One of the most inspiring and mind-expanding things at the Wisconsin Autism Society’s annual conference I attended earlier this month was a keynote speech by Tracy Thresher and Larry Bissonnette.  Tracy and Larry are two intelligent, perceptive, humorous, poetic Vermont natives, and neither of them speak.  Both men are autistic, and as adults were introduced to facilitated communication–one-finger typing into a computer that vocalizes for them. As children and young adults, neither of them had a way of communicating the thoughts and ideas they had.

They are tremendous advocates for themselves and others with autism and other disabilities, and last year they released a movie (Wretches and Jabberers) about their world travels–Finland, Sri Lanka, Japan–to meet with other people who communicate this way.  The Power Point and movie clips they shared were moving, and the presentation as a whole had a tremendous affect on me.  It was a clear reminder how important it is not to assume anything about intelligence or lack thereof based on whether or not someone can communicate, how they look, or how they behave.

In fact, during the presentation, there were several times when Larry (an eloquent, artistic, deeply funny and perceptive person who talked about craving connections with others) couldn’t keep his seat on the stage and needed to leave and pace, tap his arm, and do other things to organize himself.  He apologized for this, but for me it was a powerful reminder that there is so much going on with people beyond what we can initially see.  It drove home some of his points so effectively that though it was frustrating for him, I appreciated it.

I haven’t had a chance to see the film, but I’m very excited for the copies I ordered for libraries to arrive so I can watch it and begin to recommend it enthusiastically to all of you, especially those of you who are starting to work more with kids on the spectrum.  Intelligence and good hearts are not the exclusive domain of neurotypical people!  Remembering that in our core will make a difference in how we serve people in our libraries.