About this project

SYNOPSIS
The Autism Self-Advocacy Project (ASAP), an interactive DVD with Discussion Guide, will document the emerging autism rights movement by showcasing the experiences, opinions, and voices of the autistic individuals themselves. Co-produced with William Stillman, a nationally renown self-advocate and writer (Empowered Autism Parenting, The Autism Answer Book, The Soul of Autism), the project will illuminate the recent groundswell of autism self-advocates who desire to address issues of acceptance and neuro-diversity as opposed to the "cure and eradication" mindset on which much of the autism industry has been founded. In addition to the voices of self-advocates who challenge traditionally held beliefs about medical interventions and behavioral treatments, also interviewed will be parents and professionals who have undergone dramatic transformations in their understanding of autism. This development of an autism-based cultural competency has lead to renewed respect and enhanced, collaborative relationships.

KICKSTARTER MISSION
Funding received through kickstarter.com pledges will be used to fund travel and production expenses, post-production services, DVD and Discussion Guide reproduction, and website. All project participants are confirmed with production set to begin this Spring with a target completion date of Fall/Winter 2010. Filming will take place in homes and at support groups throughout the Northeast. The more money we can raise the more self-advocates we can feature, more DVDs and Discussions Guides we can make, and more promotion and distribution we can do!

PROJECT DESCRIPTION
The film will be used in classrooms, after-school programs, meeting places, treatment and rehabilitation centers, local theaters, public television, the internet, and beyond. The Discussion Guide for individuals, parents, caregivers, and educators will be available in print and online and will include the following:

• Facilitator Guidelines
• Access & Communication Suggestions
• Discussion Questions
• Background for more complex issues that may arise during the course of viewing or discussion
• Additional Resources

Our target audience includes autistic individuals on all points of the spectrum, and their family members, caregivers, educators, students and clinicians. It will also be useful for professionals new to or planning on entering autism related services.

The ASAP film, DVD, and Discussion Guide will highlight individuals’ abilities rather than trying to solve or fix their disabilities, and should encourage young autistic adults entering the work force or higher education. In a society that strives for equal opportunity, ASAP serves as a reminder to discover and nurture an individual's talents.

The ASAP public television broadcast, DVD, and Discussion Guide will be promoted nationally through myriad autism and related conference venues, offered online at www.autismasap.org, distributed via self-advocacy outlets and established autism parent groups, and used to train clinicians, educators, and other professional staff.

ASAP will develop partnerships through reaching out to community members and programs that support advocacy for individuals with special needs. Through adequate funding, Longshot Productions hopes to provide some ASAP packages at no-charge to interested parties, to continue education and support for similar missions. Longshot Productions will also make ASAP available to programs and their audiences at conferences, universities, and other related community settings. Some of the groups who have expressed interest in collaborating on this project include: Autism Today, Youth Advocate Programs, Networks for Training and Development, The Autism Self-Advocacy Network (ASAN), the Developmental Disabilities Council, The National Autism Committee (AutCom), The Global and Regional Asperger Syndrome Partnership (GRASP), The Autism Perspective, Person First Inc., and The Option Institute.

ABOUT WILLIAM STILLMAN
William Stillman is the author of The Soul of Autism: Looking Beyond Labels to Unveil Spiritual Secrets of the Heart Savants (2008). His other books include The Everything Parent’s Guide to Children with Asperger’s Syndrome: Help, Hope and Guidance (2005), The Everything Parent’s Guide to Children with Bipolar Disorder: Professional, Reassuring Advice to Help You Understand and Cope (2005), and Demystifying the Autistic Experience: A Humanistic Introduction for Parents, Caregivers and Educators (2002) which has been highly praised by the autism and self-advocacy communities. Stillman also writes a column, “Through the Looking Glass,” for the national quarterly publication The Autism Perspective, and is on that magazine’s advisory board. In autumn 2006, he will host a question-and-answer column for Children of the New Earth magazine. (Stillman is also coauthor of several successful books about his life-long passion, The Wizard of Oz.)

Stillman’s Autism and the God Connection explores the “closeted” yet luminous spiritual giftedness inherent to many persons with autism, and, since its April 2006 publication, the book is slated for its third printing in five months. It has been internationally hailed as groundbreaking and inspirational by individuals with autism, parents, educators, and caregivers in addition to spiritual and metaphysical practitioners.

As an adult with Asperger’s Syndrome, a mild “cousin” of autism, Stillman’s message of reverence and respect has touched thousands nationally through his acclaimed autism workshops and private consultations. In addition to his work in Delaware, Ohio, New York, Florida, South Carolina, and Virginia (and a scheduled 2007 national tour), Bill has presented at conferences throughout Pennsylvania, including the Pennsylvania Statewide Early Intervention Conference; Special Education “Shaping the Future” Conference; Regional Conference on Mental Illness and Mental Retardation; Pennsylvania Autism Institute Conference; Pennsylvania Association of School Social Work Personnel; National Parent to Parent Conference; and Advisory Board on Autism and Related Disorders Conference. Other presentation forums have included universities, hospitals, state centers, and schools.

Stillman has a B.S. in Education from Millersville University in Pennsylvania, and has worked to support people with different ways of being since 1987. He was formerly the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare, Office of Mental Retardation’s statewide point person for children with intellectual impairment, mental health issues, and autism.

Stillman is founder of the Pennsylvania Autism Self Advocacy Coalition (PASAC) which endeavors to educate and advise state and local government, law enforcement, educators and the medical community about the autism spectrum from the “inside out.” He serves on Pennsylvania’s Autism Task Force, and is on the advisory boards for Autism Living and Working, The Asperger’s Syndrome Alliance of Pennsylvania, and the
Youth Advocate Programs’ National Autism Committee. He is the coordinator for a Pennsylvania-based meeting group of individuals who use Augmentative and Alternative Communication. Stillman has also been a consultant to Temple University for the development of Youth Advocate Programs’ Therapeutic Staff Support curriculum, which will set the standard by which mental health workers in Pennsylvania will be trained to support children and adolescents with autism and mental health issues.

In his work to support those who love and care for individuals with autism and Asperger’s Syndrome, Stillman sets a tone for our collective understanding of the autistic experience in ways that are unprecedented. Autism should not be defined as an “affliction endured by sufferers,” but as a truly unique and individual experience to be respected and appreciated by all. In so doing, Stillman highlights the exquisite sensitivities of our most valuable, wise and loving “teachers.”

William Stillman’s Web site is www.williamstillman.com.