The Autism Society Event and Education Recordings Archive

Focused primarily for participants on the autism spectrum, this workshop begins by defining self-advocacy and a process for considering disclosure. Participants will learn the importance of gaining self-awareness, communication skills, and procedures to effectively obtain accommodations and greater mutual understanding. Doing so empowers us on the autism spectrum to reach our potential for leading fulfilling and productive lives in employment, education, relationships, interdependent living, and the community. Focusing on successful self-advocacy and disclosure, participants will learn a 3 step process of scanning the environment, advocacy, and disclosure.  The scanning stage focuses on determining challenges we face in our environment in the areas of sensory, cognitive, and socio-emotional domains.  An example of a sensory challenge might involve being asked to work in a room with florescent lights when one has a visual sensitivity in this area.  A cognitive challenge could be a students with visual perceptual differences being asked to complete a 10-question math worksheet – and for this individual, all the questions seem to blur into a single maelstrom of numbers and letters.  The socio-emotional domain may involve a request for greater understanding from a friend for awareness that the individual on the autism spectrum interprets language literally – and thus finds jokes difficult to make sense of.

Once the challenge to the person with autism is determined, further planning is required to advocate on one's own behalf in a way that another person can understand and provide assistance.  Emphasis will be places on suggestion reasonable accommodations to the person being advocated to.  For example, if a person is asked to work in a room with florescent lights and has this sensitivity, it would be reasonable to ask for a different type of lighting for the work area or the person might even suggest bringing in her own lamp.  This contracts to for example, asking a movie theater manager to lower the volume because of a hearing sensitivity.  In this case, a set of earplugs or watching the movie at home on a DVD might be more appropriate.

Once the advocacy effort is made it becomes necessary to give a reason for the request.  Either a limited disclosure focusing on just the specific effect of being on the autism spectrum can be made or a full discussion of autism may be warranted.  In many cases, a limited or partial disclosure is more appropriate.  The person asking for a different kind of lighting may just say "I have sensitive eyes and these lights hurt my eyes making it hard to concentrate."  Part of the workshop will look at when partial and full disclosures may be necessary.  
While this interactive presentation is mainly for people on the autism spectrum themselves, all persons supporting those with autism are welcome to attend.

Learning Objectives: