"Julia’s role on Sesame Street goes beyond her being an autistic girl...she represents what it means to be free to be yourself. " -Melissa

By Melissa Lushington, "Don't Cut Corners...Unless It's Cake" Blog Series - Slice #18 Last year, I wrote a blog post for June with a...

"To every mother that has struggled with raising their autistic child during the pandemic, I want you to know...you are highly valued..."

"If we are going to fully accept people with autism, we need to stop trying to erase people with autism." ~Melissa Lushington

"As an autistic community, this pandemic has especially been hard for many of us to change our schedules and readjust our daily lives..."

"I can not decide for you on whether or not you should take the vaccine, but what I can do is remind you that medicine is not perfect..."

One thing I feel optimistic about is the return of our in-person class sessions.

"A year later, and here I stand, no longer an intern, but rather a blogger as a regular staff member of the Verge of Independence Project."

As the holiday’s approach, how will you be thankful in spite of COVID-19?

After all, a stabilized routine is one of the many things that people on the spectrum are comfortable having.

"Don't Cut Corners...Unless It's Cake" Blog powered by the Verge of Independence Project each month serves up news and information along...

Finding the missing puzzle piece...Have you ever felt forgotten, invisible or that your autism made you a prisoner of your own body?

Lucky for us, there are stories about human kindness that reinforce the power of humanity...that kindness includes the autism community.

In a world where people still watch [TV]…relatable characters [need to] be the mirror to represent and reflect autism in a positive light.

"I can tell you that musical theater has the power to do wonders for the autism community."

"This blog post is for all our mothers who have always encouraged us to be anything we wanted to be despite our social disorders..."

“What you don’t hear enough of, is anyone giving advice on how they can protect themselves mentally during this pandemic crisis.”

“What the autism community needs isn’t a party, but a sense of urgency and true crisis." ~Kim Stagliano

You’re also not alone, and that’s important to know too. Like any other depression, there is a way to treat it.

In the past I’ve been told that I follow people around too often and I bother people too much by asking too many questions...