Aspergian Pride

College student Evan Delaney Rodgers, who just turned 19 years old, is a city council candidate in Carlsbad, California. In a campaign press release quoted by the San Diego Union-Tribune, she discusses her Asperger diagnosis:

“Having a little autism helped me achieve my goals and not miss what most people thought I was missing out on. I’m not really ‘driven’ in the sense of being a wound-up over-achiever – marching to my own drum just happens to cover a lot of ground.”

An avid skateboarder, she gave an interview at the city’s skate park.  She proposes to build a new park and aquatic center and to invite the city’s youth to improve abandoned storefronts by filling them with art and science projects.

The recently released film Just Add Water describes the life, talents, and challenges of 19-year-old champion surfer Clay Marzo, who recently received an Asperger diagnosis. He has won three NSSA National surfing titles and has appeared in several surf movies.

A portion of the proceeds from the film, which is expected to be available in stores in October, will be donated to the charitable foundation Surfer’s Healing. The foundation seeks to enrich the lives of autistic children and their families through the experience of surfing.

Jessica Summers, an 18-year-old autistic student who attends the University of Central Arkansas, sang the national anthem at the Cal Ripken Southwest Regional Championship youth baseball tournament at the Maumelle Diamond Complex two weeks ago.

She and her mother enjoy traveling to autism conferences and sharing a positive message.

A South African autistic activist who goes by the name of “Adi” is working to bring about more representation of autistic people’s views in autism organizations, community events, and public policy discussions in the Western Cape area. She has drawn attention to harmful misrepresentations and negative images associated with fundraising efforts by the charitable group Autism Western Cape, which she points out could have been avoided if autistic people had been consulted during the planning stages.

After seeing a poster that advertised a “Jail4Bail” fundraiser for Autism Western Cape with a photo of a child in a jail cell, she objected strongly to the poster because it created the damaging impression that autistic children were imprisoned by their autism. The poster was changed to show an adult behind bars instead. However, as Adi writes, much more needs to be done to end stigmatizing portrayals of autistic people and to ensure meaningful representation of self-advocates:

“One has to be so careful how autism is portrayed to society. The problems that autistics face today are often more those caused by lack of acceptance and inclusion in society than the actual disabilities. If your hope is to give autistics the freedom of society one day, how can you portray it as a jail?”

The New Straits Times reports that 12-year-old autistic student Muhammad Danial Zainuddin “felt like he was on top of the world” on July 5th when, along with over 5,000 other Malaysian students at an indoor stadium, he participated in a recital ceremony known as Khatam al-Quran, in which students receive public recognition for completion of the Quran.

Although he could speak only a few words when he started public school six years ago, his speech and academic performance improved considerably over the years. He became a straight A student, and his headmaster “marvelled at his pupil’s progress.”

Democratic Rep. Nancy Boyda of Topeka, Kansas, recently announced the selection of 16-year-old Benjamin Eric Berlin to the congressional page program. He attended the Kansas Youth Leadership Academy, gained experience serving as a page for two Kansas state legislators, and will become the first person with an autism spectrum diagnosis to serve in the congressional page program. He was selected for the congressional page program by a board based on an essay, extracurricular activities, character and motivation. As reported by the Lawrence Journal-World:

“Ben did not get this chance because he was autistic. Ben got the chance because he was extremely involved, mature and caring, and he demonstrated that to everyone that was around him,” Boyda said.

But Boyda said that as a page Berlin will be able to show others how people deal with disabilities.

In a prepared statement, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., praised the selection of Berlin.

“Congress is committed to ensuring that individuals with disabilities have the opportunity to participate in this historic learning experience,” Pelosi said.

Craig Pierson, who received an autism diagnosis in early childhood and did not speak until age 5, will graduate tomorrow from Barron Collier High School in Naples, Florida, with a 4.0 grade point average. A member of the mathematics honor society Mu Alpha Theta, he has been taking five advanced placement courses while also participating in school clubs and playing the violin as a member of his school’s string orchestra.

He will be attending Florida Gulf Coast University on a full scholarship. Based on his excellent academic accomplishments, he was awarded the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship.He enjoys reading and studying, and he intends to become a disability lawyer.

As reported in the Naples Daily News, “he views his life as a battle to overcome society’s views of autistic behaviors.”

Autistic teenager Kyle Cramer of Coburg, Oregon, who has set records in archery and has won state and national championships, hopes to compete in the Olympics. He took up the sport after watching the movie “The Lord of the Rings” because his favorite character was the archer Legolas.

Kyle’s archery instructor and his father both agree that Kyle’s autism helps him to succeed in archery because of his excellent ability to focus and concentrate. Kyle is very dedicated to the sport and regularly practices shooting arrows in his backyard or at an indoor archery range after school.

Alex Plank, one of the founders of the popular Wrong Planet web community, sought to fill the need for useful online resources for people on the autistic spectrum when the site was created in 2004. In addition to the Wrong Planet forum, which has a large number of regular visitors, the site also provides a collection of articles on various helpful topics and a blog focusing on autistic civil rights advocacy.

A student at George Mason University who majors in film and video, Alex often speaks and writes about neurodiversity and explains why he finds the concept of recovery from autism to be offensive. He was featured in a Chicago Tribune online article discussing why many autistics find the concept of cure objectionable.

Check out Alex’s hilarious April 1 blog post: Wrong Planet Acquires Autism Speaks.

After taking part in community service work while preparing for his bar mitzvah, Ari Schneider-Gans of Evesham, New Jersey, decided that he wanted to do more. He formed a group called The Spectrum of Helping Hands, whose members are all teenage boys on the autism spectrum. Since the group began in December 2006, its members have completed several community service projects.

The boys organized a fundraising walk around a lake to benefit the New Jersey Audubon Society, cleaned up the lake shore, sent packages to troops overseas and to hospice patients, and collected items for a food bank. Ari’s father, Rabbi Gary Gans of Congregation Beth Tikvah, said in an interview that he is very proud of Ari’s organizational skills and social responsibility.