Hi,
I just jointed the disability research listserv yesterday. My name is
Scott Michael Robertson. I'm a Ph.D. Candidate in the College of
Information Sciences & Technology at the Pennsylvania State
University-University Park (main campus). I'm also an autistic person
and an active advocate in the disability and autistic/autism communities
here in the U.S. (I wanted to note that when I use autistic or autism
I'm referring to all people on the autism spectrum.)
I happened upon this listserv by chance when I was looking for worldwide
resources on disability studies both for myself and a friend, who is an
undergraduate student and looking to pursue graduate studies in
disability studies. In my own case, while I come originally from a
technology-focused background (my undergraduate degree is in computer
science), I have moved toward the social sciences and the intersection
of the social sciences and technology over the years.
In the last couple of years, I have found disability studies to be a
very welcoming academic home for me given my focal interests in
disability rights, disability advocacy, empowerment, disability culture,
assistive technology support, and the integration of the social model of
disability together with a more individualized perspective of
self-determination and self-advocacy.
My service work in the autistic/autism and disability communities has
included:
-teaching computer programming, writing, social skills, and digital
photography to autistic adolescents
-mentoring autistic adolescents
-leadership and advocacy work with several autism and disability
organizations (e.g. my work as vice president of the Autistic Self
Advocacy Network, an international autistic-run organization that is
expanding societal acceptance, community understanding, and support
resources for autistic persons across the spectrum; my work as a
co-investigator on the Academic Autistic Spectrum Partnership for
Research & Education, a community-based participatory research (CBPR)
project between autistic adults and academia)
-public speaking and presenting at conferences, schools, and
organizations throughout the U.S. (e.g. on employment, postsecondary
education transition, daily living, inclusion, bullying,
self-advocacy/self-determination, community-based participatory
research, etc.)
-research pursuits
-writing/blogging (at <http://neurodiversethinking.blogspot.com>) and
editing
As you can see, I'm somewhat of a polymath, though I suppose most
academics are to a degree. My passions/hobbies include computer and
electronic technologies, photography, creative writing, reading
fantasy/science fiction novels, videogaming, and sports (baseball,
hockey, football, tennis).
I look forward to meeting you all and hearing about your own backgrounds.
Thanks.
Regards,
Scott Michael Robertson
The Autistic Self Advocacy Network,
Vice President
<http://www.autisticadvocacy.org>
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The Pennsylvania State University,
College of Information Sciences & Technology,
Ph.D. Candidate in IST
http://www.ist.psu.edu
------------------------------------------------------------------
The Obama Campaign for America,
Pennsylvania Disability Outreach Team
<http://www.barackobama.com/issues/disabilities/>
------------------------------------------------------------------
The Autism Higher Education Foundation,
Scientific & Educational Advisory Board
<http://www.autismhighereducationfoundation.com>
------------------------------------------------------------------
The Academic Autistic Spectrum Partnership
for Research and Education (AASPIRE),
Co-Investigator
http://www.aaspireproject.org
-------------------------------------------------------------------
ASCEND Group,
The Asperger Syndrome Alliance for Greater Philly,
Board of Directors
<http://www.ascendgroup.org>
-------------------------------------------------------------------
________________End of message________________
This Disability-Research Discussion list is managed by the Centre for Disability Studies at the University of Leeds (www.leeds.ac.uk/disability-studies).
Enquiries about list administration should be sent to [log in to unmask]
Archives and tools are located at:
www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/disability-research.html
You can VIEW, POST, JOIN and LEAVE the list by logging in to this web page.
|