I was very fortunate to be selected as a University of Washington DO-IT Scholar in 2019.  I was the first non-speaking autistic AAC user to participate in this highly regarded program.  During my Phase 2 Scholar program in 2020 I wrote and created this video to highlight the challenges for non-speakers and the need for acceptance and better inclusion opportunities.

I did this video for United for Communication Choice, an advocacy organization focused on ensuring non-speakers have the necessary supports for their preferred communication method.  Here is how they describe the video on their website: “In this 11 minute video, 16-year-old Grant Blasko communicates a self-initiated topic by typing on an iPad using the Proloquo4text application with word prediction enabled. Grant, who is unable to communicate using speech, currently has diagnoses of developmental apraxia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, anxiety, sensory processing disorder, and autism. After years failing to achieve reliable communication through traditional speech therapy, behavioral therapy, and many traditional AAC approaches, Grant began learning to type independently at the age of 9.”

https://youtu.be/x7KvQuDBjdAhttps://youtu.be/vknvztreF5I

This is a video we put together to show the progression of my typing skills towards fully independent communication.  You can see this took a lot of hard work over several years to enable my body to better control the movements required for typing.

This is one of my early public presentations.  I wrote about my experience as a participant in the Artability program, a theater and arts program for autistic children and young adults.  This presentation was delivered at the annual fundraising gala and I was thrilled to get a standing ovation from the crowd!