Troy Blevins

Autism Light #163 is Troy Blevins.

Troy Blevins is from St. Augustine, Florida. He has two sons with autism. Troy Blevins is raising awareness for autism literally one step at a time. Troy Blevins is an Autism Light because he is taking a 6 week journey to walk from his home in St. Augustine, Florida to Washington DC to raise awareness for Autism as part of Project Autism of St. Johns, Inc.

Troy Blevins is talking to legislators and the general public along his journey about autism and the need for early intervention funding. At the time of this post he had finished about 200 miles of his approximately 750 mile journey to the capital of the United States. The following is a video of Troy Blevins on his trex to Washington D.C. when he reached Savannah, Georgia on Wednesday, March 7, 2012.

 

Troy Blevins earned a degree in recreation in 1989 from Flagler College in St. Augustine, Florida. Troy Blevins had worked as the Recreation and Parks Director for St. John's County in Florida for many years, but he resigned that position in the Fall of 2011 to prepare for his autism walk (Source). For more information on Troy Blevins' walk read this news story.

Special thanks to Troy Blevins for his autism advocacy. He is certainly raising autism awareness as he walks on this incredible journey and the autism community is thankful for his dedication and discipline.

Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism.

This post went into syndication on Autisable. 

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Joshua Banks

Autism Light #162 is Joshua Banks. 

Joshua Banks was raised in Jupiter, Florida and now lives in Jensen Beach, Florida. He is an artist who also has autism. Joshua Banks is an Autism Light for the way he expresses his amazing gifts through a special art form which is done with markers.

Joshua Banks has been described as, "A 24-year old young man with autism who enjoys music, gymnastics, hiking and horseback riding but doesn't speak, he discovered this art form when his mom packed some markers to channel his abundant energy during evacuation from a hurricane (Source)." Joshua is nonverbal and is working on using an iPod Touch to aid his communication with others. He also uses gestures and some vocalizations.

His parents wrote that, "It always seems that art provides Josh a focal point to his day and to his physical space, it's a visible expression of his joyful personality. His parents prefer that he be recognized for his abilities, which include a joyful means of expressing himself and transcending multiple challenges."

Joshua was first encouraged to prepare for an exhibit by Texas art professor and international fine artist Mari Omori; several other artists have since admired the quality of his work.  Joshua uses markers to create his artwork. Here is a photo of one of his pieces.

Joshua's Art Show:

• Joshua has his work featured at an art show at the Lighthouse Art Center in Tequesta, Florida from June 4, 2012 through July 26, 2012. There will be a reception on June 21 from 5:30 to 7:00pm.

Joshua's Past Art Show:

• Joshua's first public art show was held at the Town of Jupiter Community Center in Florida. It was an inclusive art show featuring other artists as well. There was an opening reception from 6 to 8pm on Friday, March 23, 2012 and the art was displayed through April 27, 2012.

For further details on Joshua's art shows, please contact Vicki Silver at silvervicki@gmail.com.  For more information on Joshua Banks see this article written about him called Autistic Artist's Work Speaks For Him.

Special thanks to Joshua Banks and his parents for showing us a wonderful example of someone with autism expressing themselves through art. Joshua's talent shows the autism community that art is a positive way for someone with autism to express their joy.  We expect to hear great things about Joshua Banks' art in the future.

Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism.


Photo: The photos in this post were used with permission of Vicki Silver.

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Clara Clairborne Park

Autism Light #161 is Clara Clairborne Park.

Clara Clairbone Park is a mother of a girl with autism named Jessica Park. She was an author and an American English teacher. Clara Clairbone Park was born on August 19, 1923 and died on July 3, 2010 in a nursing home in Williamston, Massachusetts. Her obituary was written by the New York Times. Clara Clairbone Park is being made an Autism Light posthumously, because her writing made a difference for autism awareness during a very critical period of the history of autism. She will also be added to the Autism Light Memorial Roll.

Dr. Fred R. Volkmar, director of the Yale University Child Study Center said of Clara Clairbone Park:

She was one of the first parents who had the courage to share their story at a time when autism was poorly understood. Since she first published her book, wider recognition of autism and early diagnosis have led to new treatments and improved outcomes (Source).

The Siege: Clara Clairborne Park wrote her book called The Siege: The First Eight Years of an Autistic Child in 1967. The book is one of the first books by a parent of a child with autism and chronicles her journey to help her daughter Jessica who has autism to grow socially, emotionally, and intellectually. It is also one of the first books to refute the now debunked Refrigerator Mother theory of autism being caused by detached mothers.

Exiting Nirvana: The sequel to The Siege was Exiting Nirvana: A Daughter's Life with Autism and was published in 2001. The book tells the journey into adulthood of her daughter. Jessica Park has worked for years in the mailroom at Williams College and is also an artist who has her own website.

Education: Clara Clairborne Park graduated from the University of Michigan in 1949 with a Master's degree in English Literature.

English Professor: Clara Clairbone Park was on the faculty of Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts from 1975-1994.

Wikipedia: For more information on Clara Clairbone Park visit her Wikipedia Page.

Other Information: Other information on Clara Clairbone Park is available at these websites:

• Care2 Make a Difference
• Psychology Today Blog
• Out in Left Field Blog

Special thanks to Clara Clairborne Park for her contributions in her life to the cause to autism. May her memory continue to inspire us.

Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism.

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Victoria Boland

Autism Light #160 is Victoria Boland.

Victoria Boland with her partner Andrew Rudd

Victoria Boland is from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. She has lived in both Canada and Australia. In 2002, Victoria and her mother Viga Boland wrote the Autism Song, Don't Give Up on Me as an autism awareness song. Victoria Boland is an Autism Light for the way in which Don't Give Up on Me has brought awareness to autism.

At age 8 Victoria Boland started performing for audiences in her homeland of Australia. At the age of 15 she won two scholarships to Boston's Berklee College of Music. In 1999 Victoria Boland performed at a Shania Twain concert and in 2000, she produced her first music CD called All Woman Girl.  Victoria Boland sings pop rock and alternative music. She also performed at Queen Elizabeth's Golden Jubilee in 2002.  Additional information about her honors and experiences in music are at this link.

Although written in 2002, it took 3 years to raise funds to record Don't Give Up on Me (the Autism Song). It was recorded in 2005 and was officially released on April 30, 2006 for the Canadian National Autism Foundation. The story of how the song was commissioned is at this link. The following is the original video presentation of Victoria and Viga Boland's song Don't Give Up on Me.

 

The following is a live performance of Victoria Boland singing Don't Give Up on Me. 

The chorus to the song says, "You're the light in my dark, the current in my stream. my sun when it's raining and drowning all my dreams. Without you, I can't make it ... so don't give up on me. There's a whole lot of love inside the person you can't see (Source for Lyrics).


Websites: The following websites feature Victoria Boland's career.

• www.victoriaboland.com 
• www.andrewvictoria.com 
• www.autismsong.com

Social Media: You can follow Victoria Boland and her partner Andrew Rudd on the following social media areas:

• YouTube
• Facebook
• MySpace
• Twitter

Special thanks to Victoria Boland for raising awareness for autism in Canada through her music. It is an inspiration to see such a talented musician devote efforts to an autism song. 

Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism.

Photo: The photo in this post is used with permission of Viga Boland.

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Autism Light Receives 20,000 Views

Special Thanks to All Parents of Individuals with Autism.

The Autism Light blog reached 20,000 page views moments ago. This represents a lot of hope being spread around the world in just a little over 8 months time. We want to give a special shout out on this milestone to to a special group of people that are unsung heroes to autism. They are parents of children and adults with autism. In a very real sense it is this group of diverse parents who are day in and day out true Autism Lights. Behind every successful person with autism at one time in their life there was a caring and devoted parent or guardian.  Some specific parents (56 so far) have been publicly recognized as an Autism Light, but thousands of others work behind the scenes and are never recognized by others. They are a steady fan and support for their loved one with autism. They are the wind beneath the wings of those with autism.

So if you have autism thank your parents for their help. And if you care about the cause of autism then remember this weekend to appreciate all the autism parents who shine their light for Autism. As parents of those with autism often say, "Every Day is Autism Awareness Day in Our House."

A regret at Autism Light is that there are so many more parents we could mention specifically but have not been able to. We will work at telling as many more of their stories as we can in the future.  Autism Light thanks all the parents of those with autism for the work you do when the days are difficult and you struggle to put a positive face on the various challenges you encounter. Keep the light on.


Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism.


This Post went into syndication on Autisable.

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Michael Korins

Autism Light #159 is Michael Korins.

Michael Korins is a senior at Calhoun High School in Merrick, New York. Michael Korins has a wonderful talent in singing. He also has autism. Michael Korins is an Autism Light for sharing his musical talent with the world and serving as an inspiration to other individuals with autism who can also become musicians.

The following is a video from YouTube of Michael Korins singing When You Believe. This is also his audition tape for America's Got Talent 2012. Michael dedicated this song to his beloved Aunt Nora who passed away in December, 2009 from Breast Cancer. The video received many compliments and David Militello who was Autism Light #20 wrote a comment saying, "Michael, you are an amazing singer and an inspiration to so many. Keep on singing."

Recently a YouTube user named chabra08 left the following comment on this video.

That was soooo beautiful. It actually brought tears to my eyes. (I can barely see as I type this message.) I have a son with Asperger's Syndrome. He is incredibly talented, musically. He plays piano and he's really good. God bless Michael. I will be praying, but listening to him, he will do well because God has already blessed him with the gift of voice. God speed!

When you hear Michael Korins sing you have the sense that you are experiencing a special gift.  Michael Korins has a natural love for singing and he was inspired to pursue public singing by his role models James Durbin and Robbie Rosen. Both of these singers have experienced national success in their music and James Durbin also has autism.  Michael Korins is an advocate that involvement in music has tremendous value at any level for people with autism. He said, "Singing helps you to express yourself and get in touch with your feelings. These are things that are hard for people with autism, so singing helps."

Honors: Michael Korins has received the following honors:

• The Merrick Patch chose Michael Korins as a Whiz Kid in November, 2011. 
• Michael Korins was one of three students in his school district selected for the New York State School Music Association All-State Mixed Chorus.
• Michael Korins was the only autistic student ever in his high school to sing in the All State mixed chorus. 
• Michael Korins was chosen to sing in the All County Chorus.
• Michael Korins was inducted into the Tri-M Music Honor Society

Autism Light asked Michael Korins if he had any advice for other students with autism and their parents and he said:

For Students: Work hard at what you are really good at and try to get even better it. That will help you to focus and to better at the things that are hard for you. So many things are so hard for me to do, but because I am so good at singing, I feel better about myself and I work harder (Michael Korins).

For Parents:  Encourage your child to work hard at whatever they are good it. Help them to feel good about themselves (Michael Korins).

Social Media: You can follow Michael Korins on the following social media areas.

• Twitter
• YouTube

When he is not singing Michael Korins enjoys basketball, softball, swimming, and playing the piano. After he finished high school this year, Michael Korins plans to pursue his goal to be a singer while he works at gaining his independence as a young adult. Special thanks to Michael Korins for inspring other musicians with autism. We expect to hear amazing things in the future about Michael Korins.

Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism.


Photos: The photos in this post were used with permission of Michael Korins.

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Glenn Edwards

Autism Light #158 is Glenn Edwards.

Glenn Edwards is a 31 year old Camerman for 9 News in Melbourne, Australia. On February 27, 2012, he rescued Ryan Pham, a 7 year old Vietnamese boy with autism, who was lost near Kororoit Creek. Glenn Edwards is an Autism Light for rescuing Ryan Pham from a dangerous situation.

The following is a news video on Glenn Edwards rescuing Ryan Pham.



Ryan Pham had been missing for 16 hours. Glenn Edwards and reporter Rob Scott were covering the story with 9 News when the boy was spotted near the fast moving river called Kororoit Creek. Glenn Edwards described the rescue situation like this:

When I got to him I couldn't touch the bottom and we were up to our necks in water literally. It was freezing cold. I could feel his heart beating on my chest - he was so scared. The current was that strong it dragged us 30 metres down the creek. (Source).

Other news articles on this miraculous rescue can be found at the following links:

• From Oscars to Real Life Hero
• Nine News Crew Finds Missing Autistic Boy
• Cameraman Rescues Lost Autistic Boy
• Missing Springvale Boy Ryan Pham Found Safe and Well by Camerman

The user "johnsview" from Cawarral left the following comment on the 9 News video of Glenn Edwards rescuing Ryan Pham.

Watched this on the news and felt a great admiration for Glenn and his bravery. After years of seeing the media in a bad light Glenn has shown at least he is willing to put himself on the line for this kid. I hope he is recognized not just for his bravery but I guess he and his partner have scored a scoop and it should be recognised as an amazing story. Well done Glenn, you have probably restored many peoples faith in journalism with this act of courage.

Social Media: You can follow Glenn Edwards on Twitter.

Special thanks to Glenn Edwards for being an Autism Light. This story underscores the dangers that sometimes befall people with autism. It's positive outcome inspires us to not lose hope even in grim situations. One never knows when the opportunity will exist to become a hero to someone with autism.

Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism.

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