Diversity & Equity Newsletter

Be sure to click on the icon titles above to learn more about each topic!

Autistic Pride Day, celebrated annually on June 18th, is a day for celebrating Autistic identity and the contributions Autistic people make on the global community.

It is a day for celebrating the differences that make us who we are. Autistic Pride Day is also a fantastic opportunity to raise awareness around fostering an environment where Autistic people can express themselves freely, without worrying about judgement, exclusion, or needing to "mask" to fit in.

Each year, AutisticPrideDay.org chooses a theme to focus on. This years theme is "Taking the Mask Off!"

"Taking the Mask Off" is a theme chosen to encourage authenticity of Autistic people and highlights the importance of embracing your own natural behaviors, preferences, and ways of interacting with the world. "Masking" is the act of suppressing autistic traits to fit into the societal "norm," and can often lead to poor mental health, anxiety, exhaustion, and a loss of self-identity and understanding.

Using this theme, we as a community can help to raise awareness and create a society that accepts and celebrates neurodiversity!

Neurodiversity Möbius: The rainbow infinity symbol is the symbol for Neurodiversity. This symbol represents the infinite potential and diversity of our community, reflecting the unique strengths and qualities of each neurodivergent individual. Neurodiversity is the idea that no two brains are same and that difference doesn't make the brain wrong or broken. Your neurotype (whether you are Autistic, neurotypical, or otherwise neurodivergent) is a part of you!

Golden Infinity: The golden infinity symbol is the symbol used by Autistic self-advocates to represent just autism, as opposed to the Neurodiversity Möbius which encompasses the entirety of neurodiversity. Gold is used as the color to represent the inherent value and worth of Autistic individuals. Gold on the periodic table is symbolized by "AU" as well, which are the first two letters in autism.

• Connect with the Autistic community! Find Autistic self-advocates online to learn more about autism directly from people on the spectrum.
• Buy from Autistic-owned businesses!
• Amplify Autistic voices! Do you know someone on the spectrum with something to say? Share their wisdom on social media or in your community.
• Support Autistic creators! There are thousands of Autistic musicians, artists, creatives, YouTubers, and more online. Check some of them out!
• Encourage your community to be more accepting and knowledgeable about autistic traits, such as stimming! A more accepting society makes it easier and more enjoyable to be out and about.
• Explore what an Autistic identity could mean to someone on the spectrum. A sense of self-identity is integral to self-understanding, self-expression, and self-love!

Juneteenth, also occasionally called Freedom Day or Liberation Day, is often celebrated with the classics of American celebration: parades, barbecues, music, family reunions, park parties, and fireworks.

Juneteenth was officially recognized as a federal holiday in 2021, after passing a unanimous vote in Congress on June 15 of the same year. A day later, the House passed the legislation in a 415-14 vote. Since then, all 50 states and Washington D.C. have recognized Juneteenth as a legal holiday or observance. Texas was the first state to recognize Juneteenth as a legal holiday in 1980. South Dakota was the last state to recognize Juneteenth, finally doing so in February of 2022. Currently, at least 22 states and D.C. have marked Juneteenth as a permanent paid/legal holiday and all federal government offices, banks, courts, post offices, schools, and financial markets are closed.

L - Lesbian

G - Gay

B - Bisexual/Bigender

T - Transgender

Q - Queer/Questioning

I - Intersex

A - Asexual/Aromantic/Agender

+ - and the many other terms LGBT+ people use to describe their experiences & identities!

An umbrella term is a word used to encompass a range of ideas from a common category.

For example, Transgender is an umbrella term that encompasses multiple gender identities:

• Transgender Woman
• Transgender Man
• Nonbinary Person
• Genderqueer Person
• Agender Person
• Genderfluid Person
• Demigender Person
• and more!

Umbrella terms are often used in the LGBT+ community, as there are hundreds of identities that can intersect in various ways.

Check out the Diversity Terminology & Language Glossary, linked below, for more information regarding these identities.

Pride Month is recognized to honor the achievements and contributions of LGBTQIA+ people, and to pay homage to the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in NYC. The Stonewall Uprising is considered to be a tipping point for the Gay Liberation Movement, and LGBT rights in general, in the United States.

Pride Month is an important time to continue to raise awareness, celebrate diversity, and fight for equity in our communities. During Pride month, memorials are held to honor and mourn those community members lost to hate crimes, and HIV/AIDS, and other situations. Workshops, webinars, talent shows, concerts, parties, and more are planned to further encourage learning and making connections!

This spring, our students and staff participated in a service project supporting Lucky Pups Dog Rescue, an independently run rescue specializing in small dogs and puppies. We created small fleece tie-blankets and peanut-free pumpkin dog treats! Our fantastic and talented students participated in the following activities:

• Choosing the fabric designs (2 patterns per blanket)
• Matching the fabric together to create 15 one of a kind blankets
• Tying together all of the blankets
• Decorating boxes to deliver the items in
• Baking treats in press-in bone and paw print molds
• Creating informational tags for the blankets
• Creating labels for the treats with ingredient information
• Packaging the treats into portioned bags and labelling them
• Affixing tags to the blankets
• Folding the blankets
• And more!

• A Day With No Words - Book Recommendation about a Nonspeaking Autistic Boy
• Trans* FAQ - Trans Empowerment Project
• Eastern PA Trans Equity Project - PATransEquity.org
  
• LGBTQIA Resource Page - PA Autism
• Supporting LGBTQ+ People with I/DD - ElevatusTraining.com
  
• Helen Keller - Perkins School for the Blind

About Us

Email: Ev.Smith@AStepUpAcademy.org
Website: www.AStepUpAcademy.org/Diversity-Equity-Inclusion
Location: 520 Meetinghouse Road, Jenkintown, PA, USA
Phone: 215-885-1075