The first week of college classes has begun. Yes, summer 2020 is truly over and what a strange, surreal experience this has been. In mid-March we converted all our services to working remote. We usually plan several outdoor adventures during the summer: whitewater rafting, kayaking, camping, and lon…

James Reed shares his experiences attending different colleges in California. As a Freshman, I began attending college at the University of California, Santa Cruz. I requested single room accommodations in the first week of classes and received them in the third week. During those initial weeks livi…

Autistry shot into 2020 as if from a child’s slingshot with the Heart of Marin Award quickly followed by the Jefferson Award and now here we all are grounded like naughty teenagers. The Autistry staff was not deterred. Within 2 days of the Shelter-in-Place (SIP) order they had all our clients …

Another year of rapid growth and development at Autistry! We have grown so quickly that I only just realized it has been a year since the last newsletter. The silence is not from lack of cool news to report – more like lack of time to report it! New students – Fall semester 2019 we supported 20 stud…

By Matteo Musso Hi, I am a 15 year old guy with autism. I have been silent most of my life, at least regarding using spoken language as a primary way of communicating. I was introduced to the letter board when I was 11½ years old. To live in this society without the use of spoken language is so cha…

By Austin John Jones For me, purpose is subjective; it’s based on how I feel. If I feel like I have a specific purpose in life, that motivates me. But sometimes I think purpose is a human idea someone made up to give me comfort. From what I can tell, people who feel like they have purpose get up eve…

Brittany is currently ranked #1 for Special Olympic female tennis players in the world and is a professional tennis player. By Ron Sandison Twenty-eight year old Brittany Tagliareni (5′2″ & 103 pounds) is a little powerhouse on the tennis court. She has won over 100 medals and beat many of the t…

Disability empowerment … can bend the moral arc of a neurotypical universe into one which supports the idea that initiative and hard work is valuable in and of itself, in whichever way it chooses to manifest. By Nils Skudra A little prefatory material is perhaps in order before I engage in a bit of …

We [artists} impart soul and well as DNA into every single heart/felt work. By Kimberly Gerry-Tucker I’m presently reading these two books concurrently and as is often the case, my blog writing is inspired by what I read: In Love With The World (A Monk’s Journey Through the Bardos of Living and Dyin…

I will never stop listening. By Marisa Leon After 20 years of serving autistic children, teenagers, and adults, I know one thing for sure: Autism is a mystery that requires us to change. My journey into the world of autism began as a speech therapist. The expectations I had when I embarked on thi…

When strangers came to visit my booth, they asked, “Did you really take all of these photos?” They did not know that an autistic person could do that kind of work. They were surprised! By Malcolm Wang I am really lucky that I live in a small town that has a lot of exhibition opportunities for young …

By Ikea “Syance” Wilson I would like to say something about the R-word. Not only do I think it is offensive, I also believe this word could tear people down inside mentally and emotionally. We often use this word in order to express frustration to one another. However, this is not an ac…

This writing is dedicated to those who understand the autistic people of this world to be unique and special, and who would not want them any other way. The Autistic Plea for Understanding Why do you look upon me the way you do, you who see me as a standout. When you look upon me, you see s…

Dance to the beat of your own drum, because when you dance to your own rhythm, life taps its toes to your beat.” Kandregula Chandhu Sai Raja By Helen Wallace-IlesToday I’m shining a light on a truly inspirational club, aptly named ‘Inspiration Drum Line’. It’s a drumming group for children …