Discover what’s possible when people connected to autism inspire change and build community
Episodes
Thursday May 12, 2022
Thursday May 12, 2022
Discover what’s possible when community becomes family.
This week we are celebrating the 2-year anniversary of our podcast, as well as the 1-year anniversary of our online community!
It’s been an eye-opening journey that continues to surprise, inspire, and move us. We’ve learned so much from self-advocates sharing their experiences, family members talking about accepting their children’s diagnoses, and professionals discussing best practices in the field of autism services.
We’ve covered a wide range of topics, such as ableism, masking, the neurodiversity movement, intersectionality, disability rights, cultural humility, and international collaboration. A huge thank you to all of our guests for openly sharing your stories and educating us with your perspectives.
Our online Global Autism Community has been alive and growing for one year! Whether they’re autistic individuals, family members, or service providers, our community members have the possibility to share insights, learn different perspectives, and gain momentum to create real change in their own communities. Most importantly, they continue to build strong relationships with each other and feel that they’re not alone.
Today you’ll hear about how the vision for the community came to be, along with direct testimonials from our community members about how they’ve benefited from engaging in our online space.
Thank you to our community moderators who monitor posts daily to ensure that our online space remains safe and respectful. This last year, our moderator team included David Sharif, Jeff Snyder, Kia Burton, and Liz Castillo.
Other team members who help make this podcast happen are our visual creators, Trang Tran and Anh Ngoc, and our sound designer and editor, Marc Aliana.
I’d like to take this moment to reset our intentions for the podcast. There are countless meaningful stories we still want to share with you. We’re going to continue elevating autistic voices and do our best to make sure their perspectives are heard. The world needs access to these important messages so that, together, we can spread awareness, acceptance, and hope.
We want to thank you for your continued encouragement. And, if you’re a new listener, Welcome!
We’ll be re-releasing older episodes throughout the next few months so that you can catch up on any episodes that you might have missed.
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Friday May 06, 2022
Friday May 06, 2022
Discover what’s possible when you’re defined by your determination, dedication, and devotion.
It is with great sadness and a heavy heart that we release this episode. On April 23rd, we lost one of our most dedicated community members, David Sharif, to an epileptic seizure.
David made a huge positive impact in this world, inspiring everyone around him. He was a dear colleague, genuine friend, and all-around great human. David had a heart of gold and went out of his way to check on others’ comfort and well-being.
Graduating from high school as valedictorian, David prided himself on being a motivational speaker, world traveler, and basketball lover. David was committed to his work as an autistic self-advocate and loved to share his personal experiences to help educate others.
Taking on many roles over the past year in our Global Autism Community, David served as our community moderator, appeared several times as a guest on this podcast, and was preparing to travel to Kenya later this year as a volunteer with our SkillCorps® program.
Our team is still processing what it means to no longer have David here with us. We cannot express in words how much he will be missed. For now, we send our thoughts and support to David’s family.
Since first coming on the podcast in September 2020, David shared many insights and personal experiences with us. He was deeply passionate about empowering others through his own story.
To highlight David's advocacy, we’ve compiled several excerpts from various episodes that he was part of. Topics include:
- Overcoming obstacles
- Requesting accommodations at school and work
- Coping with stress and sensory overload
- Masking and authenticity
- Special interests
Our Global Autism Community held a memorial event for David last Tuesday. In this episode, you'll also hear some stories and memories of David that we shared.
The family has requested that in lieu of flowers, friends and family of David make donations to the Global Autism Project. We are honored to continue David's advocacy efforts of promoting autism awareness and acceptance worldwide.
You can make a donation here: David Sharif Memorial Donation
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Thursday Apr 21, 2022
Thursday Apr 21, 2022
Discover what’s possible when you act yourself.
Our guest today is Grace Everett. An autistic self-advocate, Grace is also a second-year college student, a theater artist, and an award-winning playwright. Her work in musical theater includes playing the title role in Carrie and Jo March in Little Women.
The first play she wrote, The Last Sunrise of August 1973, won Texas Thespian Playworks in 2019, and several of her other plays have been performed across the US by various youth theaters and professional companies.
In today’s conversation, we discuss:
- Grace finding out about her autism at age 18
- Unmasking
- Queer identity and self-acceptance
- How Grace’s diagnosis influenced her acting
- Increasing autistic representation in the arts
- What Grace likes about writing and acting
- Transitioning into college
- Advice for autistic actors
To learn more about Grace, please visit graceeverett.org.
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Thursday Apr 14, 2022
Thursday Apr 14, 2022
Discover what’s possible when representation is nuanced.
This week’s episode is a recording of one of our Global Autism Community exclusive events!
The topic of this round table discussion was Autism in the Media. Participating in this event were autism self-advocates Thomas Iland, Mary Johnston, Robert Schmus, Corben Havener, Andrew Arboe, and David Sharif, as well as community members Danielle Terrell, Ben Sharif, and Kia Burton.
In today’s conversation, we discuss:
- Movies, TV shows, and books with autistic characters
- Implied vs explicit portrayal of autism
- Teaching acceptance through storytelling
- How the media can improve autistic representation
- Autistic writers and actors
Round-table discussions like the one you’ll hear today are open exclusively for members of our online Global Autism Community. We select a different theme each month, and our moderators monitor posts daily to ensure that our online space remains safe and respectful.
If you’d like to attend and participate in any of our future events, you can sign up today at community.globalautismproject.org.
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Thursday Apr 07, 2022
Thursday Apr 07, 2022
Discover what’s possible when caring is enough to make a difference.
Today’s episode is part two of Team Saudi Arabia’s SkillCorps® journey. If you haven’t yet listened to part one, I encourage you to go back to episode 100 so that you can hear about the first half of the team’s trip.
If you have any personal or professional connection with autism — that is, if you’re a self-advocate, teacher, therapist, or another type of service provider — these two special episodes are meant for you.
Today, you’ll hear excerpts from conversations about:
- Clinical training at our partner site Namaee
- The Namaee therapists sharing insights about their culture
- The impact of our work on future generations of autistic people
- The Namaee staff’s takeaways from our collaboration
- Our team’s personal and professional growth
- Advice for future SkillCorps® travelers
Trips for July 2022 have filled up fast. We’re still taking applications for travel in October to Saudi Arabia and other partner sites, including Ecuador, Dominican Republic, China, India, Indonesia, Tanzania, Kenya, and Rwanda. Spots are limited so if you’re thinking about applying, now is the time.
Sign up today at skillcorps.globalautismproject.org and use the coupon code “autismpodcast” to waive the application fee.
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Friday Apr 01, 2022
Friday Apr 01, 2022
Discover what’s possible when caring is enough to make a difference.
We’ve made it to episode 100! To celebrate this huge milestone, we’ve put together this special episode taking you on a journey with our SkillCorps® Saudi Arabia team.
For almost 20 years, the Global Autism Project has been providing sustainable clinical, administrative, and leadership training to autism centers around the world seeking guidance.
Our SkillCorps® volunteer program is an opportunity for self-advocates and professionals to travel to our international partner sites and collaborate with their local teachers and therapists.
If you follow our work closely, you may already know that we recently sent two of our SkillCorps® teams back into the field for the first time since the start of the pandemic. We were thrilled to see our partners again in Saudi Arabia and Kenya.
We usually send out teams of up to 10 people three times a year for two weeks at a time. The team members are complete strangers when they meet for orientation in NY, and by the end of their two-week trip, oftentimes they’ve become close friends. I still keep in touch with many of the teammates that I’ve traveled with. So far, over 500 volunteers have joined our SkillCorps® Alumni community, and many are repeat travelers.
Each SkillCorps® team has a trip leader, and sometimes a leader-in-training, or LIT for short. I led the team in Saudi Arabia and was accompanied by an LIT, Korey Taylor.
I thought it would be really interesting to document moments throughout the two weeks, so that we could share the experience and give you a glimpse of what happens on a SkillCorps® trip.
After reviewing hours and hours of great content, we realized that trimming down too much would be a disservice to you. So, this episode will be a two-parter.
Today, you’ll hear excerpts from conversations about:
- Learning and self-discovery
- First impressions of Saudi culture
- Openness and flexibility
- Cultural humility
- Building rapport with the staff at Namaee Center
- Collaboration and teamwork
- Community outreach
- Making an impact
We’re currently taking applications for trips in July and October to Saudi Arabia and other partner sites, including Ecuador, Dominican Republic, China, India, Indonesia, Tanzania, Kenya, and Rwanda.
Join us today at skillcorps.globalautismproject.org and use the coupon code “autismpodcast” to waive the application fee.
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Thursday Mar 17, 2022
Thursday Mar 17, 2022
Discover what’s possible when love begins with acceptance.
This week’s episode is a recording of one of our Global Autism Community exclusive events!
The topic of this roundtable discussion was Dating and Relationships. Participating in this event were autism self-advocates Olivia Hops, Thomas Iland, Mary Johnston, Scott Edgar, and David Sharif, as well as community members Danielle Terrell, Ben Sharif, and Kia Burton.
In today’s conversation, we discuss:
- Different ways to meet people
- How to navigate moving from a friendship to a relationship
- Creating a healthy relationship when one person is neurotypical and the other is neurodivergent
- Long-distance relationships
- Memorable dates
- Common challenges autistic people face when it comes to dating
- Dealing with breakups
Roundtable discussions like the one you’ll hear today are open exclusively for members of our online Global Autism Community. We select a different theme each month, and our moderators monitor posts daily to ensure that our online space remains safe and respectful. If you’d like to attend and participate in any of our future events, you can sign up today at community.globalautismproject.org.
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Thursday Mar 10, 2022
Thursday Mar 10, 2022
Discover what’s possible when winning comes second.
Scott Edgar is an autistic voice actor in Orlando, Florida, who has been recently featured in London’s Autism’s Got Talent. He has also participated in the Special Olympics, competing in basketball, bowling, and powerlifting.
In today’s conversation, we discuss:
- How Scott found out about his diagnosis
- How autism affects his life
- Transitioning into independent living
- Voice acting and where he gets his inspiration
- Differences of autism awareness between England and the US
- Participating in the Special Olympics
Are you also self-advocate willing to share your experiences and educate others? Or are you a professional seeking to hear directly from autistic voices and improve your practice? Are you a family member hoping to support and empower your loved one? Whatever your role related to autism is, you can join our Global Autism Community to connect and collaborate with people all over the world.
Sign up today at community.globalautismproject.org. Let’s work together to transform how the world relates to autism.
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Thursday Mar 03, 2022
Thursday Mar 03, 2022
Discover what’s possible when you mix your own batter.
Olivia Hops is the owner of Unbaked Bar, an online edible cookie dough shop. An autistic self-advocate from California, Olivia hopes to help autistic adults become successful business owners. She also uses her YouTube channel to spread awareness of how autism presents differently for females.
In today’s conversation, we discuss:
- Olivia finding out about her autism at age 24
- Possible reasons why many young females go undiagnosed
- Some ways in which Olivia masked while growing up
- Selective mutism during meltdowns
- Tips for other autistic business owners
- Advice for newly diagnosed autistic females
To learn more about Olivia, please visit oliviahops.org.
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Thursday Feb 10, 2022
Thursday Feb 10, 2022
Discover what’s possible when communication is properly aided.
Vidya Banerjee hosts the podcast and blog Autism Family Story. Her 16-year-old autistic son Aarian is non-speaking and communicates with an Augmentative and Alternative Communication device, or AAC for short.
In today’s conversation, we discuss:
- Do’s, don’ts, and common misconceptions about AAC
- Aarian’s rare seizure disorder, called Landau Kleffner syndrome
- Vidya’s hopes for her son
- Her mission as a blogger and podcaster
- Tips for parents
To learn more about Vidya Banerjee, please visit autismfamilystory.com.
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