Autism in a Briefcase: Straight Talk about Belonging in a Neurodiverse World

“…I’m looking for the face I had, before the world was made…” — William Butler Yeats, Irish poet, one of the foremost figures of 20th-century literature Hello All, I have been busy, which is a blessing, during these difficult and challenging times. I wanted to share with you something profound in my life. About a…

What Workplace Discrimination and Inequity Looks like for the Autistic Neurominority

This is based on my experience as an active advocate in the autism community for 8 years, with over 10,000 direct interactions/correspondence with autistic people and their supporters. And based on my 6 years serving as a Recruitment Manager at Ultranaut Inc., an engineering firm with an autism-hiring initiative. Join me here on Linkedin and…

Nothing About Us Without Us: The Neurominority Dilemma

A distressed young child held down to a chairThey say he’s “just being a brat”They clearly don’t careThe teen they think is too shy to speakIs aware they are differentAnd may be more powerful than meekThe adult struggling to find lasting workIs discriminated againstOver their many ‘weird’ quirksWe may not always look others in the…

Updates and new link to blog

Hello All. I hope you are well during these challenging times. I am writing to provide a few updates. My third blog (this blog) is a bit hard to find, since I changed the domain name. Here is the direct link to Everyday Autistic. My artist’s blog is Belly of a Star. Here is the Autistic Trait’s List. Here…

Enough about They; it’s time for Us.

Today I will be speaking on a panel about workplace accommodations for autistic employees and about Autism-Hiring Initiatives in general. Later in the week, I’ll be speaking on Job Tips for Autistic Job Seekers. I am diagnosed autistic and with gifted-intellect and with PTSD and GAD; in addition I am dyslexic, dyspraxic, and likely an…

Who’s With Me? I am ready to move on

I feel most at peace when I was writing spiritual prose such as this: Dearest Children of the Light I am not at peace now and haven’t been for a couple of years. Not since a relationship ended that pretty much tore me in half. I am really tired. Tired of autism. Tired of life.…

Liberty and Justice for All? Workplace Neurodiversity Hiring Initiatives

Discrimination isn’t always obvious. Sometimes discrimination is cloaked in good deeds and good intentions. Candy-coated with awards and recognition. Sometimes discrimination is a result of purposeful initiatives.A means of branding. There are clues: subtle segregation. No representation of the minority group who is being spoken about, in image, words, or panel, or limited representation: the…

Being Autistic in a World of Watchers

“I deeply regret sharing my diagnosis. My coworker thought Aspergers was an extremely awful disability that makes people uncomfortable. He had no reference point. And nothing was ever the same again. It resulted in the end of our working relationship. If I was ever to go into another job, the last thing I would ever…

We are different not defective: Neurodivergent individuals and their supporters speak out in response to ‘$5 Million Grant Awarded to Make Autistic People Mask’

These are community members responses to: $5 Million Grant Awarded to Make Autistic People Mask in Job Interviews Based on the  National Science Foundation’s $5 million grant given to the Yang-Tan Institute of Employment and Disability “to help create better job outcomes for people with autism spectrum disorder.” Grant link *Why should I, an older guy,…

Divergent Justice: One Human’s View of Equality

Feel free to connect with Marcelle Ciampi in Linkedin or Samantha Craft on Facebook Equality does not equate to acceptance—the whole of the human race will never reach mutual agreement on what is acceptable—be it physical, emotional, mental, cognitive or behavioral presentation. It’s an impossibility. There will always remain limits to acceptance based on our…