The pandemic complicated everyone’s social life, but Valentine’s Day was already complicated for many people interested in dating relationships, including self-advocates. Speaking of complicated, has a parent ever taken you on a date with them? What was that like for you? One holiday we went to a restaurant for dinner and trivia night and I…
From Awareness, to Acceptance, to Empowerment
Individuals with autism and those who love and support them have a long history of advocating for their community, an undertaking fueled by their fundamental belief that the potential for a person with autism is limitless. From these grassroots advocacy efforts has sprung meaningful, sustainable outcomes that benefit everyone with autism and those who love…
CADCO Construction Improves Lives with Annual Golf Tournament
In two years, the families that own and operate CADCO Construction Company have raised an astounding $37,800 through golf tournaments to improve the lives of individuals with autism and support their families. Ashley and Cortney Duncan, president of CADCO, have triplets, one of whom is on the autism spectrum. Cortney’s stepbrother, Josh Hines, is the…
Covelli Enterprises Improves Lives and Supports Families with $46,000 Gift
For the past two Aprils, Paneras owned by Covelli Enterprises in central NC have sold special puzzle piece shortbread cookies. Customers loved them, and those sales added up! Covelli donated almost $46,000 this year to improve the lives of individuals with autism and support their families through the Autism Society of North Carolina. Over two…
Be Your Very Amazing Self Always
D.J. Svoboda is an autistic artist and motivational speaker who spreads a message of hope that those with autism are special just the way they are. He created The Imagifriends of Imagiville based on experiences he faced as he grew up with autism. We asked D.J. to share some of his wisdom in honor of…
Camp Royall Gives Sisters a Chance to be Themselves
The Miller sisters, Mikayla and Mackenzie, joined us at Camp Royall for the first time this summer, and they had a blast, each in their own way. Mikayla, who is 16, shared that she was a bit nervous and didn’t know what to expect from camp, but she truly flourished. She made several really good…
I Really Am Listening to You!
I really am listening to you! My eyes are looking elsewhere. I’m playing with something. I’m rocking. Humming. Giving an unpleasant facial expression. Fill in the blank! “Normal” people look right at you and respond. Sorry! I can’t! But I can listen! I AM listening! You are very important to me. Your thoughts are interesting….
Shutting Down Like an Overloaded Computer
Why does your computer suddenly choke on you? Are 1,000 windows open? Is YouTube playing while Facebook is showing cat videos? Is a browser doing some sneaky scans on the hard drive? It’s all eating the data and memory. Too many tasks at once! Computer crash! Well, imagine an autistic brain working like that. Give…
Autism Awareness: We Are All Human
I’m here to talk to you about autism awareness. The autism community could use the help of people who aren’t a part of it. People who have autism can talk and behave differently from people without it. If someone without autism knows that the person with autism they’re talking to has it, they’ll understand and…