With an estimate of 90 percent of autistic people who are either unemployed or under employed the Art of Autism realizes that raising awareness about Disability and Employment is critical.  Each October for more than 70 years, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Polic…

“Sibtain taught me to love my life. He has taught me to be thankful and to stop complaining because darkness leads to light… always!” By Bushra Junejo Sibtain is my little brother diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy. That’s his basic description. The answer to the question ‘who is Sibta…

The Art of Autism is saddened to hear of Jackson Wheeler’s passing. The Art of Autism honored Jackson Wheeler last year with a Hearts and Arts Award. Jackson Wheeler was a great friend of people with disabilities. He was a social worker for thirty years for Tri-Counties Regional Center and d…

“People with autism are asking for two reasonable things – acceptance of their difference and respect for their difference,” Prof. Simon Baron-Cohen, March 31, 2017 There are an estimated 70 million people on the planet who are on the autism spectrum. Last Friday the United Nations…

“I’ve got a cure for mental health… spank your children more,” Stephen Bannon Yesterday as I watched the Conservative Political Action Conference a key presidential advisor Stephen Bannon put forward his world view which included something he called the “Deconstruction of the Administrativ…

Keri Bowers discusses suggestions for increasing employment for disability-related work force By Keri Bowers Yesterday, 10 miles from Hollywood, nestled in the San Fernando Valley suburb of Sherman Oaks, California, an old idea in disabilities and the workforce was polished and refined by a group of…

The information below is floating around Facebook.  I thought it makes a good blog so I’m reposting and changing to focus on the disability community. It’s about how to be effective when advocating. Please heed this guidance from a high-level staffer for a Senator: You should NOT be both…

Disability Rights are Human Rights The United Nations has proclaimed December 3 as the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. Today there are over 7 billion people on the planet. 15 percent of those people have a disability which makes over 1 billion people with disabilities. According to t…

…young children do not necessarily perceive disability in negative terms. Instead they are curious and welcoming of differences. By Dr. Barbara Gibson, University of Toronto A colleague of mine, Crystal Chin, is a young woman with cerebral palsy who now uses a wheelchair for mobility. Crystal …

The Art of Autism encourages those on the autism spectrum to vote. For many on the autism spectrum, disability funding is in essence decided through the voting process. Many candidates have disability platforms. Below is an excerpt from an article about disabilities and voting called Election Day Eq…

“I believe everyone on the planet has their thing and, especially in my experience, autistic people all have a tremendous gift. It’s a matter of finding that gift and nurturing it,” Edie Brannigan By Debra Muzikar October is Disability History Month. Last month a young autistic man made history at …

Maybe Eleanor would have loved to join the book club? I think about the many, many times that Eleanor has had similar things happen to her. It must shut down her self-esteem and hope, and crash her dreams of what she might want to do later in life—crashing her hope of maybe succeeding to be a doctor…

Autism comic strip by autistic artist Carissa P. depicts “Baby Talk” by Debra Muzikar A couple weeks ago my Facebook friend Stefanie shared with me this audio clip she recorded on her I-phone. Stefanie just turned 49. In the audio clip you can hear her neighbor (who has known her since …

By Leanne Libas “If my child was autistic, I would say to them them: ‘Baby, it’s going to be okay. There’s nothing wrong with you,'”Leanne Libas As I look back at the blogs I’ve written for The Art of Autism, I started wondering what should I write for the last month of the year. Then, I…