Hello, Everyone!
Those of you reading this are no doubt somehow involved in the world of autism and Asperger's syndrome--either you're parents of autistic/Asperger's children, teachers or paraprofessionals working with autistic/Asperger's individuals, or a person who is on the spectrum themselves. And odds are that you know a little bit about me already, but the purpose of this entry is to tell you about why I would make a great public speaker for your autism/Asperger's organization, group, or school.
My name is Amy Gravino. I'm a 25-year-old woman diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome. I'm also a writer, and am currently working on a book about my experiences with relationships and dating as a woman on the spectrum. The title of the book is The Naughty Autie: Not Your (Neuro)typical Dating Guide, and I am hoping to sell it to a publisher sometime in the next few months. I am also a graduate student, and am about to start my second year in the Masters program in Applied Behavior Analysis at Caldwell College in Caldwell, NJ.
My business manager and I have decided to put together a press packet to send to school districts here in New Jersey, in the hope that they will want to hire me as a speaker, either at an assembly for students, or as part of a professional development workshop for faculty and staff.
Having spoken publicly since the age of 14 at autism conferences all around the country, most recently at COSAC's annual conference in Atlantic City, New Jersey, I feel that I am an intelligent, articulate, and qualified individual who is ready and willing to speak at any event that will enable me to help people and improve the lives of children, adults, and families in the autism and Asperger's community.
I am trying to reach out to those of you who either work in or have children in public schools, and who think that these schools might benefit from or be interested in having me speak there. Due to my school schedule, as well as financial constraints, I would prefer to keep the locales at which I speak strictly in the tri-state area (New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and possibly also Pennsylvania). My rates for speaking vary by the length of the speech expected and the budget within which the organization or school can work. I would be willing to travel outside of the Northeast for speaking engagements if travel expenses can be covered by the organization seeking my services (this also can be negotiated depending on circumstances, however).
Anyone wishing to obtain more information can feel free to leave a comment on here with your e-mail address and I will contact you, or you can go to my User Profile and find my e-mail address there and contact me. I have a curriculum vitae (C.V.) and a brief biography that I will gladly send to those who are interested. For more booking information, please feel free to e-mail my business manager, Nicole Turon-Diaz, at learningbydesign@verizon.net.
Thank you very much, and I hope to hear from you soon!
