a sheet of graph paper- I've got a few pads of 50ish
sheets that are 10 squares per inch, so I generally have plenty of
paper around. Then I decide how big a design I want to make. When I
first started in 7<sup>th</sup> grade, designs were usually 8x8,
16x16, or 32x32 squares, and I only did lines at 45 degree angles.
Now I do more than just squares in power of two sizes, and I do a lot
more different angles, though it's still straight lines from one
intersection of graph lines to another. Then I just make symmetry-
there's generally either two or four axes of symetry: four for a
square, the diagonals and then the midsegments, while for a
rectangular one it's just the midsegments.
</span></b></div>
<b><span style="color: #351c75;">
</span></b>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="color: #351c75;">I don't usually go in with a specific
thought in mind, but sometimes I'll grab elements I liked from older
patterns and build something new around them.</span></b></div>
<span style="color: #20124d;">
</span>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
2. Your Autism Acceptance design blew
us away. The flapping hands and the color choice was spot on. Did you
see the end concept as a whole completed work or did you build on a
thought?</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><br /></b>
</div>
<b>
</b>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #351c75;"><b>SQUEEEE.</b></span></div>
<span style="color: #351c75;"><b>
</b></span>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #351c75;"><b>Um, the Autism Acceptance design was at
least partially an accident. I was trying to fill a funny-shaped
space in a completely different design and realized that it looked
kind of like a person with hands raised. This happened last March or
February (no I don't remember), so Autism Acceptance Month was coming
up and I realized I could try to make it flap. Then I made an
octagonal world to put 8 people on and looked around in my piles of
patterns I hadn't done anything with yet to see if I had anything
good for an octagon of that size. Which I did! So I drew that in. </b></span></div>
<span style="color: #351c75;"><b>
</b></span>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #351c75;"><b>After I had all the lines done, I
started thinking about colors. The first color I decided was orange
for the Autistic person, because that's the opposite color of blue
and light it up blue is run by a pretty terrible organization. Then I
decided that the world should be in greens mostly with maybe some
blues because that's what it tends to look like from space, greens
and blues. Different blue for the sky and a really, really light
blue-gray for clouds was also meant to be semi-realistic. I made the
allistic people (those lacking autism) purple because it didn't stand
out too much and I really <i>like</i><span style="font-style: normal;">
the color purple. It's my favorite color, but I didn't want to make
the Autistic people that color because it's adjacent to blue.</span></b></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
3. If the world could could be
described in single colors, what color was the world the day you were
born?<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: #351c75;">I don't really think that way so I'm just going to say
purple. It's my favorite color, anyways, so I'd like it if it were
purple just for me!</span></b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
4. What music runs in the background of
your creative life?<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: #351c75;">That varies hugely, but there is generally
music stuck in my head. Amy MacDonald's “Poison Prince,” State
Radio's “Knights of Bostonia,” and <a href="http://thesaturdaynights.bandcamp.com/">The
Saturday Nights</a> “People of the Sun” seem to wind up on repeat
in my head pretty often.</span></b></div>
<span style="color: #351c75;">
</span>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
5.<b> </b>If you could have an art show of
your patterns, and you could have a light scent piped through the
gallery as each exhibit was viewed, what scent or scents, if any,
would you choose?<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: #351c75;">My first thought is “I want to be
sensory-friendly, no scents!” My second thought is “Um scents?<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpr8G4gh_KlvZ6GOwPzQjB849UG2Fl_ARNIAEmKuPUhirD_3LlVzncQ_SSfdRWdOq0vyiq3umv3E4rOh1mGPSeHZdyl5_oq4BAhL4dggX-QkA9XfUbPdkDA_IIGh-JwEPH-Zcz30CQEyw/s1600/blue_because.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpr8G4gh_KlvZ6GOwPzQjB849UG2Fl_ARNIAEmKuPUhirD_3LlVzncQ_SSfdRWdOq0vyiq3umv3E4rOh1mGPSeHZdyl5_oq4BAhL4dggX-QkA9XfUbPdkDA_IIGh-JwEPH-Zcz30CQEyw/s1600/blue_because.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image of a fractal like repeating pattern in purple, <br />leaf green, & yellow-green with a sky blue background © Alyssa Hillary</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #351c75;">
How do I scents?” Because I don't think that way, really. I don't
know if it's a sensory processing thing or if it's because my nose
was <i>always</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> stuffy when I was
a kid, but my sense of smell isn't that great and I tend not to
notice or think in terms of scent. I guess I might do an ocean scent
for the Autism Acceptance one because it's of the world and most of
the world is ocean?</span></span></b></div>
<b><span style="color: #351c75;">
</span></b>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
6. You find yourself standing in an
elevator with Joss Whedon, who says hi and smiles at you. You realize
you have the chance to say something about neurodivergence and self
advocacy. What would be your elevator pitch to him about what autism
is and how he could help how neurodivergence is viewed? Who would you
want listening in that elevator to your statement?<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: #351c75;">I kind of
wish I knew the name of some of the folks who wrote for Eureka,
because oh my goodness did they mess up with the one (temporarily)
autistic character they had. Yes, I might have blocked his name from
my head over that. (They had him repair a time machine and send a few
other people back in time, and then when they got back to the present
day kid was magically not autistic!)<br />So I think my pitch would be
something along the lines of “So... the kinds of specific and
intense interests that <i>everyone</i><span style="font-style: normal;">
in Eureka has? Totally a common thing in autistic people. We're not
always the world expert in our field, who always is, but some of us
will be that level of good and if Eureka really existed there'd be a
decent pile of autistic people around. And maybe an ASAN or AWN
chapter that totally lies about all it's activities because it
clearly can't reveal classified stuff to the national level group.”</span></span></b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
7. If you were given the chance to write
for a television series and take any character in a that series and
reinvent it as a neurodivergent person who would it be and how would
you do it? Feel free to expand on the presentation of autistic
characters in entertainment and print<br />
<b><span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span></b>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="http://www.calameo.com/read/003164484af94d91e10b5"><img alt="PACLA" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitypcEDLUVQeud-ZkE-Ec_RU061myU0VujuRuhw0a6cNHVpUtg56pMs_ThVUsJcs0CLnqERYHjCX2otyL3AJYUDcdpPLKRpREJK8AQeHMBDJli5iWZfJ9QNK92K9sU74HDI7MhUidk-jc/s1600/Screen+shot+2014-04-15+at+6.02.00+PM.png" height="400" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">image of a magazine cover with the title<br />
Parenting Autistic Children With Love &<br />
Acceptance. Supporting and accommodating<br />
Autistic children respectfully, advocating for <br />
neurodiversity & learning from Autistic voices.<br />
Cover art © Alyssa Hillary</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><span style="color: #351c75;">If I'm not required to
stick to <i>current</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> shows, I'd
grab the temporarily autistic kid from Eureka whose name I kinda
blocked over that and make him </span><i>stay</i><span style="font-style: normal;">
autistic. Because for real, he would have been great representation.
He's Black, he's being raised by a Black single mother who is very
good at what she does (which varies some by continuity, see also:
time travel.) As he gets older, he becomes friends with Officer
Carter, who is the main character (average guy trying to be the
police officer in a town full of geniuses who might not </span><i>intentionally</i><span style="font-style: normal;">
break the law much but goodness does chaos ensue anyways.) Imagine if
we'd gotten to see a teenage Black Autistic boy growing up and being
friends with the main characters and learning to hunt with them and
it being treated like a normal thing!</span></span></b></div>
<b><span style="color: #351c75;">
</span></b>
<br />
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span></b>
</div>
<b><span style="color: #351c75;">
</span></b>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-style: normal;">If it
had to be a show that was still running, I'd probably grab Sherlock
from, well, </span><i>Sherlock</i><span style="font-style: normal;">,
because I just don't know that many current shows and the
questionably autistic super-detective who never or rarely shows the
difficulties that come with being autistic is a really icky trend. So
I'd rewrite him to actually show autistic traits even when they
aren't convenient for the plot. Disabled characters should be
disabled always, not just when it's convenient for the plot.</span></span></b></div>
<b><span style="color: #351c75;">
</span></b>
<br />
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span></b>
</div>
<b><span style="color: #351c75;">
</span></b>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Which
is kind of a thing I see a lot. They're disabled when we need them,
and then they either pass or they get shoved off to the side. There's
a reason that a lot of Autistic people identify more with the
characters who are never explicitly identified as neurodivergent: for
me, it's Alanna of Trebond from Tamora Pierce's Song of the Lioness
and Trisanna Chandler from Tamora Pierce's Emelan universe I tend to
go to first, though Hermione from Harry Potter, Dina from Dumbing of
Age, and Emily from Questionable Content are all on my list of
characters I read as autistic. What do all of these characters have
in common? </span><i>None</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> of
them are identified as autistic in canon. (Dina has no </span><i>diagnosed</i><span style="font-style: normal;">
anything per word of author, but the statement was not diagnosed
neurodivergent as opposed to not </span><i>being</i><span style="font-style: normal;">
neurodivergent and as of my freshman year of college I wasn't
diagnosed either so...) There should be enough good characters that
we don't </span><i>need</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> to
ignore or stretch canon to get representation. But there isn't. </span></span></b>
<br />
<b><span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><br /></span></span></b>
<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNI7rdsQ3H5PwLmmbhHwC74ViR_-z4cXCkeBjkLKCyEZsGzENSM8KsXKMPnLKTcvnkUr_LdQ5fUeqbC6YtSHdMiE4rXHovm7rg0ZR6rQfWCzA9u3IeuRWbn_YR-kLD3YBRiciHDTF5Uyk/s1600/ThisIsAutism.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNI7rdsQ3H5PwLmmbhHwC74ViR_-z4cXCkeBjkLKCyEZsGzENSM8KsXKMPnLKTcvnkUr_LdQ5fUeqbC6YtSHdMiE4rXHovm7rg0ZR6rQfWCzA9u3IeuRWbn_YR-kLD3YBRiciHDTF5Uyk/s1600/ThisIsAutism.png" height="309" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">image description: Avatar for<br />
<i>This Is Autism</i> twitter and tumblr sites:<br />
three orange stylized autistic people <br />
atop a purple white green and black<br />
fractal patterned world surface against a<br />
turquoise blue background.<br />
©Alyssa Hillary</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><br /></span></span></b>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5367448500440927664.post-55784145673661014302014-04-03T03:01:00.002-07:002017-07-13T14:18:51.189-07:00Autistic Writer and Activist Puts Representation Ahead of Awareness, Acceptance<i>The right thing to do during a month designated for autism is to support talented neurodivergent authors, artists, and people who create change by producing works that transform attitudes and perceptions about autism. Outstanding author and activist Michael Scott Monje, Jr. has just launched a funding campaign for her newest project, Imaginary Friends, a web serial. I'll let her tell you about it! Remember to click on the link below the video for information on perks for donations.</i><br />
<br />
<i>I've posted the press release verbatim with attribution because during the discussion the author states why she places representation ahead of awareness and acceptance. We throw these words around and don't really consider that attitudinal change is only achieved in a society through valid representation. The whole purpose of Amplify Autistics to let the voice of the neurodivergent change maker speak without filtering directly to the world. So without any more commentary here is Michael Scott Monje, Jr</i>. :<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/rcnw6FsNUe4?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
<a href="https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/imaginary-friends-a-story-about-faith-family">https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/imaginary-friends-a-story-about-faith-family</a><br />
<br />
<br />
"<a href="http://www.prlog.org/12303665-autistic-writer-and-activist-puts-representation-ahead-of-awareness-acceptance.html" target="_blank">Autistic Writer and Activist Puts Representation Ahead of Awareness, Acceptance</a><br />
<br />
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.prlog.org/" target="_blank">PRLog (Press Release)</a> - Apr. 1, 2014 - KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- Local writer and disability activist Michael Scott Monje, Jr. has announced a funding campaign for Imaginary Friends, a web serial that is to be distributed freely as it is written this summer.<br />
<br />
The new series will feature Clay Dillon, the protagonist from Michael's first novel, Nothing is Right, and it will focus on the relationship between Clay and his mother as she attempts to push him through catechism in an attempt to make sure that he receives his first Holy Communion “on time.”<br />
<br />
“I'm writing about a lot of the things I experienced as a kid,” Michael said when asked about his recurring character. “I wasn't diagnosed as autistic until my adulthood. So that part of Clay's character is about me. And I was raised Catholic.”<br />
<br />
“It's not all about me, though. Clay is a parable about the problems people in our community have when they try to participate in the everyday institutions of our society. Church, school, the workplace... the stories about him are not just about me. They're about the way the world looks to people like me. I do my best to be widely representative.”<br />
<br />
The launch of Michael's project this week coincides with Autism Awareness month, which is sponsored by large organizations like Autism Speaks. The event has become controversial in recent years, with autistic activists campaigning for Autism Acceptance month and calling attention to Autism Speaks' lack of autistic representation in its leadership. Recently, this has been highlighted by the resignation of its sole autistic spokesperson.<br />
<br />
“Awareness isn't enough,” according to Michael. “Neither is acceptance. We need representation. We need to be the heart of stories, not just the quirky friend, the family's problem child, or some parent's burden. We're not all super detectives. Some of us are just trying to build relationships and keep our families together, and doing it in a world that seems like it was built to frustrate our brains is challenging.”<br />
<br />
More information about funding the campaign can be accessed through Michael's blog, Shaping Clay, at <a href="http://www.mmonjejr.com/">http://www.mmonjejr.com</a>. The blog also contains her last book about Clay Dillon, Defiant, which dealt with workplace and healthcare access issues, as well as poetry and essays about neurodiversity.<br />
<br />
Contact<br />
<a href="http://www.prlog.org/email-contact.html#12303665" target="_blank">Michael Scott Monje, Jr</a>."<br />
<a href="http://www.prlog.org/email-contact.html#12303665">***@gmail.com</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5367448500440927664.post-64638794311622812182013-11-10T06:17:00.000-08:002013-11-10T06:26:56.808-08:00The Gift: An Autistic Expression Story<i>Our autism community has been talking a great deal about a particularly beautiful work of body art worn by friend, activist, and autism dad Steve Summers. So AAV invited Steve to tell us how he came to own this one of kind tattoo and tell us a bit about himself as well. Gentle readers, in his own words, Steve:</i><br />
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<br /></div>
<div>
<h3>
The Gift</h3>
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This past summer, I was treated to a tattoo as a birthday present from my wife, Amy.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYCGHwvhP_k-lG2hnp4UfTgZSRSEEeTpx8bTlq5Uu8upUie2GNrjF9NkeBl60TSLVjxHrgY5BeflJYb8RHG_s6w4VO5TtjFog-3PuDLgnAsK_1ORSv-e__-w8ejQzwRPiEWO3eMiGlsuY/s1600/tattoo3d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYCGHwvhP_k-lG2hnp4UfTgZSRSEEeTpx8bTlq5Uu8upUie2GNrjF9NkeBl60TSLVjxHrgY5BeflJYb8RHG_s6w4VO5TtjFog-3PuDLgnAsK_1ORSv-e__-w8ejQzwRPiEWO3eMiGlsuY/s1600/tattoo3d.jpg" height="212" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image description: 3 views of an ornate letter A tattooed in black in an indigenous style image © Amy Summers</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The tattoo artist, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Maoli-Ink-Tattoo-and-Clothing/438573515362" target="_blank">Isaiah Dela Pena</a>* is very talented. He did this tattoo free hand, without any stencils. He listened to my life story and designed a tattoo that is uniquely for me. The various elements represent things from my life. Nobody else will have the same tattoo. </div>
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<h4>
About the tattoo's design and meaning: </h4>
</div>
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Isaiah incorporated an "A" into the tattoo to represent many things for me; "A" for Autism because I am Autistic; "A" for my Awesome wife, Amy Summers; "A" for Amy's life-long friend, Annette Martin who went out and got an Autism tattoo in support of us; "A" also stands for Aloha. Aloha has several meanings relating to caring, kindness, and love as well as hello and goodbye. </div>
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Isaiah also tattooed four Hapu'u fern symbols to represent my four children, 'ohana surrounding me. </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC1JazACu60hbiXr3w65yUnUT-EYGA3l5DAeuUKSRwpU68JFn8YBZWRzZIxgOzs_XFw8wYB2e328vWLjHxA99rBkjYGCtSmaP4f2OoMODDnst-KaSElaAjsrXqosjuM4egL0Sg6UymLvI/s1600/isaiah.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC1JazACu60hbiXr3w65yUnUT-EYGA3l5DAeuUKSRwpU68JFn8YBZWRzZIxgOzs_XFw8wYB2e328vWLjHxA99rBkjYGCtSmaP4f2OoMODDnst-KaSElaAjsrXqosjuM4egL0Sg6UymLvI/s1600/isaiah.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Body Artist Isaiah Dela Pena at work on Steve's gift photo ©Amy Summers</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The entire piece is fluid to represent water and my love for the ocean. The points coming up along the top represent the tips of sails. </div>
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There are Spiritual elements incorporated into the tattoo. There are shark teeth to represent sharks, protection, and regeneration. Dots are spread throughout the piece to represent stepping stones. There are block shapes to represent building blocks. </div>
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Bird tracks represent that you need to walk before you fly. There are elements that represent the old style Polynesian tattoo tools/needles to honor the original beginnings of tattoo in Polynesia. There are various meanings represented by all of the elements of the tattoo. </div>
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This tattoo is not meant to be a static representation of my life up to this point in time, it also looks forward to the future.</div>
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I am very happy with the results! Thank you Isaiah!</div>
<div style="background-color: white; margin-top: 10px;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 18.88888931274414px; white-space: pre-wrap;">*<b>Isaiah's work can be followed at </b></span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; line-height: 18.875px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>@tattoosbyzay on Instagram and by clicking <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Maoli-Ink-Tattoo-and-Clothing/438573515362" target="_blank">here</a>.</b></span></span></div>
<h4>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 18.88888931274414px; white-space: pre-wrap;">About Me</span></h4>
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I am an Autistic Dad with four children - one Autistic, two ADHD and one NT. I was diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome (part of the Autism Spectrum) as an adult. I was diagnosed following one of my son’s getting diagnosed with Aspergers. </div>
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I am happy to have my diagnosis. It was like a light being turned on that illuminated my entire life in a new way. Now I understand why I never really ‘fit in.’ It is like having a huge weight lifted off of my shoulders to have my diagnosis.</div>
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I don’t feel that people should make divisions between parts of the Autism Spectrum. I am autistic and I want to work to make the world a better, more understanding and accepting place for all autistic people. We need to work together for the benefit of all on the Autism Spectrum. Disability Rights are Human Rights.</div>
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My Blog is: <a class="_553k" href="http://www.autisticaloha.wordpress.com/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">www.AutisticAloha.wordpress.com</a></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5367448500440927664.post-60312623371341105562013-06-27T21:28:00.001-07:002013-06-27T21:33:16.699-07:00Black Voices: Writer/Activist Patricia Elaine (Rose) ChandlerThis post is part of a series of posts in protest of John Elder Robison's <a href="http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/my-life-aspergers/200902/the-myth-the-black-aspergian" target="_blank">"The Myth of the Black Aspergian</a>" two part article, in which Mr. Robison engages in speculation on the existence of people of color with Asperger's Syndrome, and further implies disturbing reasons as to why they do not seem prominent or vocal in the community. They are here with strong voices, Mr. Robison is just not listening. Patricia, who is an activist and writer, in response to Mr. Robison's articles said :<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"In keeping with what is Real, Authentic and True, I would actually like to Dedicate little Essay to Mr. Elder-Robison to Open His Mind, Heart and Senses so he too can be educated about what a Spectrum IS! And invite him for a Real Conversation!"</blockquote>
<br />
Gentle people, in her own words, Patricia Elaine Chandler on the singular experience of being in the ebb and flow of <a href="http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/05/dalai_lama_urges_ethics_educat.html" target="_blank">The 2011 Newark New Jersey Peace Education Summit</a>. Enjoy<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">There Is No Box!</span></b><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIRk9HCcnUbv6chfygnD2jspCCsMXdqCyW2zZ0QSRSxV2WvLMZX4od67DtrzEWyv8XXzEH98OqtLU2e-C3pCYddLT71szZAN9xSXk7Q3eXY1kz4oGavX-V9yVZIQVKTcQ0o0hLYL5UyMs/s1600/Patricia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIRk9HCcnUbv6chfygnD2jspCCsMXdqCyW2zZ0QSRSxV2WvLMZX4od67DtrzEWyv8XXzEH98OqtLU2e-C3pCYddLT71szZAN9xSXk7Q3eXY1kz4oGavX-V9yVZIQVKTcQ0o0hLYL5UyMs/s1600/Patricia.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Patricia expresses who she is in a powerful photographic statement <br />
that combines jewelry and body art ©Patricia Elaine Chandler</td></tr>
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Attaining Universal Peace, which is the Single Heart-Beat of Every Human Being, and what makes US One, is like Sand-Pebbles in a Sand-Box, representing all the Souls on Earth. In the Sand-Box are 7 Billion individual Sand-Pebbles, 6 billion are Black on one side and White on the other, and 1 billion are on the Endless Spectrum, in Color.<br />
The Black and White ones really Hate being Who they are because they Know in their Hearts, Being in Color is the Way the Source intended it all along, though they cannot seem to reconcile with Real Change; because they have been Black and White for So long, becoming "Comfortable" and unfortunately, "Complacent", in their existence of Being Simply Black and White. They know nothing is Simply Black and White. And this is why the Color Sand-Pebbles must work harder than ever before. The Colorful Ones Know that All Beings are "In Color", which is Being Truly In Love with Self, first, and their Hearts Bleed, non-stop, for the Black and White Ones because they know they are just simply Color-Blind, in their Hearts.<br />
Knowing this, the Color Sand-Pebbles Must Strive into Action, relentlessly, fearlessly, unwavering, magnificently, boldly, loudly, uncomfortably, disruptively, humbly, triumphantly, physically, mentally, emotionally, Spiritually, to Show the Way back home to Being In Color, In Love, for PEACE through Leading By Example; every single moment like every time we take a Breath of Sound, the 1st Element of Life. Can you truly iMaGINE how difficult it must be, trying to Show Humanity as a Colorful Sea of Peaceful, Loving Souls, to just even 1 Black and White Soul who is Color-Blind? There's a 1 in 7 Billion chance it will happen and though the odds are stacked against the Color Sand- Pebbles being swallowed up and lost in the Sand-Box, among the Black and White Sand-Pebbles, “Where There is the Will, There is the Way!”<br />
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The booklet cover art of the 3 days of Divine Events of “The 2011 Newark New Jersey Peace Education Summit”, sumed up, for Me, Peace is not Color-Blind, as the Souls of Newark NJ represented their True Colors to a World that only sees the Issues and Challenges of Newark as Black And White. Nothing is ever just Simply Black And White. I believe Technology was given to us as a Temporary Fix, to Wake Us Up, providing Bold, Brilliant, Colorful Beings, which created Sound, to bring the Earth Back together, so we can All go back to Playing in the Sand-Box, Together, where Black and White and Color does not actually exist, Only PEACE and LOVE, in the Hearts of 7 Billion Souls! That is why, I believe, the Tele-Vision went from Black and White to Techni-Color, 40 years ago. We needed to be Shown, All Souls exist on the Same Spectrum and that Spectrum is simply LIGHT, Bright and Brilliant.<br />
Whether Black and White or Color, you cannot see or know anything, especially Peace, in the Dark. We must do everything in our individual and collective Power to make sure the Earth exists on the Light Spectrum and PEACE is the Only Way to The Light. Hope for Peace possible for Tomorrow, is evidenced in the picture I took at the end of<br />
the summit, after seeing and meeting Miss. Jeanette Seabrooks of Dayton Street School in Newark NJ and their beautiful tribute to His Holiness the Dalai Lama, created by her students. I see them as Peace Warriors of Today, to become Peace Leaders for Tomorrow, and this is their Homage to His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the honored guest of the Summit for PEACE. They are Doing Today, for Tomorrow.<br />
Autistic or Not, This is Why I Will Be a Teacher, too! Thank You Ganden Thurman, of Tibet House NYC, from the top, center and bottom of My Heart, for providing this Real opportunity to be in Peace and Play Nice in the Same Sand-Box with my Fellow Sand-Pebbles for 3 Divine Days, which will stay with Me and Push Me on into Action for the rest of my Life.<br />
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It was a true, divine experience for Me, and I will be eternally grateful and humbled by this experience, to be among the Peace Leaders of the World, Today and Tomorrow, and I Felt His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s Blessing for My continued Journey to Peace, Love and The Light! I think God created the Sand-Box, and as our Souls grow, so will the Box, and the Space between each Sand-Pebble, because in God's Eyes and Heart, There Really Is No Box! Growth is Infinite, so we Begin, Again, at 7, today!<br />
I AM just a Single Sand-Pebble on the Autism Spectrum of Autistic Light, in Support, Care and Love in Peace, for All the Other Autistic Sand-Pebbles on the Spectrum of Light! I AM Patricia Elaine Chandler, A future Student-Teacher-Singer-Advocate-Activist of Yours sincerelyX, authenticallyX, divinelyX, spirituallyX and Unconditionally LovinglyX!<br />
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Patricia Elaine (Rose) Chandler<br />
|Brooklyn, New York |USA|7Jun2013Unknownnoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5367448500440927664.post-57074537629611799032013-06-03T21:42:00.000-07:002017-07-13T14:19:33.269-07:00Black Voices:Activist LaVonnya GardnerLaVonnya Gardner is a powerful voice for autism. She is a contributing writer to Autism Now, a speaker on autism and aac, an autism mom, and an overall great person I was happy to meet online. I love her vlog on youtube, so I thought I would share that as well. One note about language. This is LaVonnya's voice, and it was important to me to make it clear she is typing this on her own and is quite a capable woman of color. Therefore I did not edit the content. Gentle people, in her own words, the amazing LaVonnya Gardner speaking.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">LaVonnya resplendent in Red at the NFB</td></tr>
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MY NAME IS LAVONNYA. I am an autistic adult, who uses my iPad to communicate. For as long as i can remember, I was bullied, by staff and students, at the school that i went to. i am still bullied, part of it is do to misinformation about autism. This is not to say that misinformation was the only reason. some bully me for fun. they take an, I know everything stance. and when things don't work as they want, somehow, it's my fault when people don't understand me,, they tend to make up stuff about me, rather than asking me. which is plain stupid. given the fact that we are put in therapy when we don't ask questions people also love to gossip about me, weather i am there or not. and insist that I can control my autism, and that i want attention. screw the fact that, i try my best to keep what I am GOIN through to myself. they pay that no mind. adults are the worst. even after admitting that they know nothing about autism. while i was and am still bullied, i think that some of it has to do with me not giving a hamburger about what others want me to do. when it comes to changing me bullying doesn't stop just because we become adults am I afraid of interacting with people? yes I am. and here's why.<br />
first, i am not given a fair chance at most relationships. most of the time, i am miss understood, then acused of things i not only didn't do, but most of the time, i have no clue what is going on. something else that happens is, I am told to say what is on my mind, but when I do, I am told to stop putting myself down, or told that I have low self esteem, or that I must be depressed. and we must not forget , people who meet me first, and dump me when they find better friends. the other thing is that, people will talk to me when they are board, an lonely and they can' get to their real friends or are in a fight with them. so, i just do things on my own, rather then wait for others to have time for me. or for them to think that I'm enough of a real person to include me. i like people. they just treat me like they don't want anything to do with me, if they cannot control me. as if i am just an object. I love going on you tube, and seeing all of the autistic adults, talking about autism because, non autistics can learn more from autistic people then they can from people who are not. and autistic people Learn best from each other. i also like going to these to peer to peer groups. but I am the only one who uses other methods of communicating. their are others like me. i would love to meet some of them. this way i can Succeed socially for a change. one of the things i learned at group is that, autism has more Symptoms than i knew. on the higher end of the spectrum, they can read body language, and faces. and there is no way i can. i can only look at a person's lips so that I can read them. Also, my attention span is too short to even look at a person that long. other things that you might think about are, that , just because an autistic adult may use other methods of communication, doesn't mean that we need to be verbal. there is nothing wrong with our communication. another thing is, just because we might be able to do some things sometimes does not mean that it will always work that way. words are more like incomprehensible sounds to me. i also only hear in 1 ear. that makes things really interesting, at times. on the phone, i use a few methods. just as i do in person. on the phone, i use a t t y, video relay, clear caption, i p relay, and when I am calm, sometimes i can call without any of it, but then i understand very little. in person, i use my iPad, Dynavox, flash cards, sign language, or some combination. i would never want to be changed. i am happy just the way i am. autism is not a Disease.. it will not kill me. i live on my own, and do just fine. I spin, jump, flap my hands, rock, use sign language, and my i'pad, to communicate, cover my ears when it is too loud, shut my eyes when it is too bright, ware what won't freak me out, don't touch things that will, stay away from foods, and smells that will make me barf, and live life. i have learned to explain my autism to people, in comprehensable ways. i know what i can do, what i cannot do, as well as what needs to be adapted, or where i will need help. I can do this because, i got to know myself. getting to know ourselves, is the only way we will be able to speek up for ourselves. on the phone, i use a t t y, video relay, clear caption, i p relay, and when I am calm, sometimes i can call without any of it, but then i understand very little.<br />
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AUTISTIC PEOPLE, ARE GOD'S PEOPLE.<br />
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<i>This is part of a series of posts in protest of John Elder Robison's <a href="http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/my-life-aspergers/200902/the-myth-the-black-aspergian" target="_blank">"The Myth of the Black Aspergian</a>" two part article, in which Mr. Robison engages in speculation on the existence of people of color with Asperger's Syndrome, and further implies disturbing reasons as to why they do not seem prominent or vocal in the community. They are here with strong voices, Mr. Robison is just not listening. </i><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5367448500440927664.post-66826893383337587422013-05-28T18:40:00.000-07:002013-07-27T19:10:34.005-07:00Photographer Jane Strauss<i>I am continuing my presentation of powerful autistic voices, by next introducing an artist and powerful parent advocate creating beautiful photographs while raising a neurodivergent son. I hope to be able to ask Jane to share faith, parenting an autistic child, and maintaining her focus on her work in an interview coming soon. </i><br />
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Jane Strauss is a woman who makes photographic art in a way that is uniquely neurodivergent. There is a meticulous attention to detail that makes the world according to Jane rich, sharp, open, and breathtaking. Please see her photographs at <a href="http://www.janesprints.com/" target="_blank">janesprints</a> or follow her fan page on Facebook <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Janes-Prints-Photographic-Art-of-Jane-Strauss/219190037494" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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In her own words, here is Jane:<br />
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I have been interested in art since forever. I first picked up a camera in the late 1960s on the East Coast, <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jane rocking braids © Jane Strauss</td></tr>
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when at the age of fifteen I learned to shoot and develop 35 mm black and white film. I’ve been enamored of graphic arts ever after. Since then, I have tried to be practical, pursued multiple academic courses of study, relocated to the Twin Cities in the mid-1970s, raised a family, worked with community organizations, nonprofits, and in the practice of law, before returning to my first love, art.<br />
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Before 2009, I had no formal training in digital photography, other than one course in use of Adobe Photoshop . I had very limited, informal training in the technical aspects of film photography years ago, limited to use of the darkroom for black and white film developing and printing. My formal art training consisted of general art and drawing classes in high school and at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, MA, in the 1960s.<br />
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My work has been shot with an Olympus D-SLR for the past several years. Recently, I have begun to produce more images of nature, as we spend increased time on 49 acres in the Ozarks.<br />
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My art flows from who I am, a person placed on the autistic spectrum in midlife who has often wondered why I see detail many folks miss. I look at the trees and the forest, and see the geometric shapes between and within them. I wait for the animals to settle, and come right up to them for a look. I notice small details and parts of things that for the usual person blend in with their surroundings. I look up to the sky when many would look down or straight ahead. I focus on reflections. Once images are digitized, I use Photoshop to crop, enlarge and adjust them to reflect what I saw, rarely using other aspects unless they substantially strengthen the primary image, or provide a strongly-contrasting accompanying image. </div>
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I make images of nature, architecture, classic cars, and human artifacts.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">© Jane Strauss</td></tr>
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One of my fans puts it this way:</div>
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"Jane Strauss captures images with her camera that most of us would never take the time to look close enough to see - the detail on an old car's hood ornament, the lush growth along a flooded waterway, the frosted roses as winter approaches, and the delicate tendrils of wildgrass. Her images are sharp, crisp, and sigh-inspiring, making the viewer wonder how much beauty and detail they have missed by not looking closely enough at our environment. It is a wonderful gift to be able to see these details and hidden images through Jane's eyes. Her renderings using digital software allow her to bring certain elements to light so that what might seem to others like the simplest subject - a bird on a tree, or old tools, turns into true art."</div>
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I will be presenting a Jane Strauss original to a lucky winner during the month of June. Stay tuned to The Amplify Autistic Voices Blog for more summer beauty through autistic eyes.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5367448500440927664.post-72301902638720931312013-05-27T10:32:00.000-07:002013-06-28T04:56:29.877-07:00Black Voices: Ondrea Marisa RobinsonAuthor and Autistic Self Advocate Ondrea Marisa Robinson is one of many outspoken Black Autistic Voices for Autism not well enough known in our community. She is trying to find her way among ableist and racist backlash and critics who try to diminish her accomplishments by implying she is using her impariments as a crutch. This is something we all fight each day, whether we are autistic disabilty rights advocates, or parent advocates. Ondrea's candid book about her life will be featured this month, but I wanted to introduce her to our community. Please amplify her voice and help her continue her success. Her biography in her own words:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo ©Ondrea Marisa Robinson</td></tr>
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Hi. I'm Ondrea. Here is my biography:</div>
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Ondrea Marisa Robinson was born in Woonsocket, RI, on February 11, 1981. When she was three years old, she taught herself how to read and write, but she would not speak in full sentences or make eye contact. She was diagnosed with Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified at the age of 3, but she did not realize she had autism until she was 18 (even though she knew she was different). Even though she was very smart and loved doing school work, especially English, Computer Science, French, and Spanish, she was picked on, and she was not a happy camper at times, because some of the students and even some of the teachers were not that understanding. But thankfully, she made it to the Honor Roll every quarter during her 6th to 12th grade years (allowing her to be on the National Honor Society, graduating 22nd of her class in 1999) and attended Sawyer School for a one-year program in Business and Office Information Systems/Word Processing, graduating in October 2000 with a 3.90 (B-plus) grade point average. Then in May 2011, she obtained her Associate's Degree in Liberal Arts-English at the Community College of Rhode Island with a 3.44 (B-minus) grade point average. She is also an autism advocate, and she has spoken about her life experiences around the state of Rhode Island, including at the Community College of Rhode Island, the University of Rhode Island, and Rhode Island College. Even though she has been told by some people that she was using autism as a crutch or that she spoke about it too much or that she could be healed from autism, she has autism, but autism does not have her. </div>
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A review of her book <b>Living with Autism</b>, will be coming up in before Summer's end.<br />
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<i><span style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: small; line-height: normal;">This is part of a series of posts in protest of John Elder Robison's </span><a href="http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/my-life-aspergers/200902/the-myth-the-black-aspergian" style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; line-height: normal;" target="_blank">"The Myth of the Black Aspergian</a><span style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: small; line-height: normal;">" two part article, in which Mr. Robison engages in speculation on the existence of people of color with Asperger's Syndrome, and further implies disturbing reasons as to why they do not seem prominent or vocal in the community. They are here with strong voices, Mr. Robison is just not listening. </span></i></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5367448500440927664.post-31005025093481532162013-05-25T14:03:00.001-07:002013-07-27T19:11:56.830-07:00Poet Activist Amy Sequenzia<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b><i>The original version of this post was published in <a href="http://theautismwars.blogspot.com/">The Autism Wars</a> blog and can be seen by clicking</i></b> <b><a href="http://theautismwars.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-autism-wars-amplifies-autistic.html">here</a></b>.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The Autism Wars is hosting writers, poets, artists, photographers, actors, and musicians who are neurodivergent. Our Facebook page will feature giveaways of their works. We are doing so in the spirit of continuing the theme of Autism Acceptance Month (celebrated this past month for more information click <a href="http://autismacceptancemonth.org/" target="_blank">here</a>, <a href="http://autismacceptanceday.blogspot.com/p/photo-page-for-autism-acceptance.html" target="_blank">here</a>, and<a href="http://www.thinkingautismguide.com/2013/05/the-end-of-april-doesnt-mean-end-of.html" target="_blank"> here</a>). We hope by sharing these great talents from our community with you we will foster the principles of <a href="http://autismacceptanceday.blogspot.com/p/photo-page-for-autism-acceptance.html" target="_blank">Paula Durbin-Westby</a>'s <a href="http://autismacceptanceday.blogspot.com/2013/04/international-autism-acceptance-decade.html" target="_blank">International Autism Acceptance Decade, 2010-2020</a>. So we are very excited about our first author and activist, Amy Sequenzia. In her own words:</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1iqQNq9tTZj4-XfqAKKLF4sQYcccpYvkNlAy5ve50z0yGX2rfC4q7Wy1lTr18w28BJ9ltnVJmEfBomamM5Bp8nsp8QyjUkOaPKoaOIdcXki99IryCAgj8cvDMlH_7trSNFDq74Ac3KAOw/s1600/AmySequenzia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img align="left" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1iqQNq9tTZj4-XfqAKKLF4sQYcccpYvkNlAy5ve50z0yGX2rfC4q7Wy1lTr18w28BJ9ltnVJmEfBomamM5Bp8nsp8QyjUkOaPKoaOIdcXki99IryCAgj8cvDMlH_7trSNFDq74Ac3KAOw/s1600/AmySequenzia.jpg" height="236" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Amy in her creative element</span></td></tr>
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I am a non-speaking autistic activist, writer and poet. I also have epilepsy and mild cerebral palsy
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In 2012 I became part of the Board of Directors of Florida Alliance for Assistive Services and Technology (FAAST). I was a presenter at the conference “Reclaiming our Bodies and Minds” at Ryerson University in Toronto and at the “Hear Our Voices”, CARD Conference in Orlando, FL.<br />
My essays have been published in blogs and websites: The Thinking Person’s Guide to Autism, The Shift Journal, Think Inclusive, Autism Now Center, The Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN), Autism Acceptance and Spectrum – the film.<br />
<br />Some of my works are part of an anthology published by the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network (ASAN): “Loud Hands – Autistic People, Speaking”<br />
Some of my poems are part of a Poetry Anthology published by <a href="http://www.communityaccesstothearts.org/" target="_blank">the Community Access to the Arts</a></span><br />
I blog for Ollibean and <a href="http://autismwomensnetwork.org/">The Autism Women’s Network</a><br />
I have published three small books of poetry.<br />
I like having my voice heard and I try to be a good advocate for my community
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<b>Her beautiful book of poetry was our first Rafflecopter giveaway:</b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPFQnyISvAH3AvvTdorTbNvsW0V5uk4INYF7H4VvAdf1YwsYJXZ9x61nmd57v4nign19wQUIME-D3MapDoXeMRadvdo8-qLv3ieGqX6ny9kzqU1lq_pn6qBzjunZpSPCb5R6VWiLkxHiAV/s1600/myvoicepic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPFQnyISvAH3AvvTdorTbNvsW0V5uk4INYF7H4VvAdf1YwsYJXZ9x61nmd57v4nign19wQUIME-D3MapDoXeMRadvdo8-qLv3ieGqX6ny9kzqU1lq_pn6qBzjunZpSPCb5R6VWiLkxHiAV/s1600/myvoicepic.jpg" height="400" width="253" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Photograph of the book My Voice: Autism, Life and Dreams by Amy Christine Sequenzia</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Our readers got their <b>raffle on</b>! Our book winner is enjoying her lovely prize.</span></span></span></div>
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