Paula C. Durbin-Westby ~ Autism Acceptance Day/Month

Guest-hosts Dana Commandatore of Rethinking Autism and Self-Advocate, Tammy Klein welcome Paula C. Durbin Westby. Ms. Durbin-Westby is an autistic and disability rights activist. She promotes the concept of neurodiversity, with practical applications for people’s lives. 

In 2011 she started Autism Acceptance Day as a response to Autistics, parents, and community members who were offended by alarmist “awareness” rhetoric. 

Ms. Durbin-Westby has testified at numerous Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) meetings, calling for research into supports and services throughout the lifespan, urging NIMH to include autistic individuals as full partners in research projects. She has presented to the IACC on ethical concerns in autism research, and participated in the IACC’s Scientific Workshop in 2009. In September 2011, she participated in NIH’s workshop on Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications of Autism Research. . She is currently on the External Advisory Committee for the Lewin Group/NIH study of health outcomes in children with autism. 

Ms. Durbin-Westby has given presentations on a number of topics, at Autreat, at college classes and various conferences. 

Show times are 9:00AM PST, 10:00AM MST, 11:00AM CST, 12:00 EST. If you are outside the USA you can calculate broadcast times in your area at the meeting planner.