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| (Click here to view conference brochure) |
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| (Click here to view conference brochure) |
Thanks, everyone, and keep checking back for more posts about future speaking appearances!
Showing posts with label public service announcement. Show all posts
Showing posts with label public service announcement. Show all posts
Thursday, October 9, 2014
October Speaking Appearances!
Hello, folks! Just wanted to share with you that I will be speaking at two autism conferences this month. The first is AHA-NY's 24th Annual Fall Conference, at which I will be giving my first ever keynote address, on my experiences in school as a child on the autism spectrum. The conference will be held at Eastern Suffolk BOCES in Holbrook, NY on October 20th:
The second speaking engagement that I have lined up is a workshop on autism and sexuality at Autism New Jersey's 32nd Annual Conference, which I will be co-presenting with Dr. Peter Gerhardt and autism self-advocate Jason Ross. The conference will be held at the Atlantic City Convention Center in Atlantic City, NJ on October 23rd:
Audio recordings of both presentations will be available after the conferences, and I am hoping to possibly have my keynote speech video-recorded. I will post links to all recordings as soon as they are available. And if you're anywhere near either of these conference venues, I'd love to see you in person! Plus, you'll be in for a great day or two of informative and interesting autism-related presentations and discussions.
Thanks, everyone, and keep checking back for more posts about future speaking appearances!
Thanks, everyone, and keep checking back for more posts about future speaking appearances!
Saturday, June 14, 2014
Position Statement on Autism Speaks
For several months now, I have been struggling with how to write this.
I had hoped that I would never feel the need to do so, but over the past few weeks in particular, I have received random messages on Facebook and tweets from people telling me not to support Autism Speaks. These faceless message-senders are strangers, folks to whom I have never before spoken, but who feel the need to step into my space and tell me what to do. That is something of a problem, if for no other reason than because my relationship with and feelings toward Autism Speaks are far from black-and-white.
First of all, let me be clear from now on one thing: This is not a “defending Autism Speaks” post. I have seen numerous posts circulating on sites such as Tumblr talking about how Autism Speaks is "evil" and no one should support them. The truth is, the grievances that some people have against Autism Speaks are absolutely justified, and I am in no way here to diminish their experience or tell them they aren’t allowed to feel what they feel. In fact, I am on the autism spectrum myself (diagnosed at age 10), and have been appalled by many things that Autism Speaks has done over the years.
So that is why, when I was invited to join the Communications Committee of Autism Speaks three years ago, I said ‘yes.’
Huh? Wait a minute…what? you may be asking yourself right now. The reason that I accepted this position is because in the course of being aghast at many of Autism Speaks’ past actions, I also realized that they have an incredible platform, a place of visibility in the neurotypical world that is unmatched by any other autism organization. The enormity of Autism Speaks also means that—as much as many of us wish otherwise—they are not going away anytime soon.
I joined the Communications Committee (which deals with the public campaigns and partnerships of Autism Speaks) because I saw it as an opportunity to make changes to Autism Speaks from within.
Has progress been made over the last three years? Absolutely. Has enough progress been made? Sadly not. But it is a slow process—so slow, sometimes, that it’s unbelievably frustrating. One important thing to note, however, is that the people with whom I am in contact are in no way supportive of the “cure” rhetoric that was the previous trademark of Autism Speaks. That was a mindset that came with the organization’s founders, but to which very few of the people there still subscribe.
It’s not enough that I know that, but the public overall does not. That change has not trickled down, has not shown in much of the media put forth by Autism Speaks. And that is one of the things I am trying to make happen by being on this committee.
When I sit there in the committee meetings, it becomes my job to operate as the eyes and ears of the entire autism community. It becomes my job to be the voice for individuals on the spectrum, a task that is in no way easy because I know that not everyone is coming from the same place that I am, nor has everyone's experience with autism has been the same as mine. But I am in there to speak for you, to make your concerns—which are also my concerns—heard.
The simple truth, and the one thing that I always try to keep in mind, is this: They’re not going to hear it if I’m not there to say it.
My reputation with Autism Speaks has become one of being the person who will not sugarcoat things, who will not hold back, and who will be tough on the organization because I know that it can and should do better. I have met and spoken to Autism Speaks’ executive director, Liz Feld, herself, and told her as much. I have also purposely gone to Autism Speaks events where there are big donors in attendance to make sure that no one loses sight of who they and Autism Speaks are supposed to be helping: People on the autism spectrum.
As I have stated previously, it is my belief that working from within is the best way to effect change. I hope that by using the capacity I am afforded as a member of the Communications Committee, I can create an honest and open dialogue about the concerns, grievances, and needs of the autism community with Autism Speaks, and by doing that, change can and will happen.
Thank you.
I had hoped that I would never feel the need to do so, but over the past few weeks in particular, I have received random messages on Facebook and tweets from people telling me not to support Autism Speaks. These faceless message-senders are strangers, folks to whom I have never before spoken, but who feel the need to step into my space and tell me what to do. That is something of a problem, if for no other reason than because my relationship with and feelings toward Autism Speaks are far from black-and-white.
First of all, let me be clear from now on one thing: This is not a “defending Autism Speaks” post. I have seen numerous posts circulating on sites such as Tumblr talking about how Autism Speaks is "evil" and no one should support them. The truth is, the grievances that some people have against Autism Speaks are absolutely justified, and I am in no way here to diminish their experience or tell them they aren’t allowed to feel what they feel. In fact, I am on the autism spectrum myself (diagnosed at age 10), and have been appalled by many things that Autism Speaks has done over the years.
So that is why, when I was invited to join the Communications Committee of Autism Speaks three years ago, I said ‘yes.’
Huh? Wait a minute…what? you may be asking yourself right now. The reason that I accepted this position is because in the course of being aghast at many of Autism Speaks’ past actions, I also realized that they have an incredible platform, a place of visibility in the neurotypical world that is unmatched by any other autism organization. The enormity of Autism Speaks also means that—as much as many of us wish otherwise—they are not going away anytime soon.
I joined the Communications Committee (which deals with the public campaigns and partnerships of Autism Speaks) because I saw it as an opportunity to make changes to Autism Speaks from within.
Has progress been made over the last three years? Absolutely. Has enough progress been made? Sadly not. But it is a slow process—so slow, sometimes, that it’s unbelievably frustrating. One important thing to note, however, is that the people with whom I am in contact are in no way supportive of the “cure” rhetoric that was the previous trademark of Autism Speaks. That was a mindset that came with the organization’s founders, but to which very few of the people there still subscribe.
It’s not enough that I know that, but the public overall does not. That change has not trickled down, has not shown in much of the media put forth by Autism Speaks. And that is one of the things I am trying to make happen by being on this committee.
When I sit there in the committee meetings, it becomes my job to operate as the eyes and ears of the entire autism community. It becomes my job to be the voice for individuals on the spectrum, a task that is in no way easy because I know that not everyone is coming from the same place that I am, nor has everyone's experience with autism has been the same as mine. But I am in there to speak for you, to make your concerns—which are also my concerns—heard.
The simple truth, and the one thing that I always try to keep in mind, is this: They’re not going to hear it if I’m not there to say it.
My reputation with Autism Speaks has become one of being the person who will not sugarcoat things, who will not hold back, and who will be tough on the organization because I know that it can and should do better. I have met and spoken to Autism Speaks’ executive director, Liz Feld, herself, and told her as much. I have also purposely gone to Autism Speaks events where there are big donors in attendance to make sure that no one loses sight of who they and Autism Speaks are supposed to be helping: People on the autism spectrum.
As I have stated previously, it is my belief that working from within is the best way to effect change. I hope that by using the capacity I am afforded as a member of the Communications Committee, I can create an honest and open dialogue about the concerns, grievances, and needs of the autism community with Autism Speaks, and by doing that, change can and will happen.
Thank you.
Friday, June 6, 2014
Liebster Award and Welcome Back!
Happy almost-Summer to all my faithful readers! I apologize for neglecting you all for so long--unfortunately, life got in the way and I haven't been able to update this blog. So much has happened that I am excited to share with you all, but for my first post in almost six months, I would like to answer some questions that were given to me by Kirsten Lindsmith, who kindly nominated me for a web project known as the Liebster Award! Kirsten has given me several questions to answer, and so here are the instructions for the project, copied from her blog:
There are a few easy rules you must follow to participate:
1. Acknowledge the blogger who nominated you and display the award.
2. Answer eleven questions that the blogger gives you.
3. Give eleven random facts about yourself–they can be anything!
4. Nominate eleven blogs that you think are deserving of the award
5. Let the bloggers know you nominated them.
6. Give them eleven questions to answer. (I'm not going to nominate anyone because I wouldn't begin to know whom to choose or how to be sure they'd even see the nomination.)
2. Answer eleven questions that the blogger gives you.
3. Give eleven random facts about yourself–they can be anything!
~*~
Eleven questions from Kirsten:
1. What prompted you to start your blog? I started it because I felt that I needed a place to share my thoughts and feelings on issues related to autism, Asperger's Syndrome, and current events related thereto, and because I wanted to keep folks up-to-date on my own life and ongoing professional projects.
2. For the autism blogs: What was your first introduction to the “autism community”?
I can't remember a time when I wasn't involved in the autism community, to be honest. I was diagnosed at age 10, and was always on the periphery of AHA-NY from that point on (especially after my mother joined the Board of Directors). But I would say that I became more actively involved in the autism community around the time that I started graduate school, in 2007.
3. What is your Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) personality type?
I haven't taken it in a while, but I believe I am an INTJ or INFJ.
4. Do you consider yourself an introvert or an extrovert? Why?
I consider myself an introvert with extrovert tendencies. I've become much more outgoing over the years, but I still feel drained of energy if I spend too much time around people or being social, and ultimately I need to have time by myself to recharge my batteries.
5. What is one book, movie, or television show that you absolutely love?
Oh, this is impossible, because I love so many! I guess I will go with TV show and choose Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, as it is responsible for helping me survive my hellish high school years and I can rewatch the episodes over and over and still enjoy them and see things I never noticed before.
6. What is one song you love that never gets old for you?
As anyone who knows me knows, I'm a big fan of the 1960s group The Monkees, so I'd have to say their song "Pleasant Valley Sunday," because it has such a great opening lick, and Micky Dolenz is an amazing singer.
7. What kind of computer do you use?
I use an HP Pavilion laptop that is probably on its last legs but is still so good to me even when I get frustrated with it.
8. What do you take more pictures of: yourself, or other people? (Animals count as other people!)
Honestly, I don't really take many pictures at all. I used to photograph my food all the time (the dishes that I make), but I haven't been doing that as much lately. I've never felt that comfortable taking pictures of people, mainly because I am a writer, not a photographer...but I do enjoy taking pictures of objects or nature or whatnot.
9. Who was your first pet? Tell me about them! (breed, name, etc.)
My first pet was a Calico cat named Pumpkin. She was a good kitty and some sixteen years old when we finally had to put her down.
10. Do you have any pets now?
Yes, another Calico cat, named Pallas (short for Pallas Athena, the Greek goddess) who lives at my parents' house. In our family, we've always had Calico cats and their names have always started with the letter "P" (I think it must be an Aspie thing!).
11. What is your earliest childhood memory?
My earliest childhood memory--if it even is a real memory and not just something I've convinced myself happened, but didn't really--is of being in a stroller at Knott's Berry Farm (near Anaheim, California) at the age of 3. I just remember being surrounded by a sea of legs, outfitted in various brightly-colored shorts, and feet in sandals walking, walking, walking everywhere.
~*~
Eleven facts about me:
1. I was born five weeks early and a breech birth (came out butt-first).
2. My smallest toe on both feet isn't on the end (it's second from the end) and the year the "toe sock" craze happened was not a good one for me.
3. I'm irrationally afraid of the eyes on potatoes (when they sprout).
4. Despite lifelong gross motor coordination issues, I have never broken a bone in my entire body.
4. Despite lifelong gross motor coordination issues, I have never broken a bone in my entire body.
5. My father is a retired Latin teacher, and by the age of three, I'm fairly certain I knew as many (if not more) Latin words as I did English.
6. Learning how to cook helped me overcome a tremendous number of my eating-related issues, and cooking has become my first-ever true "special interest."
7. I've typically preferred neurotypical guys over guys on the autism spectrum, but after having dating experiences with both, I can safely say that all men are ridiculous and incomprehensible, regardless of neurological makeup.
8. I have more friends now than I did in the first eighteen years of my life put together.
9. When it comes to helping myself, I often struggle and can't make a clear plan, but when it comes to helping others, I can immediately see what needs to be done and have a far easier time with that.
10. I do not have any tattoos or piercings (not even my ears).
11. I didn't get my driver's license until I was 24, and though I was frustrated at not having it earlier, I'm now very glad that I got it when I did.
~*~
Well, that's it! Thanks very much for reading, and please stay tuned for several more exciting upcoming posts about all my latest happenings and adventures. Keep your peepers peeled!
Monday, April 16, 2012
Welcome and Some Housekeeping Items
So, I've noticed some new followers on my blog in recent months, as well as e-mail inquiries from readers of this blog. I thought, therefore, that I would take a moment to welcome everyone here and introduce myself and my blog to you.
First, I would like to thank Babble.com for choosing my blog (for the second year in a row!) as one of its Top Autism Spectrum Blogs for Parents. I am very grateful to have been selected and I hope that this distinction will help to bring in new readers. As you may be able to tell, this blog is not updated as regularly as I would like it to be, so I am working to try and change that.
Because of this thus-far irregular updating, I am not completely certain as to who the exact readership of this blog is. I've aimed my writing to be accessible to individuals on the autism spectrum and neurotypical people (friends, family members, parents, professionals) alike. I want everyone to be able to read my entries and take something away from them, no matter where on the developmental continuum they may fall.
So who am I, exactly? And why do I write this blog? Well, I'm a woman who was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome at the age of 10. In 2009, while pursuing my Masters degree in Applied Behavior Analysis, I became certified as a college coach for students with Asperger's Syndrome, which is how I am now hoping to make my living. Upon completion of my degree in 2011, I opened an office for my newly-founded college coaching business, A.S.C.O.T. Coaching, LLC, in Fairfield, New Jersey.
I currently serve on the Board of Directors and as the Board Treasurer for GRASP, the Global and Regional Asperger Syndrome Partnership; on the Self-Advocate Advisory Board for the Daniel Jordan Fiddle Foundation; and on the Communications Committee for Autism Speaks. Through the work I do for these organizations, and through my work as an Asperger's consultant and public speaker--speaking at conferences, professional development workshops, and assemblies across the country as well as at the United Nations last year--I am able to act as a voice for individuals on the autism spectrum who do not have one.
I'm also writing a book at the moment, titled The Naughty Autie. It details my experiences as a woman on the autism spectrum with dating, relationships, and sexuality. I've been referred to as "the Aspie Dr. Ruth" because of my willingness to speak frankly and openly on issues of sexuality and relationships. The book takes on a "single girl," Sex and the City type of perspective that is unique to the current autism literature base, with me as the "Carrie Bradshaw" of the Asperger's world. I do not have a publisher for the book as of yet, but I am currently looking for one.
I've been a writer since the age of 10, starting with poetry, then later branching into short fiction, and now non-fiction. My writing has been published in a number of outlets, including the official blog of Autism Speaks, Autism Spectrum Quarterly, AHA's On the Spectrum newsletter, and most recently, the "Transition to Adulthood" chapter of W.L. Heward's Exceptional Children, a widely-read textbook for undergraduate and graduate special education students.
My primary area of interest is working with college-age individuals and adults on the less affected end of the autism spectrum. For my Masters thesis, we were required to design and run our own research study using the principles of ABA. For my study, I taught adult men with Asperger's Syndrome how to ask someone out on a date. As I build and cultivate my business, I hope to continue this work and offer dating skills workshops for both men and women with Asperger's Syndrome.
What you will find on this blog is a collection of my ruminations about situations with which I am dealing, announcements about events that I am involved with, and my reactions to news items related to and issues being faced by the autism community as a whole. I have also been approached for book reviews and author interviews, so look for those to potentially become a bigger feature of this blog as time goes on.
For more information about me or about A.S.C.O.T Coaching, I invite you to check out my website, www.amygravino.com. Several of my media appearances, including my talk as a member of a panel of autism experts at the United Nations last year, are featured on the Media page of my website.
Any questions, comments, suggestions, or speaking/PR inquiries can be directed to me at amy@amygravino.com, or to my business manager, Nicole Turon-Diaz, at learningbydesign@verizon.net.
Thank you so much, and I hope you have enjoyed, continue to enjoy, and will enjoy my blog for a long time to come!
First, I would like to thank Babble.com for choosing my blog (for the second year in a row!) as one of its Top Autism Spectrum Blogs for Parents. I am very grateful to have been selected and I hope that this distinction will help to bring in new readers. As you may be able to tell, this blog is not updated as regularly as I would like it to be, so I am working to try and change that.
Because of this thus-far irregular updating, I am not completely certain as to who the exact readership of this blog is. I've aimed my writing to be accessible to individuals on the autism spectrum and neurotypical people (friends, family members, parents, professionals) alike. I want everyone to be able to read my entries and take something away from them, no matter where on the developmental continuum they may fall.
So who am I, exactly? And why do I write this blog? Well, I'm a woman who was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome at the age of 10. In 2009, while pursuing my Masters degree in Applied Behavior Analysis, I became certified as a college coach for students with Asperger's Syndrome, which is how I am now hoping to make my living. Upon completion of my degree in 2011, I opened an office for my newly-founded college coaching business, A.S.C.O.T. Coaching, LLC, in Fairfield, New Jersey.
I currently serve on the Board of Directors and as the Board Treasurer for GRASP, the Global and Regional Asperger Syndrome Partnership; on the Self-Advocate Advisory Board for the Daniel Jordan Fiddle Foundation; and on the Communications Committee for Autism Speaks. Through the work I do for these organizations, and through my work as an Asperger's consultant and public speaker--speaking at conferences, professional development workshops, and assemblies across the country as well as at the United Nations last year--I am able to act as a voice for individuals on the autism spectrum who do not have one.
I'm also writing a book at the moment, titled The Naughty Autie. It details my experiences as a woman on the autism spectrum with dating, relationships, and sexuality. I've been referred to as "the Aspie Dr. Ruth" because of my willingness to speak frankly and openly on issues of sexuality and relationships. The book takes on a "single girl," Sex and the City type of perspective that is unique to the current autism literature base, with me as the "Carrie Bradshaw" of the Asperger's world. I do not have a publisher for the book as of yet, but I am currently looking for one.
I've been a writer since the age of 10, starting with poetry, then later branching into short fiction, and now non-fiction. My writing has been published in a number of outlets, including the official blog of Autism Speaks, Autism Spectrum Quarterly, AHA's On the Spectrum newsletter, and most recently, the "Transition to Adulthood" chapter of W.L. Heward's Exceptional Children, a widely-read textbook for undergraduate and graduate special education students.
My primary area of interest is working with college-age individuals and adults on the less affected end of the autism spectrum. For my Masters thesis, we were required to design and run our own research study using the principles of ABA. For my study, I taught adult men with Asperger's Syndrome how to ask someone out on a date. As I build and cultivate my business, I hope to continue this work and offer dating skills workshops for both men and women with Asperger's Syndrome.
What you will find on this blog is a collection of my ruminations about situations with which I am dealing, announcements about events that I am involved with, and my reactions to news items related to and issues being faced by the autism community as a whole. I have also been approached for book reviews and author interviews, so look for those to potentially become a bigger feature of this blog as time goes on.
For more information about me or about A.S.C.O.T Coaching, I invite you to check out my website, www.amygravino.com. Several of my media appearances, including my talk as a member of a panel of autism experts at the United Nations last year, are featured on the Media page of my website.
Any questions, comments, suggestions, or speaking/PR inquiries can be directed to me at amy@amygravino.com, or to my business manager, Nicole Turon-Diaz, at learningbydesign@verizon.net.
Thank you so much, and I hope you have enjoyed, continue to enjoy, and will enjoy my blog for a long time to come!
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