Dad Inspired By His Autistic Son is Educating African Americans About Hidden Talents Within the Autism Community
Meet George D. Williams, MS, an Adult Autism expert and author from Denver, Colorado, whose experience with his son, Nathan, has inspired him to educate others about the hidden talents that autistic people have. In his new book, Mount Up With Wings, he explores the need to integrate autistic talent into mainstream society and teach others how to live and work with the autism community.
George comments, “Adults on the spectrum face obstacles across the entire lifespan. We can not achieve full inclusion until the needs of African Americans and other minorities with autism are included in the broader narrative.”
George also says that there is a quiet transition taking place as approximately 50,000 teens with autism move to adulthood each year. In recent years, the burgeoning adult autistic population has created unprecedented challenges for countries worldwide. The four primary areas of concern related to autistic adults are employment, housing, health care, and financial planning. Due to a combination of factors, many adults with autism have struggled with adapting to daily activities in society.
He comments, “We have a group of uniquely talented adults who simply don’t fit into a world not designed to accommodate those with neurological differences.”
According to autism author and animal behaviorist, Temple Grandin, “By cultivating the autistic mind on a brain-by-brain, strength-by-strength basis, we can reconceive autistic teens and adults in jobs and internships not as charity cases but as valuable, even essential, contributors to society.”
George continues, “Ultimately, we all share the responsibility of embracing autistic adults along the journey to equality. It will take a collaborative effort from the global community to implement the changes needed to reach inclusivity in the purest sense. The urgency to make this happen is upon us now as the plight of future generations depends on the decisions we make today.”
About
George D. Williams currently lives in Denver, Colorado, and is committed to the needs of autistic adults serving as an author and speaker. He is a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University. His new book, Mount Up With Wings, is available on Amazon and at Barnes & Noble in print and digital formats. For additional information, please visit AdultAutism2.com
(Editor’s Note: This story first appeared in Black News.)
