Traditionally people with disabilities were assigned to existing jobs without considering their desires or interests. With customized self- employment we begin by discovering the likes, dislikes, and passions of the person, then create a business around that. I share my experience to illustrate that this is possible even when the person is autistic and non-verbal.
Preparing for and Navigating College
As a college graduate, I describe the accommodations I utilized in high school, how I prepared for and took the SAT, how we visited colleges and met with the Disabled Students Advisors, how I chose which college I would attend, and how I was able to be successful.
Facilitated Communication
Without Facilitated Communication I would never have been able to accomplish anything at all. I was not able to use any of the existing augmentative methods of communication and my spoken language was extremely limited. I will share my journey from being a person who couldn’t even understand that sounds were words to becoming an author and communicating throughout each day.
Supported Living
When I graduated from high school and knew I would be starting college, I wanted to move out of my parents’ home, but I knew I needed help with every facet of my life. This presentation will address the search for an appropriate agency, funding, the training needed for support staff and staff turnover.
Living an Inclusive Life
Each and every time the circumstances in my life have changed, inclusion also changed and looked different but was still a force that helped determine who I became and how I would live my life. We will explore the ways to ensure an inclusive experience throughout a lifespan.
Inclusive Education
As a person who started her education in a Special Education program called Infant Stimulation, to placement in Severely Handicapped Special Day Classes, to full inclusion in high school, and ending my formal education with a Bachelor’s degree from a private Liberal Arts college, I can speak about my journey and how others can learn from it.
Self-Advocacy
As a non-verbal autistic child the only way I could advocate for myself was by acting out with maladaptive behaviors such as biting myself and others, head banging, yelling, and scratching. Once I acquired a method of communication, I was able to advocate for myself and other autistic people. I will speak about sacrificing peace when a situation requires a change to ensure the disabled person’s happiness and well-being.
Presumed Competence
This was a lesson we learned the hard way. For the first thirteen years of my life, I was assumed to have an intellectual disability because I tested that way on standardized tests not meant to measure the intelligence of non-verbal people with apraxia. If we presume competence and are wrong, no harm has been done; but if we don’t presume competence and are wrong, much harm can be done. We will explore presumed competence even when a person can’t communicate.
