Speaker Series: Paths to Autistic Empowerment

Our speaker, Jeremy Farrell is a passionate Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Advocate and a proud person on the spectrum himself.
He has been working with children with developmental disabilities, specializing in autism, since the age of 15. Since graduating from Southern Connecticut State University, he has run social skills groups for teens and kids on the spectrum out of Western Connecticut Behavioral Health and worked with autism focused organizations to
provide recreational resources to their clients. He spent time traveling the state of Connecticut as the Leader of Community Outreach and Recruitment for autism research out of Yale’s Child Study Center. He has also consulted with businesses and organizations to help them understand autism and their autistic clients as well as sitting on the Board of Directors for A Little Compassion Inc./ The Nest. Recently he has worked as a Certified Job Coach and Life Skills Coach for the Connecticut Autism Waiver, helping autistic adults build their own
businesses and live empowered lives.

He says,
"My own personal journey to feeling empowered as an autistic individual and my work as a professional helping others on that journey gives me unique insight into how autistic empowerment is cultivated. My presentation is not a textbook on the do’s and don’ts for working
with or being an autistic individual. Instead, it encourages attendees to think critically about the benefits of open communication and self-advocacy for their lives and the lives of those around them.

Through my work and personal life, I have learned of patterns and reoccurring strategies that can help autistic individuals become more confident and have more control over their lives. I will discuss two effective paths to autistic empowerment which each must be addressed and understood in their own way but also compliment each other. These paths include open communication and self-advocacy. By embracing these concepts we can take meaningful strides towards creating an effective environment for fostering autistic empowerment. I will use
examples from my personal and professional life to help attendees form a comprehensive understanding of the common barriers autistic individuals have with empowerment and how to make the most of the paths to success."

Space is limited; sign up today!

This event is free and facilitated solely by volunteers. We kindly suggest a donation per participant so that we can continue providing materials and venues for our events. We will never turn an individual away for not being able to provide a donation.