For Autism Acceptance Month, we share an essay originally published in Olliebean by Judy Endow, an autistic adult who is well-known a leading advocate for those on the spectrum. Our team thought her insights are especially important because they focus on the assets of autistic individuals and what they contribute to the community. With this piece, you'll see why Judy is one of our favorite bloggers writing about the need for widespread acceptance and awareness of those with disabilities. 

"One thing that happens when a person is diagnosed with autism is that people start evaluating how that person doesn’t measure up. In fact, this needs to happen in order to receive an autism diagnosis. A diagnosis is important in terms of securing needed supports and services.

The measuring doesn’t stop after the diagnosis is received. As autistic children grow up they are assessed and measured many times over and for good reasons. Every needed support and service means the autistic must “qualify” to receive it. If an autistic child needs help in school they must meet the criteria to receive an Individualized Educational Plan – basically a plan with goals and outcome measures to put the student on the path towards the free and appropriate education that he cannot be denied according to law in the United States.

All of this is good and makes sense. What doesn’t make sense is when we take these measures of shortcomings and use only these shortcomings to think about autistics. When this happens autistics are thought of only in terms of their deficits and difficulties. While being found lacking and having deficits and difficulties as measured against typically developing peers is of utmost importance in the diagnostic realm and in terms of getting educational, medical and support services, this is not the sum total of an autistic person.

This is very important because what we need to have a diagnosis along with the medical, educational and support services that follow are very different from what we need to have a meaningful and productive life. I will make this personal now, using my own life for you to see an example.

You see, I get my diagnosis and supports based on what’s wrong with me, what I can’t do, and what my difficulties are in daily life. These things are easily measured against the neurotypical norm. So, that is how most of my life I have only known who I wasn’t and what I couldn’t do.

“Because there is not a good way to measure the things that make me be me those things go unmeasured. Instead I am measured by the yardstick of what makes you be you and am found to be lacking” (Endow, 2013. pg. 44).

But then, just like you, I live out my daily life according to what I CAN do, what I am good at and what I enjoy in my day.

In my everyday life as an adult it matters a whole lot what I CAN do because my capabilities have allowed me to earn a living. It matters more in my life today that I can write books, do public speaking and run my own consulting business than it does that my speech was delayed, I was institutionalized as a child or have a classic autism diagnosis.

It matters today what I am good at and what I enjoy because this has led not only to me running my own business, but in addition is the basis of my friendships with others and the hobbies and interests I pursue. Together, my work and my friends intersect with my hobbies and interests, bringing me a full life with a depth of meaning.

Autism is my diagnosis and indeed is so pervasive that it cannot be separated out and thus, I not only have autism as a diagnosis, but I am autistic in my identity. My diagnosis is about who I am NOT and what I cannot do – a measure of my limitations, deficits and difficulties.  Being an autistic woman is about who I am – a human being who IS, who CAN and who DOES – measured by living a full life in her own way in this world.

I had to learn how to outsmart the hard of my autism to live a full life as an autistic. It took several decades. Today my life is about who I am and what I CAN do. It is about the real relationships with colleagues, friends and family. Today I still have limitations, difficulties and deficits, but they do not define me. Instead they inform me. I can plan my life accordingly, ensuring supports, down time and accommodations so I can be the human being I want to be in this world. Today I have a full and meaningful life. I am content and happy and I am still just as autistic as I have always been.

My advice for younger autistics and for those who love and support them would be to look at who you ARE as a human being. Ultimately, this will become more important than your autism. Most of the time people around autistic children focus in on what they cannot do so as to make those areas of life better. In doing so autistic children grow up knowing who they are not. This is not a good basis for living a meaningful adult life because as adults, our work, our friends and our pastimes are based on who we are, what we can do and what makes us happy.

Therefore, I think it is of utmost importance our children learn this along the way. It took me most of my life to learn this. I hope by writing about it people supporting today’s autistic children will be sure to teach them who they ARE in this big wide world because one day that will become more important than their diagnosis of autism."

REFERENCES
Endow, J. (2013). Painted Words: Aspects of Autism Translated. Cambridge, WI: CBR Press.

Endow, J. (2009). Paper Words: Discovering and Living With My Autism. Shawnee Mission, KS: AAPC Publishing.

Originally published in Olliebean August 14, 2014. 

Another contribution of bees is that they also keep our cities healthier. By pollinating trees, wildflowers, plants in gardens and parks, and more, they provide us with a cleaner environment. That’s because plants:

• Draw carbon out of the air and fix it in the ground
• Suck up toxins and pollutants from stormwater
• Clean chemicals and smog out of the air so that we don’t breathe it
• Keep cities cooler through evapotranspiration
• Provide natural views and environments, which are psychologically soothing and restful

Here are several tips for helping establish a healthy habitat for pollinators:
-Consider the soil characteristics, sunlight, drainage, and other factors when choosing plants.
-Plant a variety of different flower colors and shapes to attract many different kinds of pollinators.
-Choose native plants if possible. These plants will be better adapted to the native pollinators, as well as to the soil type, climate, and precipitation. Also, in planning your garden choose flowers in the blue-purple range which are very attractive to bees, and flowers that produce pollen which bees will seek out.
- Use chemical-free pest-management practices to avoid destroying pollinator habitats.
-Select plants that flower at different times of the year, so that these plants can provide nectar and pollen to pollinators throughout the growing season.


At Green Bridge Growers, we are extremely conscious of the priority of pollinators on our farm and in how we design and locate our crops to maximize the presence of bees. With support from South Bend’s Tri Kappa Foundation, we have built beehives at our farm to draw bees to our site and we’re also planting pollinator gardens and have areas on our farm that have been planted with bees in mind. We are happy to do our part to protect, nurture, and develop the pollinator population, and hope you’ll do the same!

At Green Bridge Growers, we care a lot about the earth, and that includes trees. Trees have many benefits for the environment. They absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen, helping to slow or reverse climate change. They also help cool the air around them by releasing water vapor into the air, acting as a natural air conditioner. Also, trees planted around houses can reduce heating costs by 10-15% by acting as a windbreak, and their shading and evaporative cooling effects can reduce air conditioning costs by 20-50%.

Trees also help absorb pollution from the air. They can absorb airborne particulates and reduce smog. This is especially important in urban areas, and can help improve a city’s respiratory health.

There is also a link between the presence of trees in neighborhoods and lower crime rates in the neighborhoods. Also, studies have shown that patients with trees outside their windows heal faster. In addition, children with ADHD show fewer symptoms when they are exposed to trees and to nature.

At Green Bridge, we have planted several trees on our property. We have planted a few small evergreens next to the barn at our site on highway 331, and we have also planted some trees at Hannah & Friends, including tulip trees, sugar maples, plum trees, and Canaan firs. My favorite is the sugar maples, because I’m looking forward to using them to get maple syrup when they get big enough.

Please plant trees of your own! It’s a great way to help the environment.

​To mark Autism Acceptance Month, GBG highlights the capacity of those on the autism spectrum to contribute their amazing gifts to the workplace. More and more, entrepreneurial ventures are being created worldwide to foster the growth and talents of autistic young adults. And now, traditional employers are discovering the benefits of hiring autistic workers and are incorporating them into specialized training programs and interview processes tailored to their strengths.
 
This CBS Sunday Morning feature on “Good Work” targets the benefits and value of hiring autistic workers. We share it with you to shine a light on why it’s clearly an advantage for businesses to hire inclusively and put the potential of autistic individuals to work.
 
At least 80% of adults with autism are unemployed, and the figure is often thought to be as high as 90%. And in the next decade, the situation will only become more serious - half a million autistic individuals will become adults and “age out” of available services and supports.

For many with autism, the biggest challenge is to get past the interview stage of applying for jobs. But at a number of corporations, things are changing.
 
Jennie LaFleury, Chief Accessibility Officer at Microsoft and herself profoundly deaf, developed a hiring program to bring more individuals with disabilities into their workforce. “For us, this is an opportunity to bring tremendous talent to the corporation. People with disabilities are a source of strength, a force of nature,” she said. “And autistic workers have a terrific ability to recognize patterns, pay attention to detail, and offer so many new insights.”
 
A cooperative program based in California, created by the German company SAP in alliance with firms such as EY and Ford, has brought 128 individuals on the spectrum into the workforce. One of the starting points for these companies is the importance of looking past differences, and developing vetting programs for employees that focus on problem-solving and collaboration. Employees are assigned mentors, and ongoing training in “soft skills” like workplace social skills is an ongoing feature of employment for those with autism.  Autistic employees are not set adrift, and the training provided when employees are hired is extensive. A welcome feature are the numerous opportunities for socializing and making friends with other autistic employees.  
 
What’s the best part of approaches like this? “Hope,” said one of Microsoft’s newly hired software engineers, an autistic software engineer named Christopher. “I like using my skills and being surrounded by people who understand and support me and think I’ve got a lot to contribute.”
 
GBG works right here in our community to develop the capacity of those with autism to contribute their skills and put their gifts and potential to work. We are happy to share this excellent video with our supporters to highlight the enormous abilities of those with autism related to the workplace – most certainly, a true autism advantage. ​