Keynote at Duke ACE Autism Seminar Series

Neurodiversity Inspired Science and Engineering Fellow Hari Srinivasan will speak at the Duke Center for Autism and Brain Development Autism Seminar Series on April 3rd at 4:00 pm ET, virtually on Zoom. Hari will deliver the Autism Acceptance Month Keynote Entitled "Autism Acceptance Month Keynote: 'Redefine the Table'." Registration is available at the following link: https://ow.ly/frqR50QOpaj

 

Keynote Speaker at Duke

 

My Keynote for Autism Month at Duke. 

Registration at. 

https://duke.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJcrdeqorDIpHdRE-CRvLPHkzKdL_ta7eYq-#/registration

https://globalhealth.duke.edu/events/autism-acceptance-month-keynote-presentation-redefine-table

Autism Acceptance Month Keynote Presentation: "Redefine the Table"

April 3, 2024 | 4:00pm - 5:00pm ET

Zoom Webinar

Please join us for a special event in our 2023-24 Duke Center for Autism Seminar Series! Our Autism Acceptance Month Keynote presenter will be Hari Srinivasan. A self-advocate, Mr. Srinivasan is a PhD student in neuroscience at Vanderbilt University, an alumnus of the University of California, Berkeley, a Paul & Daisy Soros Fellow, a NISE fellow at the Frist Center for Autism & Innovation at Vanderbilt University, and a public member of the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee. At UC Berkeley, Mr. Srinivasan majored in psychology with a minor in disability studies and graduated as a University Medal Finalist, along with a Departmental Citation Award, Highest Honors, Phi Beta Kappa, and Psi Chi. He was an undergraduate Haas Scholar and carried out a year-long study on awe and empathy in autism. He was also lead student instructor for a weekly class on autism, creating and teaching content that covered a myriad of issues across the lifespan. As a student journalist at The Daily Californian, he wrote over 50 articles on both disability and non-disability topics. As part of his graduate program, he will research the sensorimotor space, specifically peripersonal space (PPS), which has practical implications on multiple fronts for autism. He has autism and ADHD. His autism includes limited speaking ability, sensorimotor issues, health issues, OCD, mood dysregulation and social anxiety. His non-academic affiliations span law and policy to research arenas such as IACC, DREDF, ASAN, ASA, INSAR, Autism Europe and The Brain Foundation. PLEASE REGISTER IN ADVANCE AT THE LINK PROVIDED.

Speaker(s): Hari Srinivasan

Duke Event Series: Duke Center for Autism Seminar Series

Duke Event Co-Sponsor(s): Duke Center for Autism and Brain Development, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke Global Health Institute (DGHI), Duke Institute for Brain Sciences (DIBS)

Duke Event Type(s): Diversity/Inclusion, Lecture/Talk, Webcast

https://autismcenter.duke.edu/events/autism-acceptance-month-2024

Autism Acceptance Month 2024

Our keynote for Autism Acceptance Month 2024 will be Hari Srinivasan, presenting "Redefine the Table."

Our keynote presenter for Autism Acceptance Month 2024 will be Hari Srinivasan. A self-advocate, Mr. Srinivasan is a PhD student in neuroscience at Vanderbilt University, an alumnus of the University of California, Berkeley, a Paul & Daisy Soros Fellow, a NISE fellow at the Frist Center for Autism & Innovation at Vanderbilt University, and a public member of the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee.

At UC Berkeley, Mr. Srinivasan majored in psychology with a minor in disability studies and graduated as a University Medal Finalist, along with a Departmental Citation Award, Highest Honors, Phi Beta Kappa, and Psi Chi. He was an undergraduate Haas Scholar and carried out a year-long study on awe and empathy in autism. He was also lead student instructor for a weekly class on autism, creating and teaching content that covered a myriad of issues across the lifespan. As a student journalist at The Daily Californian, he wrote over 50 articles on both disability and non-disability topics.

As part of his graduate program, he will research the sensorimotor space, specifically peripersonal space (PPS), which has practical implications on multiple fronts for autism. He has autism and ADHD. His autism includes limited speaking ability, sensorimotor issues, health issues, OCD, mood dysregulation and social anxiety. His non-academic affiliations span law and policy to research arenas such as IACC, DREDF, ASAN, ASA, INSAR, Autism Europe and The Brain Foundation.

TedX Talk

 I will be in a TedX talk on April 20. 

https://www.ted.com/tedx/events/56378

Thank you Julia

Thank you for your kind words about me Julia. We are sorry to see you leave ASAN which has been a big part of your life for 12 years. 

 https://autisticadvocacy.org/2023/12/julia-bascoms-speech-for-asan-gala-2023/

NASEM: Cultivating Accessible Educational Pathways and Spaces

 

Event by National Academies of Sciences, Engr and Medicine. 

Disrupting Ableism and Advancing STEM:  

Cultivating Accessible Educational Pathways and Spaces 

THURSDAY, JUNE 15, 2023, 

I was on the the panel that runs from 1:35pm ET - 2:15pm ET

Recording link 

"This virtual session is a critical element of Disrupting Ableism and Advancing STEM: Cultivating Accessible Educational Pathways and Spaces, the fourth event in the five-part Disrupting Ableism and Advancing STEM conversation series.  Overall, this event in the series will focus on the important role of education in preparing students with disabilities as they enter the STEM ecosystem.  Discussions will focus on the need to challenge assumptions about who can learn and succeed in STEM and the need to make direct changes to policies and practices to facilitate positive educational experiences for students. Examples will include asset based approaches to learning in classrooms, laboratories, online, and in the field. 

Got a nice feedback email today. 

"My name is ____ and I work at a medical university in a northern town in ___Ontario Canada. I saw your presentation today on cultivating accessible educational pathways and spaces. I was completely blown away by your presentation. What you have accomplished is incredibly impressive. I not only applaud you but the professors who went out of their way to make labs accessible for you. I think as a medical school, we are behind the ball so to speak with regards to accommodating the needs of those with different abilities....... This entire series has been fascinating to me. Thank you for sharing."

====

On behalf of the planning committee, I want to thank you for being part of the NASEM Disrupting Ableism and Advancing STEM discussion series.

This event was very well received, and your panel’s discussion was truly fantastic. Thank you for your leadership and for taking time to share your insight and expertise.

It feels like a historic and meaningful inflection point for people with disabilities in STEM, and we are grateful for your role in driving that change.

======

On behalf of the planning committee for the Disrupting Ableism and Advancing STEM conversation series and the National Academies staff, I wanted to express my sincere gratitude to each of you for an informative and engaging panel session. We are proud to have brought together such an amazing group of individuals to speak about Lived Experiences: Listening, Learning, and Acting. I am certain that your discussion was greatly appreciated by the over 320 who attended on June 15th to learn about issues related to Cultivating Accessible Educational Pathways and Spaces.

Your expertise and insights were invaluable, and we are so grateful for the time and effort that you put into preparing and delivering your remarks. 

-----------
 

ITAKOM

Some nice comments about my talk "Redefine The Table" at the @ITAKOM conference

And again, the solution is system change. Individual approaches for the people who need it more, which means centering the most disenfranchised ND people... This benefits everyone.

Takeaways from CAN conference

The three day College Autism Network concluded today in Nashville TN. 

I managed to attend some of the sessions, I was especially interested in the sessions around employment.

Other than some very disquieting, very disappointing and very disheartening remarks at the Plenary session in this post, there were some great suggestions around focus on the rocky road to employment. 

NOW FOR THE BETTER PARTS of the CAN conference

The Thu morning session by Helen Rottier was my favorite, followed by Coaching the Coach and Peer mentoring.  I also attended the Thu plenary session by employers, and the World Cafe on Friday. Blending ideas from all these sessions. Missed Eric's Garcia's opening remarks on Wed (tornado alert got in the way). 

What can colleges do to help the rocky road to employment (often due to perceived lack of experience)

- encourage internships and campus employment. 

- get students in front of employers as career fairs don't often work (crowded/sensory overwhelming), smaller networking events to increase student confidence.

- its not just about knowing the door (resource) and getting to the door, its also giving the confidence to walk into that door and staying inside. For example in a college context, not enough to let the college student know there is a student writing center, need to encourage (gentle bump) to go in there, maybe make a few introductions and get them comfortable with that resource. Else it will just remain a theoretical unused resource. 

At the employer end - I think these are good starting points. 

- Better job descriptions by employers

- Matching interview to actual job skills. 

- Augment traditional interview. Applicant first consideration. (Look at the amazing tech being developed by Frist Center @ Vandy on this)

- Joining a large company can feel like being tossed to the wind. Assign a buddy and career coach for each new hire. 

- On a path of Awareness acceptance advancement

- Virtual safe space to get support.

- training managers "to be a human being". How to manage diff forms of communication. 

- sustaining employment by understanding what it entails eg: transportation, time taken to wash uniforms

- self regulation in the workplace with OTs etc..... 

Helen had us all start by stating something that should be taught to middle schoolers. such a relevant question as really a lot of ideas gets shaped at the school level itself.  

I feel its teaching middle schoolers self-esteem so they don't "settle." 

It really starts with elementary and middle school itself. For instance a majority of special ed kids are pushed into the non-diploma track in middle school IEPs (deemed not capable of being on the diploma track - the actual wish of the child be dammed). That in itself closes the college track for you - that is a choice the autistic should get to make well into high school, that choice should not be taken away from you by "well-meaning" educators, which ties into coaching the coaches. 

I think school educators need to be taught to get out of unconscious bias mindset of the end goal of special education being to create a good patient. That outcome is a dead end for the autistic. At the same time college guidance counselors struggle with motivation in autistic students.  How can a good patient be motivated if their life is one of compliance. There needs to be wholesale mindset shift of educators. 

 A student who likes himself, is liked for who is he -->  self-esteem and self-confidence -->  he can think about what he is passionate about which in turn may drive his motivation -->  that is the student who will succeed in life and in college. 

Maybe college is not for everyone. A good trial I feel is junior college, a smaller environment where you can get your feet wet and try out college expectations and it also gives you space to think and explore what you really want to do. What junior colleges lack in resources they seem to make up in terms of support and encouragement. Junior colleges are a very under appreciated resource for autistics. 

Helen also brought up accommodations. My experience has been that accommodations is only the beginning. Accommodations are like a very necessary but not at all sufficient for actual success. You can get all the accommodations in the world on paper but that alone will not make you successful.  Ultimately, it's the people around you which make those accommodations translate into success. In college it's the empathy of faculty and peers and disability counselors. It's those little tweaks and workarounds. 

Another point Helen brought up was around planning for any gap year. So true. Else your gap year will turn out to be a year long daze in front of the TV and you waking up bewildered and frustrated.  I know I would not do well with gap year without a clear structure of its beginning, in-progress and end -  it would like derailing a running train and it would be hard to get the train back on track. 

I was curious about what peer-to-peer mentoring entailed and how it was being  implemented so went for that session, I think this slide below captured my attention the most,  with many of the issues facing college students.

For instance - At Vandy,  I have weekly check in's with Dave Caudel (ND) at Frist Center which I find very valuable. For instance, Dave gave me valuable tips on how to read a scientific paper quickly which was like yay. 

The first 2 boxes, I will eventually will get down, the last two will be the continued challenge especially box 3. 

There was also discussion on whether the peers would be NT or ND, I think there is value in both.  The latter would definitely lend to more empathy. What helps even more is if peers are trained in all the campus resources so can at least point you to resources. 

What I was not so certain about was about peers getting paid a hourly rate for their "peer-ship" as in my mind it turns them into a sort of therapist vs a friend.  I have been surrounded by "paid" therapists/staff/respite_workers/aides pretty much all my life and part of me longs for people who are there not because they are paid to be, but simply want to spend time with me (my definition of friendship).  I don't to be a job for someone - paid people last a year or two and leave for the better paying job. I want connections with actual peer friends. 

At the World Cafe small group discussion on employment during the Friday session, I was able to reference back to this slide as really these "soft skills" is often the more challenging part for the autistic even in the employment arena. They may have all the skills in the world for the actual job but it's managing these other "fluff" around the job that makes the difference in job retention and job satisfaction. 

I'm speaking at ITAKOM

 

Supports, Skills & Society - Integral Adult Autism Conference

Keynote at this conference. 

https://integralautism.org/presenters

 

UC Berkeley Diversity Academy 2021

A opportunity to present to faculty from an undergraduate student perspective. 

 

Master of Ceremonies at ASAN Gala 2021

Join us for a special virtual edition of our annual celebration and fundraising event from Wednesday, November 17th through Friday, November 19th. We’re so excited to share the gala with disability community members and allies from across the country and around the world, who usually wouldn’t be able to attend in-person.

We’re happy to announce that Hari Srinivasan will be our Master of Ceremonies!

Image description: A young Indian American man in his 20s with black hair under a white baseball cap. He is wearing jeans and a long sleeved gray shirt that says California Golden Bears. He is standing next to a stone railing.

Hari Srinivasan is a minimally-speaking autistic student at UC Berkeley. He is on ASAN’s Board of Directors and a 2019 alumnus of our Autism Campus Inclusion program! At UC Berkeley, Hari is a student journalist for the Daily Californian, student instructor for a class on autism, research assistant at the UC Berkeley Psychology and Disability Labs, and was the first nonspeaking president of the student group, Autism:Spectrum At Cal. As a Haas Scholar, he is doing research on how autistic people experience awe. Hari was recently selected to serve on the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee, which advises federal policy and priorities around autism. We are so grateful for Hari’s dedicated advocacy!

Hari hopes to bring attention to issues which impact disabled people in myriad areas and across the lifespan. He also wants to emphasize the urgency to include and address the issues faced by the more marginalized groups and higher support needs within the autism and larger disability community, including their mental, physical healthcare needs and comorbidities. When the voices of select groups get left out of the conversation, it negatively impacts their access to spaces, resources, funding, policy and quality of life.

We are full of autistic awe that Hari will host our annual gala and hope that you can come celebrate with us!

Gala tickets are donate-what-you-can, but no donation will be required to attend our virtual gala events. Proceeds will support our advocacy work and programs for the coming year, and allow us to continue working to empower disabled people across the country. If you’re able, please consider donating to support our work. If you are not able to donate, no worries -- we’re just happy to have you celebrating with us!

Honorees and other programming will be announced in the coming weeks.

You can RSVP to our Facebook event and invite your friends! We’re excited to celebrate together.

Together We Can Learn Conference

I was Keynote Speaker 

https://familiestogetherinc.org/2021twcl/#hari

Autism Society Virginia - Summer Speaker Series

Speaking at Autism Society Virginia, Summer Speaker Series on Aug 5

Recording on their website at 

Building a Bridge to the Future

 I was keynote speaker at  Missouri State 2021 Transition Training Institute 

https://dese.mo.gov/special-education/effective-practices/postsecondary-transition

https://www.eventsquid.com/event.cfm?id=12567

List of all Speakers: https://www.eventsquid.com/event.cfm?id=12567

Disability As Possibility

I was Keynote speaker at the "Improving Opportunities and Outcomes" conf by National Technical Assistance Center on Transition (which is federally funded by the US Dept of Ed to provide support to State Ed and Vocational Rehab for transition age youth.) https://transitionta.org.

Addressed an audience of 338 people from 37 states + DC & Puerto Rico

Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, DC, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas,  Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Oregon, Puerto Rico, SC, Rhode Is, Texas, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Virginia, Puerto Rico.  

 

Talk titled 'Disability As Possibility.

 

My talk was  titled Disability As Possibility/ 

 

Lovely summary of what my talk was about. 

 

Hari shares insights gathered through his personal experience of autism and discusses his research on the impact of labeling and expectations on life outcomes for students and youth with disabilities. He challenges professionals, educators, and providers to be game changers - adopting a growth mindset, an emphatic discipline, and an approach of ‘equity of access’ to support and guide students and youth with disabilities to create their own personal agency and long-term quality of life. Through that understanding and ability to see ‘disability as possibility’, opportunities are born from those possibilities so students and youth can take detours, challenge the sinkholes, pave new roads, and persevere.

A bit about me on their website.  https://www.yeslms.com/ntactc-2021-cbvi-hari-srinivasan 

Some Comments in the Zoom Chat

• I was thinking the same thing about "voice" when you started using text to speech. We need to fix this! There should be options for text to speech 
• Great example of how the use of technology allows a person to demonstrate their intellectual disabilities. What would have happened if this opportunity had not been available? 
• Oh wow, congratulations! 
• Belonging!! This is key. 
• https://disabilityvisibilityproject.com/2021/02/06/a-boy-like-me/ Link to Hari’s Article ^^^ 
• Even though you have many challenges, you are able to express them so eloquently. 
• If you haven't read Alice's larger work that Hari contributed to, I highly recommend it! #Retweet @Michelle - The Disability Visibility Project  started by Alice Wong is Fantastic https://disabilityvisibilityproject.com/ 
• You are brilliant Hari! Thank you for these insights 
• It's so nice to meet you Hari! 
• Interview with Prof Frank Worrell in Grad School of Education &  President -Elect of American Psychological Assn, Daily Californian.https://www.dailycal.org/2021/02/12/frank-worrell/ 
• Great point, Hari!  Let’s change the narrative! 
• Amen---you have hit the nail on the head! 
• I feel overwhelmed thinking about those who don't have the access, ability or opportunity to express themselves as well as you.  Thank you for reminding us to have high expectations and to presume competence-or maybe brilliance! 
• I know that feeling well Anne 
• racism and ableism are intertwined 
• intersectionality is often overlooked 
• Anne, you took the words from my mouth! I was thinking the same thing. If others had access to means to express themselves the way Hari has, imagine the amazing things we would see from our youth with disabilities! Thank you for the inspiration Hari! 
• The pandemic  and recent events have made that divide even greater 
• Hari: brilliance is too big an onus to put on a person, everyone can't be a savant, competence is good start, we all deserve a good quality of life 
• Thank you sorry 
• well said, Hari! 
• Yes Hari! Independence is subjective 
• Great conversations out here today! 
• Yes! 
• Yes, you are right, Hari.  I'll stick with high expectations! 
• I love developmentally all over the place. That is a great explanation! 
• Love this new term, developmentally all-over-the-place! 
• delay does imply that one is always behind - I agree it's another label that works against people 
• Thank you Hari!!! This is Awesome!! 
• This is so Knowledgeable! 
• yes yes yes yes 
• Right on target! 
• Link to Hari’s Keynote, Disability as Possibility: https://youtu.be/HnuzQbLIN6M 
• Wow….This is so powerful! 
• Agreed 
• That's a great observation of special education. Compliance is easier to control, but does not get to the heart of what is needed which can be a little harder to implement. However, it's better for the person in the end. 
• Wow! You are truly amazing. Helping me think about how to understand my son. How to empower him! 
• Especially at you move higher in education. Self-Determination is very important. 
• Thought Provoking 
• Amazing messages! Spot on!!! 
• Thank you for sharing this about Communication, I AGREE with you 100%... 
• YES! I've counseled extensively on learning to say no.  
• This is really good! 
• Any questions for Hari? 
• This is amazing! 
• Is there a way to get a transcript of Hari's presentation? 
• from my friend Jennifer White: Educators need to move from Compliance to Alliance 
• Perfect 
• So powerful! Thank you Hari! 
• THANK YOU 
• This was GREAT and spot on 
• "Challenge the sinkholes!" Love that. 
• Very thought provoking! Thanks Hari 
• Thank you so much! 
• Thank you!!! 
• uniquelyhari.blogspot.com, www.dailycal.org/author/haris, tinyurl.com/108hari 
• Truly inspiring 
• Agree very powerful, thank you! 
• Hari, what advice would you give to this years graduates? 
• That was great, thanks.
•  Thank you, Hari! 
• This was an exceptional presentation 
• Amazing insight about compliance 
• Brillant! 
• Right, @Paula G. 
• So much to think about, thank you Hari! 
• : Incredible insights. I would like to be able to access a recording of this 
• thank you! very thought provoking! 
• thank you 
• Thank you for sharing your experience Hari. 
• Twitter, Instagram and Facebook: @HariSri108 @HariSri108 108Hari 
• I SO enjoyed this, Thank You 
• Thank you, Hari!  Powerful message! 
• This was great,  I enjoyed very much 
• hanks for a great presentation! 
• excellent presentation that was very engaging, informative, and thought provoking 
• I too prefer identity first - it's empowering for me! Thanks Hari 
• Thank you - wonderful - absolutely wonderful to hear you share and very powerful and thought provoking message. 
• My hand is aaised. 
• Thank you for your message Hari.  Very powerful and will make a difference for many people! 
• Thank You Hari!!!! 
• Great presentation\ 
• Thanks For Sharing Hari!!! 
• Great job Hari! 
• I am just completely in awe. Thank you thank you thank you 
• What inspired you to want to persue special education? 
• Excellent Presentation...Thank you Hari! 
• Thank you - this was wonderful! 
• Thank you for sharing! 
• So profound and very inspiring Hari! 
• Great presentation Hari! Thanks for sharing! 
• Very inspiring Hari 
• Inspirational! 
• Thank you, Hari! Great presentation. 
• Can you share how your parents supported you in your journey? 
• Hari, please tell us about your high school years and when you began thinking about and working toward college. 
• Excellent presentation - thank you Hari! 
• thanks 
• Can we give Hari a chance to respond before asking additional questions? 
• Thank you Hari for your honest assessment of the gaps in the profession. 
• Thank you! Your speech was great! 
• Thank you 
• Thank you 
• Thank you Hari! 
• Thank you Hari! 
• Thank you, Hai! This was an amazing presentation! So inspiring. 
• Thank you Hari! 
• Thanks Hari! 
• Thank you