By Gretchen Leary I feel like for years I held my breath excitedly for Autism Awareness Month. I got excited for April 2nd every year. I could barely contain my excitement. I wanted to find some way to be a part of Autism Awareness Month. I did TV interviews or blog posts. It didn’t matter as long …

By Haley Moss, Zoom Autism Magazine Guest Editor When most people think of autism, they imagine a certain type of person. This person they think of is the image we see contained within lighthearted stories on our social media, on television shows, or out and about in our community. This person is ma…

Interview with Alyssa Milano by Conner Cummings Photograph by Gracie Withers Photography Conner Cummings, Zoom Autism Ambassador and Photographer, and Sharon Cummings, Editor-At-Large, met actress and activist Alyssa Milano at a woman’s rights event. Alyssa’s activism supports all women’s rights for…

Interview with Julia Bascom by Haley Moss Photograph by Conner Cummings Our Guest Editor, Haley Moss, interviews Julia Bascom, the Executive Director for the Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN). They are a national disability rights organization run by and for autistic adults. Julia and ASAN are f…

Sharon daVanport speaks at the United Nations on World Autism Day. Interview with Sharon daVanport by Haley Moss Haley Moss interviews Sharon daVanport, the Founding Executive Director of Autistic Women & Nonbinary Network (AWN Network) in Washington D.C.  She has numerous awards for her advocac…

Interview with Mia Ives-Rublee by Haley Moss Photograph by Kisha Bari Mia Ives-Rublee is the founder and coordinator for Women’s March Disability Caucus. She is currently a consultant for numerous non-profit organizations, helping them integrate disability inclusion throughout their policies, platfo…

Interview with Delegate Hala Ayala by Conner Cummings Photograph by Conner Cummings Conner Cummings and his mom, Sharon, attend many political events in Virginia and Washington D.C. to advocate for Conner’s Law and the autistic community. Recently, they met Hala Alaya, an advocate and elected Delega…

Interview with Senator Duckworth by Haley Moss and Conner Cummings Senator Tammy Duckworth is an impressive woman who knows that “too many Americans continue to face harmful discrimination because of their age, the color of their skin, their disability or the person they love.” One of her key commit…

By Morénike Giwa Onaiwu It’s hard not to feel a sense of incredulous disbelief as I struggle to put together my words and thoughts for this article as one of several “powerful women” on the autism spectrum. There was a time in my life when I truly never believed that I would be viewed by anyone as e…

By Chana Bennett-Rumley There was a time when experts thought the autistic female did not exist. I am here to tell you, that is not the case. I am 38 years old, and I found out I have Autism Spectrum Disorder last year. My life has been hard, and my struggles were seemingly imaginary to the world a…

By Michelle DeVos, Esq. “Everyone has a story to tell, a lesson to teach, and wisdom to share. Life is a beautiful masterpiece bound together by your experiences. Open up share your story, become an inspiration to others. You were created with a purpose, live your life intention, go out there make a…

By Megan Amodeo When I think about my daughters’ early years, it felt like I lived at the pediatrician’s office. I think about all the times I sat in confined spaces looking at old magazines, while my toddler licked every surface…I might even become nostalgic. On the other hand, I don’t miss the scr…

By Gretchen Leary One of the things I’ve struggled with over the years is how to trust people with my future. But what’s even braver is trusting myself with my own future. Can you relate? Are you someone who asks for advice frequently even when your instincts have an answer? Unlike for some, it’s e…

Who are the people from the disability community making the world better for all of us? That’s what the inclusion team at San Francisco Bay Area libraries wanted to know. They reached out to the public for their opinions and were enthusiastically overwhelmed with responses. As a result, 54 individua…