Today’s news that autists Stephen Shore and Valerie Paradiz have joined the Autism Speaks Board of Directors came as a surprise to many.  The announcement follows on the heels of other big news from that organization:Mr. Wright has stepped down as chairman and resigned from the board;Mrs. Wrigh…

By Jasmine Dyoco ASD kids need to run and play just like their non-spectrum siblings and peers. But it can be tough to ensure your child gets enough physical activity, especially outdoors, when the world around him is teaming with loud noises and unfamiliar experiences around every corner. You can i…

The average interview will force an AS person to simultaneously study themselves and the interviewer(s), deal with typical interview stress (and special anxiety from being in a new area and around a new person who is judging them), and think of good answers to hard questions. All this mental and emo…

The Art of Autism mourns the loss of Lois Curtis in November 2022. Lois Curtis was an African American artist with intellectual and developmental disabilities and schizophrenia. Curtis paved the way for people with developmental and intellectual disabilities to get out of institutional settings and…

An interview with Joe Biel, founder of Microcosm Publishing, and author of “Good Trouble: Building a Successful Life & Business with Asperger’s” What age were you when you were diagnosed with Aspergers? I was 32 when I was ​first ​diagnosed​ with 99% certainty and I was 37 whe…

Can wheelchairs climb stairs? Well, not today, but it is definitely a possibility in the future! Scewo, a prototype wheelchair still in active development, has the ability to not only go over curbs and other smaller obstacles, but also climb up stairs. In addition to big wheels to take care of obsta…

Getting key features like book reading, speech to text, browsing, email, calendar etc. on smartphones may be taken for granted by a big set of the smartphone user base but then there may be another group of users who may find navigating and using those features overwhelming. Elderly people who …

“As he was telling me how cold and hungry he was, I watched as he was unable to control his hands. It was like he was playing an invisible piano…He kept staring off and would occasionally look in my direction but never at me…” My Broken Heart: The Story of The Bare-Handed Ma…

Did you know that the number of legally blind people who can read Braille keeps going down? In the '50s, more than 50% of blind users could read Braille. Now, that number is down to less than 10%. In recent years, many blind children with visual impairment are encouraged to read books with large pri…

How can we make museums more welcoming to those on the autism spectrum? By Debra Muzikar This month I had the opportunity to discuss autism accessibility with Beth Redmond-Jones, senior director of public programs at the San Diego Natural History Museum (theNAT). She is directing a new project at th…

“My drawing skill developed from a desire to reach a common ground of understanding with people. Watching people speak with the ease of just a few words combined with innuendo and body language has always been a mystery to me,” Steve Selpal (1950 – 2017) By Debra Muzikar and Keri B…

by Amy Gravino I first met Suzanne Wright in New York at the Permanent Mission of Bangladesh, just before I spoke at the United Nations for World Autism Awareness Day in 2011. The panel on which I sat was sponsored by Autism Speaks, a fact that filled me with both gratitude and trepidation. I knew w…

Tablift is a low tech assistive technology device that can provide relief and relaxation to people with disabilities by giving them the ability to use tablets in a “hands-free” manner. Tablift works well with any brand of tablet and even smartphones. In the unboxing video below, you’…

By Kimberly Gerry-TuckerEver hear a voice and it reminds you of someone else’s voice? Someone long departed or otherwise gone from your life? You don’t realize it, it’s an involuntary thing, but when people speak… And in particular when that voice is familiar and heard often- their voice imprints on…