When we consider disability and the curriculum, we usually mean preparing professionals to work with people with disabilities or including students with disabilities. Here, I provide a personal description of these ideas colliding. It's Fall 2017, and I'm taking a course on Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC). That means it's about…

The importance of witnessing broken narratives and somehow writing or representing these is matched by the challenges associated with trying to do this within a context of normativity and expected academic practice. We have to be convincing in our work, both in terms of rigour and dependability but also in terms of the way we make sense of the…

Research on both autistic and LGBTQ college students has uncovered themes of marginalization, selective disclosure, and efforts to build community and resist oppression. However, little work has focused on autistic LGBTQ college students and how they understand and manage their multiple identities. To address this gap, we used narrative inquiry to…

This paper explores Hero Stories, a different narrative approach developed to support a child with autism to gain self-control and allow him to navigate his world as a competent and capable learner. It examines the development and use of "Hero Stories books" as a strategy for assisting a child with autism to cope with stressful situations within…

In this article, a young adult with autism who is nonverbal shares poems that describe his feelings about autism, the symptoms of autism, and his likes and dislikes. (CR)

In this article, a man with autism and a woman dating him (who has two children with autism) describe their struggles and the wisdom that they have gained trying to maintain a relationship. Symptoms of autism, the love and commitment they share, and their hope for the future are discussed. (CR)

In this article, an adult with autism shares some of the stories of his childhood, including some humorous stories and some stories that are that are too painful to be funny. His experiences at school are recounted, including the bullying and teasing of other children and the rigidity of teachers. (CR)

In this article, a woman who has high-functioning autism discusses her early years, her struggles with finding appropriate employment and her faith. Her movement from Roman Catholicism to Orthodox Christian is recounted, along with the way her religion has helped her through the many trials and tribulations in her life. (CR)

This article discusses the consequences of labeling individuals with high functioning autism and Asperger syndrome. It describes three ways people respond to a diagnosis: with energy and improved confidence, with a retreat into the disability and withdrawal from relationships, and with resentment for being singled out. (Contains three references.)…

In this article, a women with autism discusses the gifts, enrichments, and inner strength of her autistic personality. Her experiences growing up and being tormented by peers are described, along with her realization that being "weird" is better than being "normal". (Contains one reference.) (CR)

In this article, a woman recounts her discovery at 50 years old that she has autism. Her relief at finding an explanation for why she had experienced the world differently is discussed, along with the assets of autism. The psychic ability of individuals with autism and their spirituality are described. (CR)

Five first-hand Web page accounts of unusual sensory perceptual experiences written by persons with high-functioning autism were selected for qualitative analysis. Four core categories emerged: turbulent sensory perceptual experiences; coping mechanisms; enjoyable sensory perceptual experiences; and awareness of being different, suggesting they…

In this article, a 22-year-old with autism discusses his diagnosis at 18 months, his experiences in school, and his trouble communicating despite his high intelligence. His giftedness in mathematics is highlighted, along with his interest in computer games. He also describes strategies he uses to deal with stress. (CR)

This is a account of the play behaviors of an individual who has autism as remembered by himself and his mother. He recalls that what was fun for him was not the same as play activities of typical children. His mother comments on how this made her son increasingly different. (Author/CR)

This article recounts the experiences of a family with a son with autism. Jean-Paul's two sisters, his brother, cousin, grandmother, father, and mother contribute their perspectives. Jean-Paul also speaks for himself. This account traces his life from his early childhood to independent adulthood. (Author/CR)