146. SkillCorps Spotlight: Inclusion and Affirmation, with Andrew Bennett

Discover what’s possible when belonging allows us to be who we are. 

An Autistic Self-Advocate and BCaBA from Texas, Andrew Bennett has been a dedicated member of our community since 2019, and currently serves as a moderator in our online Global Autism Community. He contributed to our Responsive Skills Training as a committee member, and has traveled on two SkillCorps® volunteer trips, first to the Czech Republic and more recently to Kenya. 

Our SkillCorps® volunteer program is an opportunity for self-advocates, family members, and professionals to travel to our international partner sites and collaborate with local stakeholders to ensure that all autistic individuals around the world have access to quality education, services, and employment. 

Responsive Skills Training, or RST, is a curriculum co-created with the Autistic community to transform the way in which services are provided across the world. If you’d like to learn more about RST, please listen to episode 139 with co-creator Ann Beirne and our CEO Molly Pinney.  

In this conversation, we discuss:

• Andrew’s special interests, which include cooking and writing poetry
• Why Andrew decided to join the RST committee 
• His definitions of “inclusion” and “affirming,” and how they apply to neurodiversity-affirming practice in ABA 
• How to help an autistic person unmask
• Situations in which Andrew has felt “dis-affirmed” 
• Andrew’s experience as an autistic SkillCorps® volunteer 
• Tips for other self-advocates thinking of going on a SkillCorps® trip 

To learn more about our SkillCorps® program, check out episodes 100 and 132, featuring SkillCorps® volunteers that have been to our partner sites in Saudi Arabia and India. Listen to them talk about their transformative experiences and see what SkillCorps® can offer you! 

Begin your journey today at globalautismproject.org/skillcorps. As a listener of our show, take advantage of the coupon code AUTISMPODCAST (no space and all caps) to waive the application fee. 

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