People of Faith Encourage Presidential Candidates to Address Disability Concerns

Last updated on: May 9, 2016 at 11:38 am By Dilshad Ali

Editor’s Note: This is a guest post by my friend, Curtis Ramsey-Lucas, the director of interfaith engagement with the American Association of People with Disabilities, calling for the 2016 presidential candidates to address disability concerns. I also have been keeping a close watch on how the candidates are addressing the questions and concerns of those with disabilities and their families, and believe faith groups should sign on to this letter urging candidates to support life-changing policies for people with disabilities,... Read more

We Must All Live Truthfully

Last updated on: April 30, 2016 at 1:49 pm By Dilshad Ali

Ali Family Autism Truths #30 – April 30, 2016 I read an article in the other day about prenatal testing, about a family of two scientist-parents who invented a machine that could sequence and separate genes to better and earlier tell if an unborn baby would have Downs Syndrome or a host of other disabilities. The article was titled, “How A Prenatal Test is Transforming Modern Medicine.” One of the main scientists interviewed in the piece, who has an adult... Read more

Conversations with D

Last updated on: April 29, 2016 at 10:45 am By Dilshad Ali

Ali Family Autism Truths #29 – April 29, 2016 Setting: In our Kitchen one evening. I have made brownies, and they are cooling on the counter. Everyone has eaten dinner, and D is drawn back to the kitchen by the smell of something heavenly. He comes up to me, standing at the counter, and pushes his face close to make eye contact – a rarity. It means something important if he leans in to look you straight in the eye.... Read more

He is Not Less Than Anyone Else Because He Has Autism

Last updated on: April 24, 2016 at 10:51 pm By Dilshad Ali

Ali Family Autism Truths #28 – April 28, 2016 Editor’s Note: For the last five days of April, I’m out of town and am getting creative with our Ali Family Autism Truths posts. Today’s and the last two days’ posts are brief interviews my friend Jamie Pacton did with Syrian autistic children and their families, who have been helped by A Global Voice for Autism. Jamie writes about autism for Parents.com. A Global Voice for Autism is a wonderful organization... Read more

We Cannot Give Up on Our Children

Last updated on: April 24, 2016 at 10:32 pm By Dilshad Ali

Ali Family Autism Truths #27 – April 27, 2016 Editor’s Note: For the last five days of April, I’m out of town and am getting creative with our Ali Family Autism Truths posts. Today’s, yesterday’s and tomorrow’s posts are brief interviews my friend Jamie Pacton did with Syrian autistic children and their families, who have been helped by A Global Voice for Autism. Jamie writes about autism for Parents.com. A Global Voice for Autism is a wonderful organization that helps autistic... Read more

In Our Society, Autism is Seen as Damaged

Last updated on: April 24, 2016 at 10:34 pm By Dilshad Ali

Ali Family Autism Truths #26 – April 26, 2016 Editor’s Note: For the last five days of April, I’m out of town and am getting creative with our Ali Family Autism Truths posts. Today’s and the next two day’s posts are actually brief interviews my friend Jamie Pacton did with Syrian autistic children and their families, who have been helped by A Global Voice for Autism. Jamie writes about autism for Parents.com. A Global Voice for Autism is a wonderful... Read more

The Truth is, It’s Very Hard, This Autism Living

Last updated on: April 25, 2016 at 9:48 pm By Dilshad Ali

Ali Family Autism Truths #25 – April 25, 2016 The goal is being as independent as possible. Not needing us, not needing support, as much as possible. The premise of this makes me smile because in the culture we were brought up in (Indian, Muslim), the focus was on achieving success and living a good life but always being close to one’s family. The family unit should always stay together and rely on each other. The respect for one’s elders... Read more

Life Cannot Be Locked Out

Last updated on: April 24, 2016 at 9:25 pm By Dilshad Ali

Ali Family Autism Truths #24 – April 24, 2016 Life cannot be locked out. Nor can safety or protection be locked in. The truth is, like it or not, when raising a child with autism, locks can be a large part of your world. Some autistic individuals have a tendency to bolt or run away, which means better and more locks on doors to the outside. (There was a terrible, frightening period when D did this, and in the span... Read more

A Hidden Message in Autism Code

Last updated on: April 23, 2016 at 9:32 pm By Dilshad Ali

Ali Family Autism Truths #23 – April 23, 2016 No lengthy post tonight. Just this photo. After a pretty good day, things headed downhill fast post-dinner for D. I went up to sit with him, knowing there probably wasn’t much I could do. Heck, I figured he’d just get more upset by having a body close by. But, I figured I could lurk in the corner of his bedroom. As I’ve written numerous times before, sometimes all I can do... Read more

Which Truths Can be Shared, and Which can Only be Lived?

Last updated on: April 22, 2016 at 9:07 pm By Dilshad Ali

Which truths are we charged with sharing, and which truths must remain more quiet for the sake of the greater picture or, more importantly, one’s privacy? I was chatting with a friend today – someone I’ve “met” through my autism writing, who also writes extensively on autism, on life with her autistic son, on neurodiversity and other disability topics. I was telling her how difficult it is to lay one’s life bare and share intimate truths, day after day for... Read more