The autistic me is the disabled me. Last week, I sat for an interview conducted by a graduate student interested in autistic adults and our educational experiences. The interview offered a chance to reflect on how different communities understand the label “autistic.” I also reflected on the nature of disability…
Tag: accommodations
Podcast Episode 0023; Season 02, Episode 09; November 5, 2018 Heather Conroy, the co-founder of Evolve Coaching, discusses coaching autistic individuals as they develop life and employment skills. Visit Evolve on the web at https://www.evolve-coaching.org: Evolve is committed to helping adults with autism and other developmental disabilities and differences show…
This special issue of Kairos was released in 2002: http://kairos.technorhetoric.net/7.1/coverweb.html And now, in 2018, I’m still presenting on the need for natural accommodations in writing courses. We have made little progress, sadly, in either our physical or online spaces. Often, there is resistance to adjustments, such as transcripts or captioning of…
Atypical students are, at least according to current data, attracted to the STEM fields. Neurodiverse individuals feel safer in those academic and professional fields with concrete questions and problems, with clear approaches to best answers. Autism is, by definition, a concrete form of processing information and a communication disorder. We think differently…
Required college composition courses often serve a gatekeeping function, ensuring that only the right sort of students advance towards degrees. Though anecdotal, every campus course-related hearing I’ve been involved in as an expert on autism and neurodiversity was a writing course. These were not always first-year composition, but they were…
College and university disability offices often ask me to address the issue of assignment deadlines and test accommodations for autistic students and those with other “invisible” disabilities. Professors and instructors often decline to offer deadline extensions and test accommodations, arguing that such adjustments unfairly benefit students with special needs. If…
Your disability does not give you the right to be a jerk. This isn’t going to please some advocates, but I am tired of people willing to exploit their challenges to get their way and push others around in the workplace, in school, or in public settings. Jerks exist, with…
I appreciate the power of passion — but I also recognize its limits. I can seem passionate about a few things, but the general reality is that being “excited” and “enthusiastic” is not the same as being passionate. I’m interested in the language arts, visual design, and technology. But, my…
I wish I could say I am shocked… but I’m not. The announcement below is probably going to become the norm. Minnesota: leading the way in autism acceptance, I suppose. Special Supports to be Discontinued The University of Minnesota is terminating the Strategic Education for Asperger Students (SEAS) pilot program.…
I have been informed that the university considers autism spectrum disorders a “low incidence” concern. Therefore, the university sees no reason to increase support resources for these students or to expand faculty and staff training. In other words, after a cost-benefit analysis it has been decided that there’s not enough…