Really Radiant Days Are Ahead

Dear Beloved Readers,

I am really excited that I am now receiving services at Champlain Community Services (CCS). It is a great move for me and I think this agency is going to benefit as well. I guess this sounds a bit presumptuous but I have been waiting a long time to get my life moving forward so giving myself this big praise feels healthy.

I have some cool things to announce.

On October 22 I presented a workshop for APSE; the Association for People Supporting Employment. This national organization has a chapter in Vermont which is chaired by Michelle Paya. Michelle created the Supported Self-Employment Program at CCS which I'll use to move forward with Utter Communication Strategies

I really enjoyed having the opportunity to talk with people about having people with disabilities out in the work force. I opened with this remark.

I am Mark Utter.

I have a disability and I need assistance for many things in my life such as typing the thoughts I can’t say and prompts for my body which has a mind of its own.

I hold the esteemed history of working as a dishwasher at Sodexo for 15 years.

This makes a lot of people happy and I have to admit that I am dearly beloved there though I don’t feel people know I am much more than so many people see me as.

This is something I want to change so I am really glad I am here to have a conversation with you.

I made a movie about my life a few years ago.

In it I show my life and things I wanted to give my inside scoop on.

I did a scathing critique on a yearly award ceremony that was fictional but believable.

I want to share that and then I will ask a few questions and well see what happens next.

Here is how I addressed them afterwards.

I think what you do is awesome and the special ways we fit into the work force is the way to go to welcome our form of diversity into the mainstream of life. I know many of you strive to make interesting and meaningful good employment places.

I want to hear a few comments about what this scene feels like.

The scene totally hit home with them in a good way.

I loved all that they said.

I ended with this hopeful comment.

I am dearly hopeful about all our work endeavors and wish us all the best growing we need to do it and dearly look forward to our assured success my dear friends, colleagues and coworkers.

Really great that I had that chance.

I dearly look forward to all I am going to do here at CCS.

Fondly,

Mark

The Dear Worker for Change

Reaching Up Through Key and Letter Boards to a Brighter Life

Dear Beloved Blog Readers,

Good autumn wonders are all around us.

You must be thinking I forgot you since it has been a while.

I am going to tell you a bit about my trip to the AutCom conference I attended last month in Manchester, New Hampshire. I so enjoyed hanging out with other autistic minded folks. I was excited about the address I gave my workshop participants. They asked me great questions about my gaining experience typing.

Here are my answers for some:

Q- When did you start using FC?

M- It was not really so much a start as much as a very slow rolling ball started down the path to communication.

Q- How did your life change when you created your movie?

M- I was outed as an intelligent man.

Q- I can imagine it was nerve wracking to share your artistic work with others.  Did you have to overcome some anxiety about doing that?

M- I was so needing this change and the whole long many-year process bringing the movie to life very much rose over any artistic anxiety.

Q- Do you feel like you have like-minded friends and when did you get them?

M- Oh what a smart wise question, Graciela, I don’t think I had like-minded friends when I was your age but through my movie I gained my first friends both autistic and not.

Oh, Graciela is a fine thinker and shares the big communication impasse I do. We can’t share the thoughts rolling through our big minds with our voices. We need access to typing and methods that control our focus so we can select the letters we want and build logical, beautiful sentences. I am pleased to let you know that Graciela has joyfully stepped into the limelight with her blog, www.daretolisten.org. Love for you to check it out and convince her to write more.

I want to thank you for having fortunate moments to check out lost minds yearning for connection.

Hope to be in touch soon with more happy reports.

Fondly,

Mark

The Sailor of Hopeful Dear Seas

Twenty Five Years of Doors Opening

Dear Beloved Blog Readers,

I am really excited that our dreary days ahead shall ring with new energy. I not only say this to cheer us joyfully forward but also to say that I am in an upward spiral.

I am fully aware that I can see more clearly a lovely picture of success. I know there will be a lot of adjustments to work with and the work will assist my work to advocate for the life I want.

I am so ready for a great conference that is coming up this month. It’s AutCom’s 25th Anniversary Conference. Its tag line is “Human Rights For All.”

I’m excited to share a bit of the history from the conference issue of The Communicator; A Publication of the Autism National Committee:

AutCom Shares a Birthday and an Anniversary

In July of 1990 both AutCom and the Americans with Disability Act (ADA) were born.  ADA was signed into law as a response to the lack of access and opportunity for people with disabilities, and AutCom was founded because there was no voice for autistic individuals to protect them from the pain and humiliation being inflicted on them by programs that were supposed to protect and serve them.  Both movements sought justice for both work remains to be done.

I am honored to be presenting and you’ll read more about my workshop in a future blog posting.

Brian, Emily and I will go and we’ll get to hang out with our favorite Autistic friends.

Joyful I hope you are, dear friends.

Let us move forward with the real trust we can design and refine the lives we want.

I dare you to do it.

Very fondly,

Mark

The Same Guy, More Happy