Posted June 27, 2019 in Articles
Author: Cleveland Jewish News
The Milestones National Autism Conference is one of my favorite places to go as a self-advocate. I have been involved with them for seven years and it is truly the only conference or autism event I’ve been to that completely takes care of the individuals with autism spectrum disorder.
We are involved in all facets of the conference. We are committee members,
speakers, attendees, Milestones employees and volunteers. We also have a sensory or quiet room, fully designed by people on the spectrum. For me, that is an amazing accommodation that most ASD events don’t offer. This year, we also featured artists on the spectrum, which was a huge success. People got to appreciate the skills and talents we have.
The conference also offered sensory-friendly meal options created by people with ASD. Milestones really does practice what it preaches. They offer people with ASD, mild or severe, verbal or nonverbal, a community where they belong. It’s a community that we get to have an active voice in – nothing for us without us. The Milestones National Autism Conference is the epitome of how people on the spectrum should be treated.
Molly Dann-Pipinias
Original Article: https://www.clevelandjewishnews.com/opinion/letters_to_editor/autism-conference-for-self-advocates/article_0fb6a8b6-984d-11e9-b84f-bbe9ca08eb89.html