Ollibean Think Tank

Autism Speaks: Time to Listen by Autistic Self-Advocate Amy Sequenzia

Amy Sequenzia:Dear Mainstream Media

I am an autistic woman, non-speaking and I have many needs.Yes, dear mainstream media, I am the autistic supposedly too “low-functioning” to deserve to be heard. You pity me and you ignore the facts.

Ollibean: All of a kind

The faces of Ollibean are kids with and without disabilities all trying to make the world a better place.

We hope that young autistics today will be proud of themselves and without shame. The message that boy received at that moment was the opposite of acceptance. It was ableist and it came from someone who is part of our own community.

Bureaucrats

You look at me
But you don’t see me
You talk about me but not to me
You think you know all about me
But you deny my humanity
You think I don’t have wishes
You believe I don’t have plans
You

Snacking: The Little Bite That Won’t Hurt You

Ollibean contributor Kristie Salzer talks about the benefits of "refueling" between lunch and dinner to decrease hunger related meltdowns for kids. We love her suggestions of 25 super easy snacks to get you started!

Facebook blocks NC mom’s pictures of Special Olympics event

Diane Cornwell said her seven year old, Cole, who happens to have Down Syndrome had a great time at his first Special Olympics event last Friday. She uploaded an album of 40 pictures to share and says Facebook blocked it for inappropriate content and locked her account.

Ollibean Think Tank Member Amy Sequenzia

Amy Sequenzia is a poet and autistic self-advocate. Her writing is as beautiful and powerful as she is. She is an extraordinary voice in the disability rights community .

Open Letter To Jon Stewart

When I met Jon Stewart I was very disappointed by his lack of knowledge and sensitivity toward autism. During a recent interview, while still a bit condescending, his views seem to have evolved. This is my open letter to him.

We Are Not In Our Own World

We need to be careful about how we think about and talk about people with disabilities. One example is the reference that those who are autistic or deaf or blind or have some sort of movement differences are “in their own world.”

Change Leader: Amy Sequenzia

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

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.

Stephen Wiltshire

We are huge fans of the extraordinarily talented Stephen Wiltshire.

Stephen Wiltshire – An Introduction

Time lapse of Brisbane Panorama by Stephen Wiltshire

Colin Giving Voice

Colin from Newcastle, "Giving Voice" for RCSLT National Campaign

Autistic Man, Jesse Saperstein Free Falls to End Bullying

Best-selling author, autism advocate and motivational speaker Jesse A. Saperstein is spreading an Anti-Bullying movement across America with his “Free-Falling to End Bullying in 2012” YouTube video hoping to put an end to torment in and out of the classroom.