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Pebbles in the Pond of Change: Reflections on Advocacy
Image Description: Photo of a young man with brown skin, black hair or South Asian origin.
Background shows small falling pebbles creating ripples in the water below.
But not everyone can march in protests (sensory overload/ social anxiety) or be a powerful orator (communication challenges). When you are disabled, you may have to reimagine what advocacy looks like for you. There are many many ways to contribute.
Image Description: A large group of college age students gathered and marching on grounds of a college campus, holding up banners. The banner in the foreground reads "We need climate action now!"
High School example. Editor, AccessBraille Magazine.
This quarterly free magazine with articles written by disabled & nondisabled teens in the US, was printed in braille & accompanied braille teaching kits that volunteers carried to remote parts of Africa and Asia. In some parts of mountainous Nepal, volunteers traveled on donkeys. Later, it made its way to Bookshare and the Perkins School for the Blind. Audio versions were also available.
During my Berkeley years, I got to contribute more such pebbles.
One pebble was getting to write over 50 articles including a weekly column on autism.
To my rather immense surprise, that time, people were finding what I was writing to be useful. I was getting emails from around the world.
Outside of college too, I get the opportunity to add more small pebbles through the numerous orgs and projects I’m involved in - IACC, ASAN, ASA, DREDF.
This quarterly free magazine with articles written by disabled & nondisabled teens in the US, was printed in braille & accompanied braille teaching kits that volunteers carried to remote parts of Africa and Asia. In some parts of mountainous Nepal, volunteers traveled on donkeys. Later, it made its way to Bookshare and the Perkins School for the Blind. Audio versions were also available.
Image Description: A pink cover book with title "The Reading Finger"
Background image: a falling pebble, creating ripples in the water below
I think of everything I’ve gotten to do as small pebbles that widen ripples in the Pond of Change
Background Image: many small falling pebbles, creating ripples in the water below
During my Berkeley years, I got to contribute more such pebbles.
One pebble was getting to write over 50 articles including a weekly column on autism.
To my rather immense surprise, that time, people were finding what I was writing to be useful. I was getting emails from around the world.
Image Description: 1. Photo of a young man with brown skin, black hair or south asian origin with the words The Daily Californian on top and Hari Srinivasan underneath. 2. Photo of a folder newspaper with the words The Daily Californian and "History of Activism inspires Disability Advocacy" on it.
Background Image: falling pebbles, creating ripples in the water below
Student Instructor, Autism Class. Another example of a pebble was creating and leading an autism class where the enrollment grew from 17 to 50. It was so impactful to hear from a student in Europe that what she had learned in class was influencing her grad school research.
Background Image: a falling pebble, creating ripples in the water below
Application of Education. More pebbles: Much of what I was learning in class also found applications in talks & articles. Fueled by Prof Matt Walker's class on Sleep - Autism: The Search for Restorative Sleep. Fueled by Prof Allison Harvey and Prof Steve Hinshaw's class: Standard of Care for Mental Health in Autism.
Application of Education. More pebbles: Much of what I was learning in class also found applications in talks & articles. Fueled by Prof Matt Walker's class on Sleep - Autism: The Search for Restorative Sleep. Fueled by Prof Allison Harvey and Prof Steve Hinshaw's class: Standard of Care for Mental Health in Autism.
Background Image: a falling pebble, creating ripples in the water below
Background Image: falling pebbles, creating ripples in the water below
The Point: Every small pebble on our part can help widen ripples in the pond of change.
The Point: Every small pebble on our part can help widen ripples in the pond of change.
Background Image: falling pebbles, creating ripples in the water below
I will end with a quote from a person I am in deep admiration of, legendary disability civil rights activist, Judy Heumann, who I finally got to meet last month.
“Change never happens at the pace we think it should. It happens over years of people joining together, strategizing, sharing, and pulling all the levers they possibly can. Gradually, excruciatingly slowly, things start to happen, and then suddenly, seemingly out of the blue, something will tip.” - Judy Heumann
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