The Californer - "#AutisticWhileBlack: Exploring Identity" Launches to Connect and Empower Black Autistic Adults

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SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Californer -- Autastic proudly announces the August 1st launch of "#AutisticWhileBlack: Exploring Identity". Each 6-week virtual experience connects and empowers Black adults, filling the services gap after learning they're autistic.

"There's been absolutely nothing out there for the millions of adults learning they're autistic in their twenties, thirties, fifties, and beyond. We're overlooked in research, in services and support, in policy, everywhere. I'm working to change that, starting with the Black community," says facilitator Diane J. Wright, the first Ford School Hawkins Family Disability Policy Fellow with the Center for Racial Justice at the University of Michigan and founder of Autastic.

Autastic provides resources and community to adult-identified autistic historically racialized and marginalized peoples (BIPOC). The "#AutisticWhileBlack: Exploring Identity" experience was developed in consultation with African American mental health professionals, community leaders, and input from Autastic's communities of over 15,000 late-identified autistic adults.

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The program is supported by funding from Jimmy Kimmel and Mark Rober's 2021 "Color The Spectrum" fundraiser which raised over 3 million dollars in partnership with NEXT for AUTISM as well as support from The Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN).

Key Highlights:

Developed by and for Black autistic adults: Developed with lived experience at its core, this program is facilitated and produced exclusively by Black autistic adults.
Culturally relevant resources: Offers rare resources and information specific to members of the African Diaspora.
Peer access: Reducing isolation and stigma by facilitating connection with peers inside The Autastic Community – a unique, private social network exclusively for adult-identified autistic people and focusing on BIPOC.
Fee-Free: Lowering barriers to resource and peer access, participation in "#AutisticWhileBlack: Exploring Identity" is offered at no cost. Program cycles will run until funding is depleted.

"#AutisticWhileBlack: Exploring Identity" offers structured activities and 90-minute live virtual group sessions as well as a private conversation space for socializing and working through course material. Participants gain resources, peer connections, and new perspectives on autistic life, along with an action plan for rebuilding neurodivergence-centered lives.

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Program Information & Registration:

At Autastic.com: https://www.autastic.com/autisticwhileblack-exploring-identity/

Join the Conversation:

Follow @WeAreAutastic and the #AutisticWhileBlack hashtag on social media to stay updated on community events and share your own stories and experiences.

About Autastic:

Autastic exists to educate, empower, and provide community for late-identified autistic adults, specifically for autistic people of colour. Created #ByUsForUs, Autastic stands as a pillar for autistic adults seeking to navigate their world with confidence and pride. Please discover more about our vision and join us at https://www.autastic.com.