I am sharing an excerpt from my keynote address at the HANd Autism & Neurodiversity Conference at Appalachian State University in North Carolina on Sept. 27, 2019. I shared it on social media recently, as well. It is a story that helped frame my understanding of autism, my son’s understanding of autism, and, I think,…
There’s this meme among some autism and special-needs parents and groups, shared on social-media graphics and bumper stickers, in fundraising activities and chat sites, that we parents are, essentially, the most wonderful people in the world: self-sacrificing saints chosen by God to raise these children — that we, if not our children, are very special,…
I’ve been participating in a group and a class recently that both sometimes have autistic adults present; engaging a lot of materials, mostly written, from autistic adults; and continuing to participate regularly in groups and organizational work that involve autistic children, autistic adults, and their families. I had some thoughts the other day, which I…
Often I’m asked “What are you?” Racial and ethnic identity still inform so much in our culture. The question asked really is a question of identity. “What are you?” masks the underlying question, “Who are you?” When I was young I was black. My father, Neal Hemachandra, was black. His mother, Leathe Wade Colvert, was…
When I was growing up in New York, I was definitely considered shy and quiet, lacking confidence, unsure of myself. I agreed with this assessment. It’s fair to say, I think, that in my adult life, which has taken place almost entirely away from New York, just about no one has thought of me in…
I went to graduate school studying political science at the University of Chicago in Hyde Park starting in 1989. Soon after arriving I looked for a bowling league to join. It seemed to me if you lived in Chicago, you should be on a bowling team. I didn’t learn about 16-inch softball in Chicago until…
