Friday: Day 5 already!
There are many non-autistic people who have made a massive different to people’s lives. I mentioned one yesterday: Lino Ventura, who set up the Fondation Perce-Neige in the 1960s. And Ventura’s initiative is one of several examples I’ve discussed in this blog. I’m about to book a place on an event run by an organisation named The Curly Hair Project, whose origins are different. The Project is the initiative of someone autistic. This is Alis Rowe, the author of The Girl with the Curly Hair, a set of 'visual guides' to autism, one of which is illustrated here to the right. She also writes the materials that used in the Project’s sessions.
One goal of the event I hope to attend is to enable participants – autistic or otherwise – ‘to learn insight and strategies from people who really live with the condition’. It seems a no brainer that autistic people be key to initiatives about autism. And last autumn, when I shared my ‘Choice of Hercules’ activities with a group of autism specialists, at least one was from the Participatory Autism Research Collective (PARC), which promotes the involvement of autistic people in research into autism.
There are many non-autistic people who have made a massive different to people’s lives. I mentioned one yesterday: Lino Ventura, who set up the Fondation Perce-Neige in the 1960s. And Ventura’s initiative is one of several examples I’ve discussed in this blog. I’m about to book a place on an event run by an organisation named The Curly Hair Project, whose origins are different. The Project is the initiative of someone autistic. This is Alis Rowe, the author of The Girl with the Curly Hair, a set of 'visual guides' to autism, one of which is illustrated here to the right. She also writes the materials that used in the Project’s sessions.
One goal of the event I hope to attend is to enable participants – autistic or otherwise – ‘to learn insight and strategies from people who really live with the condition’. It seems a no brainer that autistic people be key to initiatives about autism. And last autumn, when I shared my ‘Choice of Hercules’ activities with a group of autism specialists, at least one was from the Participatory Autism Research Collective (PARC), which promotes the involvement of autistic people in research into autism.
 |
| Hercules' "Virtue" - drawn by Steve Simons |
A month or so after that, I had a different kind of experience. I'd just been at an event which saw make a
difference to the young – primary school aged – children who were taking part. This was an interactive theatre performance where, with a troupe of actors,
the children took part in activities inspired by Shakespeare. I’d met the
students previously and I was taken aback when I saw how readily and
enthusiastically they took part in the various activities – which even
including being picked up, and, sometimes, being whirled round and round. One of
the children commented afterwards that what they most liked about the event was
being able to fly.
The performance with the children was followed by
a workshop, for adults, led by the theatre’s director. At one point, the
director was asked whether they ever work with autistic actors. They said 'no'. Their view is that one autistic person will only
compound the challenges that other autistic people face.
I’ve been bothered by this. I'll aim to articulate this in a future posting. For now, I’m going to make the Curly Hair Project
booking...
More
tomorrow!
No comments:
Post a Comment