



Make The
VIP Connection

Welcome to the Verge of Independence Project: Multimedia Autism Advocacy (VIP), a Neurodiversity Culture that uses multimedia to promote the independence, self-advocacy, and social confidence of autistic adults aged 18+!
"Did you know that nearly 800,000 young adults in the U.S. identify as an autistic person or a person with autism?" Click on the
About Autism, a page to learn more about autism and resources.
Established in 2009, the VIP community supports adult individuals on the spectrum in discovering that Connections Matter. You, too, can make the connection by exploring this resourceful site.

Passport to Independence

travel
Christian Tart, who is now 36 and autistic, started traveling with his mother, Anita Tart-Paschal, when he was just 19 months old. His mother says that careful planning and preparation were key to finding ways to handle the challenges of traveling with her neurodivergent son. By working through those challenges, Christian learned to enjoy trips to places like Jamaica, Florida, the Bahamas, Washington, D.C., Cozumel, Mexico, New York, Ohio, Atlanta, South Carolina, the Yucatán Peninsula, and Nassau. For him, travel has become a path to independence.
New
NEws
Article

Tap into the VIP zone, where you can focus on empowering platforms that support and lead to gaining independence.

VIP News Articles
& Blogs
written by the
award-winning
collegiate journalist
Melissa Lushington
Eva Blackwell Holli Stephens/KYW Newsradio
(CLICK ON IMAGE ABOVE TO READ AND LISTEN TO THE MICRO-INTERVIEW)
click on the image for the full article
VIP Zone
Step into the empowerment zone ...

Hey Millennials and Gen Z, With a pulse on what it takes for one to transition into adulthood, VIP focuses on the following empowerment platforms:
Pictured: Center - Dr. Temple Grandin with Verge of Independence Project founders
-
Voting – It’s a privilege which some are not aware they have. Once registered and participating in the voting process, it empowers you to advocate for yourself. Also, voting can be the key in supporting your quality of life. To learn more about voting from registering to checking on your registration to seeing what's on your local ballot click on vote.org.
-
Health and Wellness/Therapy – As impaired communication is the common thread of people on the autism spectrum, therapy is essential in developing one’s ability to communicate effectively.
-
Work – Explore jobs/careers that provide diversity and inclusion and create mutual benefit for both you and your employer. Congress designated each October as National Disability Employment Awareness Month.
-
Education – Learn about preparations for postsecondary education as well as other options for learning differently. Check out these scholarships that you might qualify for: Scholarships for students with ASD.
-
Socialization – Everyone deserves to be happy! And, according to Dr. Temple Grandin, an animal scientist and author who is on the autism spectrum, “The happiest people on the spectrum socialize with others who have some shared interests.”

VIP ZONE Podcast - Episode 1 on Rules of the Red Rubber Ball
In seeking solutions to many of the problems that are unique to people on the spectrum, VIP is committed to presenting webcast and podcast interviews, featuring influential thought leaders. These interviews will be posted here on the VIP Zone page.
We invite you to listen to the exciting podcast interview with Kevin Carroll, author of his bestselling Rules of the Red Rubber Ball. The high-energy Carroll talks about finding and sustaining one's life's work and the development of one's independence. Overall, he encourages listeners to claim, nurture, and live out their dreams!







