My Advocacy Work
Because of my communication style and my autism, I’ve been welcomed into a community with lots of disability advocates, educators, and science professionals. Many of these people have become cherished mentors to me. I am lucky. Many kids with non-speaking autism are not as fortunate.
My future has opened up because of the dedicated work of many. I have great admiration for leaders in various civil rights movements throughout history. Many different groups of people have been marginalized by race, gender, or ability level, but their tireless advocacy efforts have led to many great strides, as well as lessons learned.
Organizations & Activities
I am honored to participate in the Advisory Council for CommunicationFIRST. We believe CommunicationFIRST cannot be effective unless we are led and guided by the people whose interests and rights we seek to defend and advance. We therefore have worked to ensure the majority of our leadership experiences a communication-related disability or health condition, or otherwise identifies as disabled. In addition, we strive to ensure that our community’s great diversity is reflected both on our Board and in our work.
University of Washington DO-IT Scholar Program
I was honored to be accepted into the University of Washington’s DO-IT program in the summer of 2019. I was the first non-speaking autistic individual to be accepted into this program. The DO-IT (Disabilities, Opportunities, Internetworking, and Technology) Center is dedicated to empowering people with disabilities through technology and education. It promotes awareness and accessibility—in both the classroom and the workplace—to maximize the potential of individuals with disabilities and make our communities more vibrant, diverse, and inclusive.
TASH
I have been active with the TASH organization for over 5 years and have presented at the annual conference each of the past 3 years. I was selected to be a member of the Communication Access Practice that focuses on providing improved supports and better inclusion opportunities for non-speaking individuals.
autcom
I have presented at three Autcom national conferences over the past 5 years. My most recent presentations in 2019 were a Keynote titled, “Give the Kids a Break! For Students with Complex Communication Needs, Universal Design for Learning Provides Stress Relief and Equitable Access to Education”. I was also a panelist on a general session entitled, “Everyone Has the Right to Communicate”
Cal Lutheran College Bound Academy
I have participated and presented as part of the College Bound Academy program hosted at Cal Lutheran University in California