Keynote at Duke ACE

An HONEST and POWERFUL talk I've heard in a long time.

Hari Srinivasan's presentation "Redefine the Table" for the Duke Center for Autism & Brain Development / Duke Autism Center of Excellence, called for a paradigm shift!

"Only when you think [of] possibility, can the door of opportunity open."

What's wrong:

- Inequity of access to support and resources
- Systemic discrimination (!!) and low expectations in education
- Industries that exploit autism solely for massive profits and lack accountability (!!)
- Limited scope of autism research
- Language divide within the community

What needs to change:

1) Develop solutions for the most marginalized
2) Combat discrimination and raise expectations in education
3) Create affordable, accessible therapies focused on progress, not profit
4) Expand research to include diverse autistic individuals
5) Foster acceptance of both person-first and identity-first language

 

Keynote - Empowering a Future

I was keynote speaker at Able-SC's Transition Conference

Empowering a Future is a professional development opportunity for educators and service providers working with youth with disabilities who are transitioning to adulthood. This year's conference will include all the exciting sessions you're used to - but in a user-friendly online format! Want to learn how to motivate and empower your students? It's time to leave the deficits-based approaches behind and focus on new strategies to build strong, successful self-advocates. Session content will highlight virtual service delivery, supported decision-making, pre-employment transition services, youth leadership, and much more.

“Being branded low [functioning] sets you up for low educational expectations, low societal expectations and gatekeeping from the get go, it sets you up for lifelong failure. No one willingly labels themselves as low, it is others doing so.”

We are so excited for Hari Srinivasan to be our keynote speaker at Empowering a Future 2021! Teachers, service providers and counselors: learn directly from an autistic student and disability scholar about how to empower students with disabilities. Tickets: bit.ly/eaf2021