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Ray Hemachandra at Golden Moon Circles

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Author: Ray Hemachandra

Business, social-media, and marketing strategist. Publisher. Book and magazine writer. Blogger. Interviewer. Autism activist, speaker, and trainer. While my professional work has always involved creating — writing, editing, publishing — my best successes and satisfaction invariably come from partnership: partnering with colleagues while listening to customers and community; creating a holistic vision and plan; and then getting the job done. I’ve run businesses successfully and believe wholeheartedly that’s because I put people first: the people who work for me and the customers for whom we work. That’s the model for any meaningfully profitable business. That’s the why. My emphases, accordingly, include relationship-building, community, a basic commitment to excellence, and, always, the professional development and general well-being of my colleagues. I’ve worked at a newspaper (sports reporter, copy editor), a magazine (various editorial jobs ranging from book-review editor to, ultimately, editor in chief), and a book publisher (senior editor for three years, and then team lead and business manager for the founding three years of Lark Jewelry & Beading, which became Lark’s most profitable sub-imprint under my acquisitions, creative, business, and marketing planning and direction). I have also performed business consulting and then HR, social media, and marketing functions as part of the management team of an environmental consulting firm. I serve on the boards of businesses and numerous community organizations. I’m particularly active in the autism and special needs community, supporting people by volunteering, training, and serving on educational panels and even a human-rights committee. I authored a Publishers Weekly 2012 Best Book of the Year, along with a couple of dozen other well-reviewed books. I’m more pleased, though, by the far greater number of books I’ve gotten to publish and champion, and the authors, creatives, and publishing professionals I’ve had the pleasure of collaborating with in that work. I have interviewed excellent mind/body/spirit and spiritual teachers — Eckhart Tolle, Louise Hay, Wayne Dyer, Marianne Williamson, Sakyong Mipham, Thomas Moore, Judith Orloff, Doreen Virtue, David Zeller, R. Carlos Nakai, and Chan Khong among them — along with many musicians, artists, authors, and business leaders. I’ve done trainings and seminars, led panel discussions, and conducted interviews on stage at conferences and trade shows. My work and, I hope, my blog hold together by a consistent mission of supporting people in their lives — this informs my business strategy, my leadership approach, my writing, my personal explorations, and, at least in my honest intent, my life. I currently live in Asheville, North Carolina, with my remarkably sweet and heart-centric 16-year-old son. I invite you to connect with me at linkedin.com/in/rayhemachandra/ or facebook.com/RayHemachandra.

A Letter about IDD Advocacy in North Carolina

What we lack most centrally in intellectual and developmental disability work and advocacy in North Carolina is the fierce urgency of now, to use and insist upon the meaning of the famous and essential phrase by Dr. King.

autism, developmental disability, equity, IDD, intellectual disability, representation
October 2022: Ray Hemachandra and Nicholas Hemachandra at the parklet in Asheville, North Carolina, at the Center for Craft, created in conjunction with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.

You’re My Son

My son Nicholas is autistic, and he has echolalia. But what he says in repeated speech can carry as much meaning—and sometimes even more feeling—as the “right” words.

adults with autism, autism, autism acceptance, Love, son

Community Inclusion and IDD: Prioritizing and Empowering Choice for the Disabled

Should policy-directed “best outcomes” from government officials and advocacy groups reduce, rather than enhance, choice for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD)—and sometimes trap them in unsafe, hostile environments?

autism, developmental disability, disability, disability rights, disabled, featured, IDD, inclusion, integration, intellectual disability
Nicholas Hemachandra on a mountaintop wearing a shirt that says, "If you can be anything, be inclusive."

Autistic Isolation, Connection, and Joy: Never Miss Dessert

Autistic adults, like adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities more generally, are not often seen as agents of love, joy, connection, relationship, and meaning for others. That’s because they’re not often seen at all.

autism, autism acceptance, autism acceptance month, autism adulthood, autism awaremess, world autism day

Poem: My Father’s Hands, in memoriam

A new poem: “My Father’s Hands, in memoriam”

father, fatherhood, poem, poems, poet, poetry

Working for Just Community: Now, Then, Always

Going through an old box yesterday, I came upon a yellowed, frayed 9.5-by-12-inch certificate issued in 1950 to my grandmother, … More

black history month, communication, discrimination, racial discrimination, social justice, social justice work

The Value of Disabled Lives and Organs

Why might an autistic, intellectually disabled Black boy with Down syndrome be so much more valuable in death than in life? Because his parents made him an organ donor.

autism, autism acceptance, disability, disability rights, down syndrome, intellectual disability

A Conversation Between My Mother and Me

My mother had 13 years from the time the youngest of her three sons—that would be me—went off to college … More

biography, connection, loneliness, memoir, personal story, story

An Announcement, a Benefit, and a Giveaway

I am pleased and genuinely honored to announce that I am joining the board of directors of the Center for … More

Autism Acceptance—and Celebration

Autism is still largely an unknown, even among generally well-educated people. Autism awareness and education still matter a lot, and they are prerequisites for acceptance. Autism awareness and autism acceptance are both essential.

autism, autism acceptance, autism acceptance month, autism advocacy, autism awareness, world autism day

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Finished something I was having trouble finishing and fairly unreasonably rewarded myself with lunch (blackened catfish + sides) at Homegrown in north Asheville NC and a stop at the Botanical Gardens, spare in February but still rewarding. Plus made a friend there—an AAPI Buddhist queer social-justice activist from Seattle visiting Asheville for their first time, and we had a very interesting and totally unexpected conversation.
Little break today…
Pelicans
What remains #nature #shore #island #charleston #beach #naturephotography #naturelovers #beauty #instagood #instadaily #photooftheday
Stormtrooper Jellyfish
Throwback
Beef Soup—Sopa de Res—at Pupuseria Patty in Asheville today.
Downtown today at Buncombe County NC’s offices in Asheville for a Strategic Partnership Grants Committee meeting. This program provides funding of nearly $1 million annually for nonprofit projects in the county. I feel fortunate to do this work.
Salmon roll today at Umi in Hendersonville, North Carolina
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