Autism Acceptance Month 2024
April is Autism Acceptance Month, and the All Access Neurodiversity Working Group has planned several events to celebrate!
Neurodiversity Working Group General Meeting
Monday, April 1st, 11:00 am - 12:00 pm
The Neurodiversity Working Group has a monthly general meeting to hear from the lab community and to make announcements. This is also an opportunity to meet others and build a community of neurodivergent lab employees and allies. At this month’s meeting, we will discuss the upcoming Autism Acceptance Month events and anything else that is brought up.
Virtually at https://lbnl.zoom.us/j/94290385073?pwd=LzI3QWZpRjBQT1UyZmdFWFVJUGlrdz09
Slides from the meeting:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1QcSKXtxgniUnGDTouhheKCoLwx_caDfy7q2ai1PiTXA/edit?usp=sharing
Thursday, April 11th, 11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Join LBL's celebration of Autism Acceptance Month by attending this screening of several TED Talks that feature autistic speakers sharing aspects of their personal stories!
In-person in the 50 auditorium or virtually at https://lbnl.zoom.us/j/98629490074?pwd=dEdkWUZXbDhPdStzeE1uRjkvYUpQQT09
Slides from the event: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1i5BKMk91tKo4JS-d4bziFrSjGiWkMONEBidzWgjyxIg/edit?usp=sharing
"Advancing Neurodiversity: Scholarly Perspectives, Advocacy Efforts, and Workplace
Dr. Laura Sterponi and Carolynn Ann Schweitzer
Monday, April 22nd, 11:00 am - 12:00 pm
Hear from Dr. Laura Sterponi and neurodivergent doctoral student, Carolynn Ann Schweitzer as they discuss neurodiversity and autism. They will first discuss the neurodiversity movement’s evolution. Then, through a focus on autistic language, they will illustrate how shifting away from a deficit perspective reveals previously unrecognized autistic communicative capacities and functionalities. Finally, they will advise us all on how to reconfigure the workplace within the framework of neurodiversity.
In-person in the 50 auditorium or virtually at https://lbnl.zoom.us/j/96612385801?pwd=RnU4Z0s5blZMcVhhYmN0TllLV0FVUT09
Special Interest Lightning Talks
Tuesday, April 30th, 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Many autistic people have highly passionate interests that are referred to as "special interests". In the spirit of autistic info-dumping, the Neurodiversity Working Group is gathering volunteers to give 3-minute lightning talks on something (anything!) that interests them. Autistic and allistic people alike are encouraged to give these lightning talks and get a moment to feel the satisfaction of info-dumping about something they enjoy.
Come learn about all sorts of topics from your coworkers in these short-form talks!
If you are interested in giving a lightning talk, please fill out this form. We will need many volunteers. Thank you!
Virtually at https://lbnl.zoom.us/j/94898630449?pwd=OU9zRGEwc0xjUGo3MjJucVV0bHh1dz09
Call for Lightning Talk Speakers!
If you want to deliver a 3-minute talk on something that interests you, please complete this form. You may present with or without slides. The event will be entirely virtual and feature numerous speakers and a wide variety of topics! Find out more in the form.
Autism Acceptance Month Zoom backgrounds!
Find them in the provided background options in Zoom. If you don't see them, you may need to update the application or simply download your favorite here!
A Bit of History
April was previously known as Autism Awareness Month but in 2011, the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network (ASAN) began calling April Autism Acceptance Month instead, and over time, other groups have adopted the new language and encouraged others to do the same. The distinction is that awareness implies general knowledge of autism, and this could easily stop at educating the community on the neurotype, while acceptance emphasizes the need to embrace autistic individuals as they are, which means not only knowing what autism is but also appreciating autistic people's differences and advocating for their success.
All Zoom events will have closed captions enabled. If you require additional accommodations to attend and/or participate fully please get in touch with us (allaccessleaders@lbl.gov).