Areva Martin is an award-winning attorney, best-selling author, legal commentator, talk show host, and a critical voice for social justice. By Ron Sandison Areva Martin has a son Marty who has autism. I interviewed Areva Martin for Black History Month because her advocacy for Marty reminded me of m…

By Danyale Sturdivant When my son Joshua was born, I cannot begin to tell you how happy I was! I had watched video’s and read books and was so “prepared”! I had everything down and was excited to take on this new venture. As life would have it, he was diagnosed with Autism at 2 ½ and that is when o…

By Steve Staniek I spent 40 years in Health Physics, protecting workers and the public against nuclear risks, and by the time I retired I was a stressed-out wreck. We moved to the country where I began to study shamanism as a path to healing. I took a couple of basic shamanic courses from FSS, and b…

Naomi Rubin from Atypical Seasons 2 and 3 co-starred this holiday season in It’s a Wonderful Life’s table read which can be purchased at the Ed Asner Family Center website. The proceeds from the production help young adults and families with autism. By Ron Sandison Last year I interviewed Tal Ander…

“Synesthesia is a gift but it is also a beautiful language that needs its own translation.” Jeremy Sicile-Kira The essay below was written by 17-year old Abigail Delizo for a University of Toronto assignment for a course on Creating Community: Art, Identity and Belonging. Communicatio…

October is National Disability Employment Awareness month. I struggled for years with employment; I am now gainfully employed going on 13.6 years in the mental health field and 18 years part-time as a professor of theology and speak at over 70 events a year. As I refined my talents and special inter…

October is National Disability History Month and National Disability Employment Awareness Month. Richard Pimentel was one of the first disability activists to work with United States government agencies and Fortune 500 companies in diversity training and providing employment for people with disabili…

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month. The 2021 theme, “America’s Recovery: Powered by Inclusion,” reflects the importance of ensuring that people with disabilities have full access to employment and community involvement during the national recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. B…

The Art of Autism’s 2nd post for our 6th Annual Art and Poems for Peace. See first compilation here. Header image: April Tobin “Bird in Flight” Art and Poems for Peace is compiled by The Art of Autism and includes this message from the Youth Assembly, which will meet for an annual…

The Art of Autism’s 6th Annual Poems and Art for Peace. Header art by Ansh Batra. Compiled by The Art of Autism in collaboration with autistics, family, allies, and friends The Art of Autism’s 2021 Peace Series is dedicated to Haiti and Afghanistan’s good peoples, and the countless mor…

From a woman on the autism spectrum By Bea Mienik Can you paint with no color? As this year’s Disability Pride Month came to a close last month many companies pledged their support for disability inclusion. Where is the walk behind the talk? Ours is a society that is daily becoming more and m…

“I believe God gives each of us a purpose. To the horse, it’s to run across the prairie. For a cowboy, it’s to ride,” Brady Blackburn (Brady Jandreau) By Nils Skudra This evening I just finished watching The Rider, a compelling biographical western film directed by Chloé Zhao and starring Bra…

“The COVID-19 pandemic, horrible as it has been, has given us the perfect opportunity to redesign our society and systems to be more inclusive of the rights and desires of people with disabilities. There are numerous bills in congress that can support people with disabilities in achieving the Americ…

It’s hard to believe that the Covid saga goes on, and we are still on full lockdown here in Manitoba. The isolation has been so difficult for so many people. Having autism has its perks, for me life has gone on pretty much the same. I just stay focused and continue to create lots of new art. Now whe…