As we approach Autism Acceptance Month it is important to read up on the history of some of the symbols certain organisations choose to use and why the majority of us on the spectrum do not support them. This Autism Acceptance Month be sure to let people know how we would like to be represented in the media and in public. On Autism Acceptance Day #HoodieUp instead or lighting it up blue. Encourage Autism Acceptance and inclusion and not ableism and segregation.
T.V Opportunity For Anyone On The Spectrum
A couple of weeks ago I received an email from Northern Pictures inviting me to be part of their new documentary series. This series will follow a group of autistic Australians as they look for a partner. Currently, Northern Pictures are looking for anyone on the autism spectrum who may be interested in participating in the documentary to email them via the below address. The best part about this series is that you don't have to already be in a relationship to participate, you can be single like me. If you are interested in being part of this series feel free to email Northern Pictures at: production@northernpictures.com.au
Flyer Advertising for the Documentary Series. There is a heading that says New Documentary Series Featuring People On The Autism Spectrum: Call For Participants. Under heading in blue letters it says. Northern Pictures are making a documentary series (not a reality TV show) featuring people on the autism spectrum who are interested in dating. under that it says. There are many misconceptions out there about autism, one of them being that people on the spectrum aren’t interested in finding love. We want to how that this isn’t true, and to help Australian’s understand more about neurodiversity. With the help of specialists in the field, we will help guide people through the experience. You might have no history in dating, or maybe you have been trying to meet someone and not having much luck. Hopefully you’ll meet a great match, at the very least you’ll make some new friends and have a fun and interesting experience! our production company has produced many award-winning television documentaries for both Australian and international broadcasters. You can learn more about us here: www.northernpictures.com.au
underneath it says in bold writing. Casting will be inclusive. we also welcome anyone interested in meeting or dating people on the spectrum.
underneath that it says. If you or someone you know might be interested in talking to us about this documentary series, please send an email with a brief description of yourself and a photo to: production@northernpictures.com.au
Exciting Opportunity
We are looking for autistics, parents and allies who want to make a positive difference to the lives of young people on the autism spectrum to join the Autism Resources Reference Group.
Motivational quote on a white background. words say “It’s not enough to be aware of autism - we should accept, support, respect and include autistic people.” The word accept is coloured purple, the word support is coloured a light blue, respect is coloured a light green and the word include is coloured orange the rest of the words are black and seem to be a smaller font than the three coloured words.
2018 Christmas Post
2018 was another amazing year, Elon Musk launched a Tesla Roadster into space, either demonstrating Tesla’s new delivery system or that Elon Musk has too much time on his hands. Australia got a new Prime Minister, again, making the job of Prime Minister the most undesirable and short-term job in government and youth began to do parliament’s job by making their voices heard at student organised protests and in a lot of ways were doing a better job of representing Australia’s views, however, what did the year look like for the autism community?
3CR Radio Interview Update
Recharge Rooms In Schools Pilot Program
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Hi everyone, I have some exciting news. For the past 11 months, I have been working on a pretty cool project called the Recharge Rooms In Schools Program. This program allows schools to host one of my innovative Recharge Rooms permanently giving students of all abilities a safe and quiet space to go to relax and recharge at any point in the day that they feel overloaded. This program is one of a kind as it includes a consultation service in which I speak to school council, staff and students to design a space that suits the individual needs of your school and I assist in installing the space making the process as easy as possible. I am now looking for interested schools in Victoria to pilot this program in 2019. Pilot schools will be able to access this program at a subsidised cost and will act as a template for the future of this program. As many parents and teachers can agree this is a service that is long overdue, we lose too many young people who could possibly make a significant impact on our world because they cannot cope with mainstream school and it is time to act now before yet more young people slip between the cracks. If you are interested in being one of the pilot schools, feel free to email: bryce.pace.autism.advocate@gmail.com and if you have any questions feel free to also email the above email or leave a comment below.Thanks Bryce pace Autism Advocate, Blogger, Speaker
Exciting News
Hi everyone, I have some exciting news. On the 3rd of December, I am going to be on a radio show called The Inclusionist discussing inclusive education. This show will be on 3CR Radio which is 855 am at 10:30 am AEDT. Feel free to stay on the station until 7:00pm AEDT as the disability community takes over the station for International Day for people with a Disability and will feature artists who identify as having a disability and talk shows discussing all things disability. For more information and to view the timetable for the day head to: https://www.3cr.org.au/disabilityday2018
I Need Your Help
Hi all. My work as an autism advocate is all about supporting the autism community and a big part of this is supplying resources to assist families and individuals on the spectrum to navigate life. This is why I have created a resource page on my website which has links to blogs, support services, businesses and advocacy organisations. Currently, the links have come from my own contacts however I also receive many emails from people from all over the world requesting me to have a look at suggested resources before putting that resource on the page. This task has become increasingly difficult as I am only one man and I am only able to give feedback from an autistic point of view. This is why I have come up with the idea of creating a resource reference group. This group would be made up of interested individuals who either identify as being autistic or are families of people on the spectrum and their task would be to review and provide feedback about these resources which I would forward to you. If this sounds like something you would be interested in being part of feel free to send me a message or email me at: bryce.pace.autism.advocate@gmail.comThank you for your interest.
Bryce Pace
Autism Advocate, Blogger, Speaker
A Day In The Life Of An Autistic Student
Imagine you walk into school like any other morning however unlike your peers you are unable to filter out all the individual sounds, smells and sights of everything around you. You can hear the individual conversations of hundreds of people at once. You can hear lockers opening and closing and you can smell that someone hasn’t cleared out their locker for the past month. You walk into class and as the teacher calls the roll. Your peers continue to talk loudly and as you can’t normally filter out these conversations in order to hear what the teacher says you have to focus 10 times harder than you would if the classroom was silent. The bell rings to signal the start of period one however, you are already worn out from the first half hour of school with all the sounds and sights, however, there is still many hours to go before you can recharge as there is no space to do this at school.Usually, in these situations, you would begin to stim by rocking or flapping or you using your favourite sensory toy however you have been teased and called some pretty rotten names for doing these things in the past, so you continue to become more and more overwhelmed. By the time it is lunch you feel like you are going to lose control as you begin to get overloaded with everything that has happened however once again there is nowhere you can go to get away from all the sensory input. The playground is full of noises, smells, and sights and you are not allowed to sit in the school corridors. You keep telling yourself “the day is almost over; the day is almost over” however you still feel as though you are going to shut down. You begin to remember the last time that happened, how people stared at you like you were some sort of exhibit in a museum. You remember seeing people yell at you trying to gain your attention and getting more and more annoyed when you didn’t respond. The Teachers thought you were misbehaving and ignoring them on purpose little did they know you had no control over what was happening. You end up making it through lunch by making laps around the school, yes there were some odd looks from your peers however you did not shutdown which is an upside. You walk into the last class of the day which unfortunately is woodwork, you really didn’t think this one through did you? You end up procrastinating as you are not in the mood to use hammers or power tools today as you are so close to shutting down. The teacher keeps trying to reengage you with no luck as the only way you could get reengaged is to sit in a quiet room for half an hour or so to recharge. Finally, the bell rings and you rush home as quickly as possible, you rush through the door and straight into your room closing the door behind you and begin your ritual to recharge. This is a glimpse into the everyday life of an autistic student for if an autistic student seems well behaved in class according to the social norms it doesn’t necessarily mean they are coping well in class as there is much more happening inside their head than you think. Sometimes things get too much however there is nowhere autistic students can go to recharge without the fear of other students making fun of them, so they keep everything bottled up inside them until they get home where it is safe to be themselves. It is sad that this sort of thing still happens in the 21st century with all our so called modern learning and modern classrooms. It is sad that despite all the technology we have in schools these days we still can’t create schools that are inclusive of all abilities. It is sad that we still have to advocate to install ramps and lifts to ensure people in wheelchairs are included and we have to keep advocating for a place where students can feel free to recharge in a safe environment. From my experiences and the experiences of many others has come a pretty cool concept and this is to incorporate my Recharge Rooms into schools as a trial next year. This program if it succeeds will ensure students won’t have to worry about experiencing shutdowns or meltdowns at school ever again as there will finally be somewhere they can go to recharge without the fear of their peers making fun of them, as this room is as much for neurotypicals as it is for autistics. Thank you Bryce Pace Autism Advocate, Blogger, Speaker Thank, you for reading, if you have a story you would like to share with the community or have an idea for a blog post feel free to contact me at bryce.pace.autism.advocate@gmail.com full anonymity can be provided.
(Please note this is my own opinion and does not reflect the views of all autistic people as everyone has different views. The things written in this post come partially from personal experience.)
