Interviews Archives - Page 16 of 25

Autism Interview #85: Michael Gilberg on Special Education Advocacy

January 22, 2019JennaInterviews

Michael Gilberg is a Special Education and Disability Rights Attorney from New York. Michael is passionate about helping others because he knows what it’s like to navigate life without the proper support, since he lived many years without a proper diagnosis. Michael says, “My life experience of having been where your child is drives my desire every day to fight for justice for children with disabilities and their families.” This week Michael shared some of his experiences working as a disability advocate for school-aged children.

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Autism Interview #84: Mikhaela Ackerman on Advocating for the Autistic Perspective

December 18, 2018Jenna3 CommentsInterviews, Practical Parenting

Mikhaela Ackerman is an autistic writer and speaker. She blogs at Edge of the Playground where she shares resources for individuals on the spectrum and the families who support them. Mikhaela earned her Juris Doctorate in law in 2016 and plans to use her legal skills to advocate for others on the autism spectrum. This week she shared information about her advocacy work and how neurotypicals can be more aware and accommodating of sensory sensitivities.

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Autism Interview #83 Part 2: Gillan Drew on Fatherhood and Autism Advocacy

December 11, 2018JennaInterviews

This is Part 2 of our two-part interview with Gillan Drew, a British author and father of two. He was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome at 28 and blogs about his life at Aspie Daddy. Gillan is also the author of An Adult with an Autism Diagnosis: A Guide for the Newly Diagnosed. This week he shared his thoughts on his role as a father and weighed in on some important advocacy considerations for parents of autistic children.

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Autism Interview #83 Part 1: Gillan Drew on Late Diagnosis and Autistic Adulthood

December 4, 2018JennaInterviews

Gillan Drew is a British author and father of two daughters. He was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome at 28 and blogs about his life at Aspie Daddy. Gillan is the author of An Adult with an Autism Diagnosis: A Guide for the Newly Diagnosed. This is the first part of a two-part interview with him. This week he shared his experience grappling with a diagnosis later in life and offered advice for offering support to other autistic adults.

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Autism Interview #82: Michelle Swan on Modeling Autism Acceptance

November 20, 2018Jenna1 CommentInterviews

Michelle Swan is an autistic Australian writer, speaker, mentor, and neurodiversity rights advocate. She has experience in peer support, mentoring, education workshop presentation, community building and advocacy with degrees teaching and psychology. Michelle is also a mother to six neurodivergent children and is the author of The Real Experts: Readings for Parents of Autistic Children and the co-author of The Respectfully Connected Anthology. This week she shared information about her advocacy work and offered advice for how parents can model autism acceptance in order to help build a positive autistic identity for their children.

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Autism Interview #81: Englebert Lau on Late-Diagnosis Asperger’s Syndrome

November 13, 2018JennaInterviews

Englebert Lau is an autism advocate and Information Technology Business Analyst. Englebert was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome at the age of 30 and blogs at The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Asperger’s Syndrome where he shares a lighthearted perspective on Asperger’s syndrome. He’s also been published in Autism Parenting Magazine and The Art of Autism. This week he shared some of the most valuable resources he found upon first receiving his diagnosis.

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Autism Interview #80: Braydon Keddie on Succeeding in the Workplace

October 30, 2018JennaInterviews

Braydon Keddie is a former journalist turned blogger/photographer and currently works as a caretaker. He blogs at Confidence with ASD. Brayden is also a part-time student in Building Environmental Studies, and self identified movie fanatic and comic book geek. This week he shared some advice on positive autism advocacy and succeeding in the workplace.

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Autism Interview #79 Part 1: Jo Farrell on Employment, Mutism, and Studying Buddhism

October 9, 2018Jenna1 CommentInterviews

Photo by Jo Farrell

Jo Farrell is a British caucasian and UK-based mother (to an adult son), blogger, marketeer, amateur photographer, and practitioner of Nichiren Buddhism. She blogs at The Autistic Buddhist to support other people on the spectrum offering a positive, inspirational approach to autism and is an advocate of human neurodiversity. This post is Part One of a two-part interview. This week she shared information about her past and current employment experiences, her difficulty with mutism, and how she has benefited from learning to practice Buddhism.

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Autism Interview #78: Bennett Gaddes on Spectrum Codes and the Current State of Disability Advocacy

October 2, 2018JennaInterviews

Bennett Gaddes is the chairman of Autistic Self Advocacy Atlanta and co-founder of Spectrum Codes, an advocacy group with the purpose of preparing neurodiverse individuals for careers in technology. He is especially interested in creating accessible technology. This week Bennett discussed his involvement with Spectrum Codes as well as his perspective on the current state of disability advocacy.

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