Ollibean Think Tank

Ollibean Think Tank2012-06-27T10:32:21+00:00

Autism Acceptance – Leading the Conversation

I want to talk about Autism Acceptance again. I want to talk about Autism Acceptance because soon we will be, again, referred to as tragedies, burdens, afflictions. This will go on, more than usual, for

  • Change Leader in pink capital letters. AMY SEQUENZIA in brown capital letters with brown line on top and bottom of text. poet. advocate. human. lower case text

Change Leader: Amy Sequenzia

"Presume competence. The same way I want people to assume I am competent, I also assume that others are competent".

Intersection of Law, Education and Civil Rights

As a deaf-blind student with very limited sight and hearing, Haben Girma '13 learned that you must be a self-advocate and come up with creative solutions to the problems you face. If that fails, she says, then the law can be a strong ally.

Changing the Paradigm

Sir Ken Robinson on education reform. "Changing Paradigms in Public Education" covers the importance of thinking differently about human capacity , recognizing the benefits of collaborative learning, and changing the culture of our institutions.

Alexis Clarkson: OlliNepal

We should all strive to see the beauty and potential in everything, and everyone, and to me, that is inclusion. "

  • Image description: Photograph of screenshot of C-SPAN a light skinned man with black hair. He is wearing glasses and a dark grey suit, light shirt and maroon tie. Ari Ne'eman Autistic Self Advocacy Network

The Importance of Supports

"If we invested a mere one-tenth of the amount of money that we currently pour into causation into empowering Autistic people to communicate, that young man and hundreds of thousands more like him would be able to communicate their needs to us today. I am not here today to speak for every Autistic person – that’s impossible. What I am here for is to argue for every Autistic person to have the same opportunity to communicate that I have come to enjoy thanks to the support that I have been lucky enough to receive in my life." Ari Ne'eman

  • Girl with brown hair , blue tshirt is holding an iPad out in front of her. Her face is obscured by the iPad. Boy with Brown Hair holds a white sign that says " The Civil Rights Act of 1964 granted equal rights to all people. I am a person. I want these rights.

A Sister Stands with Her Brother: I Am Heard, I Am Important, and I Am Included

No one wants to be the excluded one, the one to stand alone in silence, the one left out of the conversation. No one wants to be forgotten. So why are some individuals treated this way? Luckily it just takes one person to stand up and include, and the rest will follow. Be that person, take a stand, make a difference.

  • Amy Sequenzia

Amy Sequenzia: Respect How I Choose to Speak

I type my words because I am non-speaking. One of my disabilities, or one characteristic of my disability, is that my body does not move like my brain wants.

That of course, includes my arm. And

  • flowers, green leaves, red geranium, blue bells, hyacinth, ivy

A Sensory Garden for Zoë and Oliver

One of Ollibean's contributors, the lovely and amazing, Julie Lohoefener of Bloom Garden Shop, let's us in on some great tips on creating a non-toxic Sensory Garden with your kids.

J.Cole Writes Apology Letter to Autism Speaks

J.Cole offended many over the lyrics “I’m artistic, you is autistic, retarded” in his Jodeci Freestyle rap number. He was called on this.  The Anti-Bullying Alliance created a petition and asked for a formal apology

It is About Respect

Respect for one another is one basic quality if we want to have meaningful conversations and relationships with other human beings. The ableism that disabled people experience is a form of disrespect.

My Top Ten

These are the top 10, now top 18 things I need for teachers, therapists, doctors, friends and family to know.

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