One of the most surprising facts about autism is that its presence can be the catalyst for collaboration, compassion and camaraderie. This most certainly is evidenced in the lives and works of today’s round table participants.
With us today we have Dr. Stephen Shore, Dr. Lars Perner, Debra Hosseini, Joanne Lara,Travis Breeding and Scotty Holman. Please see the attached slide show for some brief statements about the significant contributions these advocates make in their professional and personal lives. The following is a very brief conversation, initiated to explore some potential benefits of the AutismBrainstorm.org community coming in April 2012.
Kathleen: Hello everyone and thank you so much for sharing your valuable time.
As you are all aware, AutismBrainstorm.org will have three distinct areas:
• The professional publication: The Human Spectrum Magazine
• The social networking hub: The World Cafe’
• And an area for demonstrating compassion and giving back: The Kindness Zone
What are your overall visions for the three areas of AutismBrainstorm.org and where do you feel we can stretch to make the greater autism community more inclusive and positive?
Stephen: These three areas will go far in helping the autism community. The Human Spectrum Magazine will be great for educating the world on the wonderful and varied approaches, research, and other happening in the autism community. The World Café may very well become the “Facebook” of the autism community with far reaching implications bringing those of us in the autism community together in a way that has not been possible in the past. Finally, for the first time in history, The Kindness Zone brings philanthropy to the autism community in personal, manageable chunks we can work with.
Kathleen: Now that is something I’ve heard quite a bit Stephen....the facebook of the autism community. I believe that we are bringing an even greater dimension via the interactive collaboration rooms for webinars, group video and chat activities and the ability to create individual personal worlds. Professional networking for artists and various other professionals is something that I anticipate will take off rather quickly as well, and quite fitting in these economically challenging times.
Travis: I think these three areas are an important part of not only making the world more aware of the autism spectrum but also instilling more self confidence in those of us on the spectrum. While I try not to get to overly connected with the social media so much that it’s all the socializing I do, I do use it as a tool for making friends. It will be great to have these tools to help us not only connect with others but learn the social skills we need to survive in life. My hope is that it will also allow us to network for employment and other related opportunities.
Kathleen: Exactly Travis.
Debbie: I love the Kindness Zone and think this will make a difference with other sites. I also think practical matters for the autism community are important - transitions, employment, incarceration are a few critical issues.
Kathleen: Thank you Debbie, definitely, and in line with that thought I would like to discuss how we can use our philanthropic hub. This is where we’ll be showcasing projects through Indiegogo, Kickstarter and Kiva, and then use the talents, interests and enthusiasm of the social networking hub to gather momentum for the various projects.
Also, how can we use AutismBrainstorm.org to further the reach of your particular advocacy efforts?
Stephen: Advocacy efforts can be helped by communicating to the world what those with autism can contribute to greater society. All too often I see people perseverating on the challenges individuals with autism face rather than the strengths and contributions we can bring to humankind.
Travis: Yes Stephen is right. The biggest thing we can do is take the gifts we’ve been given and use them to show the world that we are amazing individuals who should be loved just like everyone else.
I was actually one of those people stuck on the challenges Stephen. I fell into the trap of believing everything my peers said about me and lost all self esteem. But we spend so much time on the challenges that the talents and positives are covered up too often.
Debbie: I agree with you Travis and Stephen. We spend too much time on the challenges and not enough on the positives. Keri and my project tries to give a different perspective - not just gifts, but seeing people as people....not labels.
Joanne: More importantly.....community outreach where individuals with ASD are contributing to the community.
Scotty: I think one of the primary features that makes this venture so unique is its completely inclusive nature. Anyone with a passion for advocacy, awareness and research is invited to participate and granted a platform on which to share.
Also, there will be no idea or voice silenced if it is expressed civilly.
Kathleen: Absolutely Scotty. Having a place for objective civil debate is one of the primary aims.
Debbie: I would like to see Wrong Planet, The Autism Highway, this venture, and all of our ventures be part of one giant hub.
Kathleen: Beautiful Debbie, and I believe that is where we are headed. There are many autism sites that address portions of life on the spectrum and AutismBrainstorm.org would definitely like to see a collaborative approach to the stockpile of material.
Craig Evans of www.AutismHangout.com, has already generously given permission for us to embed his video interviews with experts and advocates in the field within our community. That way our community members can benefit from the tremendous amount of information stored at Autism Hangout and become aware of Craig’s work and will certainly go visit his site to see what is new there. Craig will be a publication contributor occasionally, as his time permits, and this is one example of a collaborative win-win situation.
I’m also very excited to have you and Keri bringing your project to the community where other budding artists can be inspired by the artists that are highlighted on your website The Art of Autism.
Joanne: We might also ask the readers what they would like to read -blog more about - and then do our due diligence in peer reviewed journals to bring more info up front and center
because what I see often in blogs is people getting ‘blogged down’ in the negative details without much information really--- so that they have no where to go with the blog. If we can bring more academic info –research. This helps to support ideas, then we can help to educate at the same time
Kathleen: Excellent Joanne, absolutely. The Human Spectrum Magazine is intended to be a professional publication where, in addition to the fine group of advocates and educators here, we will be having some researchers share and expand on their research findings. These articles will then be discussed and presented in an interactive manner over in The World Café.
Debbie: Kathleen, Kurt has Aspergers and is a very interesting person he would probably love to do this. I would like to have action items on the website. Right now I’m with my friend Nancy and I’ve been posting about her son Ben’s plight in jail. I would like to see this venture take on these action items and unite people with a specific cause so we can change the nonfunctional parts of our social structure as it relates to people on the spectrum.
Lars: Debbie, do you mean action for letter writing or in a broader sense?
Joanne: In response to Debbie- that would best be done if the site had other organizations that would be able to assist. Like with Ben, we needed lawyers, human rights activists …. politicians etc to get Ben to where he is now. It would have been faster had they all been a part of a website. So really a resource but not just the ASD resources... branching out to include mainstream America... and the globe.
Kathleen: That is an incredibly big idea Joanne, and something for our community to explore.
Travis: I think that’s a very good idea. Unfortunately many people who are higher functioning have the most trouble with the law or things like this.
I feel that the problem is that a lot of times people with aspergers are so high functioning they appear normal. Which is good and bad. Can possibly be tragic in interactions with police and first responders.
Kathleen: Absolutely Travis. Training and awareness by first responders and law enforcement personnel is crucial.
Debbie: I think the Autism Brainstorm needs a unique angle. I like the Kindness Zone. I think it is going to be a task for all of us to bring people to this hub. That will be the challenge. I’m not on a lot of other websites because I have difficulty maintaining FB, twitter, and Linkedin. Sometimes I check out wrong planet and autism highway - there has to be something engaging on the website to make me want to be part of it. Not just me, but others. I think you need the buy-in, Kathleen, of the autism community.
Lars: Regarding law enforcement, Emily Iland, President of the Los Angeles chapter of the Autism Society, has spearheaded an effort to train some 3,000 officers in the LAPD so far. I also believe that the South Carolina Autism Society did some work in this area. There is a couple in Michigan--the wife’s name is Carolyn--who both have law enforcement background.
Joanne: Yes Lars, Emily is doing a great job... but I am not specifically pointing to police...although we often do need their services. More specifically I am saying that we need to branch out and include organizations that we can educate to be of assistance when we need them....a form of community outreach so to speak.
Kathleen: I believe you are certainly articulating something that is greatly needed Joanne. Do you have any specific ideas as to where to begin....what types of associations and/or organizations that could help begin a collaborative, brainstorming effort with regard to the criminal justice system and reform in general, both for dealing with our population and the many types of mental health issues we’re seeing so frequently?
Travis: There are lots of organizations out there that can help but as with anything else I have experienced; the greatest challenge will be convincing them that there is indeed a need for change and reform.
Joanne: Yes we might begin with lawyers who are civil rights pro bono attorney lists... people who are community advocates... politicians in towns, cities who will help us to get our ‘messages’ out to the general population--- we are a very well educated group from within--what we need to do now I believe is focus on reaching out into the communities so things like what Travis is saying become less and less and the community itself learns to support our kids and their families
Town Hall meetings might be a good place to start, with a local politician onboard, medical doctors, lawyers, police, fire department, etc.
Kathleen: Very good Joanne, thank you so much…great suggestions. We’ve mentioned a few different areas where focus groups can form, in our social networking hub, to address community concerns.
Debbie: My boyfriend Kurt is on a physicist’s hub - all academic - and its monitored by the academia. He likes that because it doesn’t become “blogged down” with topics that are unsubstantiated. I don’t know if it’s relevant to this website but he respects that there is a moderation of topics and its not all over the place. So I can see what Joanne is saying.
Joanne: Yes exactly Debbie-- that’s my experience with blogs thus far--- negative and no substantial information.
Kathleen: Deb it sounds as though Kurt would have a great deal of fascinating information to share and could very well host an area where others with similar interests could tap into his knowledge. One of the main purposes of our social networking hub is to provide a safe, caring and positive place for sharing like interests.
Travis: Sort of like a “Fan Club”….where people of like interest get together.
Scotty: Yes, Travis! I'd like to see opportunity to climb a designated hierarchy within each club and project. The more someone contributes, the more points they accumulate, and their credibility and responsibilities expand. This is an excellent way to get people motivated as well as a perfectly free form of advertising. Everyone wants to promote themselves. By giving people a platform on which to expand their own public image, discuss special interests with others, and champion their own causes, we are guaranteeing ourselves free publicity throughout the social media as people share their passions and promote their work.
This project is not only a unique concept within the autism community, but to the online world as a whole. Information, ideas, debate, and socializing will occur within designated areas located in one strikingly 3-dimensional environment. Guests will be invited to tour this environment before joining and contributing. In this way, the project becomes something of an alternate reality, a viral matrix which links individuals from all over the world in an ongoing group project.
Kathleen: I hate to say it, but our time is at an end. We have only scratched the surface of the needs that AutismBrainstorm.org can help bring awareness to, and the possibilities for positive change that may ensue. I look forward to having many discussions in the days leading up to the community launch and look forward to all comments and feedback from the community.
Thank you everyone for your valuable time.
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