Welcome to Emily Explains Autism! My name is Emily Beasley and I am an Autistic adult. I received my official Autism diagnosis in 2017 at the age of 19.
At 15 years old, I started volunteering at Camp T.A.L.K, a summer camp for Autistic kids, as a peer mentor and 3 years later, a group leader. While in high school, I worked with students in special education. I assisted them during class time and in preparing for the Special Olympics.
After high school, I started college. I worked a few part time jobs while in school before starting a tutoring business. My tutoring business focused on working with students with disabilities, specifically Autism.
In 2018, I started working for a local disability non-profit called Able SC. Able SC provides free services to people with disabilities in the state of South Carolina. When first hired, I oversaw their young adults program. I have now transitioned to working with young adults one-on-one. In May of 2019, I obtained my Bachelor’s in Business Administration with a minor in Management from the University of South Carolina. In August 2022, I graduated from the University of South Carolina with a Master’s in Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling.
Currently, I am working on becoming a licensed professional counselor associate. However, now for the answer to the big question of why did I choose to blog? I noticed that there are a ton of resources related to Autism in South Carolina. BUT, a lot of access to resources stop at age 11 or 18 or 21. Meaning, there is little to no resources for Autistic adults. That is my passion- Autistic adults. The main focus of this blog is to get awareness, information, and resources to this specific demographic.
I love to talk about Autism. If you have questions or want to chat, contact me at emilyexplainsautism@gmail.com.
Presentations
June 2022
Self-Advocacy Panel at Equip Leadership Group Summer Series, Columbia, SC
I spoke about the importance of disabled people advocating for their needs, including examples from my personal experience self-advocating.
November 2021
Transition Presentation at Partner in Policy Making through the Developmental Disabilities Council, Columbia, SC
I spoke on the youth transition process and resources at Able SC.
February 2020
Women with Autism Panel at the Savannah Autism Conference, Savannah, GA
I spoke about living as an Autistic woman and the intersection of gender and disability.
February 2020
Making Church Accessible for People with Autism Presentation with local Pastors, Lexington, SC
I taught local pastors about how to make their sermons and services accessible to Autistic people and how to best engage the Autistic community.
November 2019
Transition Presentation at Partner in Policy Making through the Developmental Disabilities Council, Columbia, SC
I spoke on the youth transition process and resources at Able SC.
September 2019
Accommodation for Students with Autism at Trident Technical College, Charleston, SC
I taught professors and school administrators about accommodations for Autistic students.
August 2019
Young Adult Perspectives Panel at the Juvenile Arthritis Conference through the Arthritis Foundation, Minneapolis, MN
I spoke on what it is like to live with arthritis and how that impacted my transition process from childhood to adulthood.
June 2019
Unpacking Approaches to Programs and Services for People with Disabilities at the Cultural and Linguistic Competency Summit, Columbia, SC
I spoke on the differences between the social, medical, and charity models of disability, identifying mainstream media practices that paint people with disabilities in harmful ways and specific approaches to providing services to people with disabilities.
March 2019
Accommodation for Students with Autism at Trident Technical College, Charleston, SC
I taught professors and school administrators about accommodations for Autistic students.
Monthly in 2019
Autism Training for Columbia Police Department, Columbia, SC
I discussed strategies for working and communicating with individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, characteristics of individuals with I/DD, and tools for providing reasonable accommodations for communication and interaction.
November 2018
Transition Presentation at Partner in Policy Making through the Developmental Disabilities Council, Columbia, SC
I spoke on the youth transition process and resources at Able SC.
November 2018
Psychiatric Disabilities Panel at Columbia College, Columbia, SC
I gave information to students about psychiatric disabilities, disability pride and providing resources for college students with disabilities.
October 2018
Equipping Youth For Advocacy Presentation at APRIL Conference, Denver, CO
I taught on current issues in the disability community and assisted youth with disabilities in developing a plan of action for their advocacy goals.
November 2018
Department of Education Autism Conference Presentation and Panel, Columbia, SC
I taught on the predictors of post-school success for Autistic students.
June 2018
Youth Transition Presentation at Camp T.A.L.K., Lexington, SC
I spoke to parents of Autistic children about youth transition, covering topics such as self-advocacy, education, employment, health care, sexuality, etc.
May 2018
Intelligent Lives Panel, Columbia, SC
I participated in a panel discussion on Dan Habib’s short films, and spoke about my personal experience as a person with a disability.
April 2018
College Success Tools Presentation at York Technical College, York, SC
I taught the steps for self-advocacy, and the importance of leading one’s own IEP meeting and knowing about one’s own disability and accommodations to students with disabilities.
January 2018
Free to Be Me Presentation, Florence, SC
I taught SMART goals, self-advocacy, communication, and supportive decision making to students with disabilities.
Groups
August 2021 to August 2022
Empower Hour Peer Support Group at Able SC, virtually
I assisted with the facilitation of the bi-weekly adults with disabilities peer support group.
November 2021
Social Skills Gaming Group at Able SC, virtually
I taught middle and high school students with disabilities basic social skills utilizing games.
October 2021
Social Skills Gaming Group at Able SC, virtually
I taught middle and high school students with disabilities basic social skills utilizing games.
March 2021
Social Skills Gaming Group at Able SC, virtually
I taught middle and high school students with disabilities basic social skills utilizing games.
June 2019 to July 2019
Midlands Social Skills Group, Lexington, SC
I facilitated a 10 week social skills group using the PEERS® for Adolescents curriculum to a group of middle schoolers.
Council Positions
2021 to Present
South Carolina Advisory Council for Educating Students with Disabilities (ACESD)
Transition and Self Advocacy Committee Member
2018 to 2020
South Carolina Advisory Council for Educating Students with Disabilities (ACESD)
Safe Schools Committee Member
2019 to 2020
City of Columbia Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC)
Committee Member
2018 to 2019
Associations of Programs for Rural Independent Living (APRIL) Advocacy Committee
Committee Member
2018 to 2019
Associations of Programs for Rural Independent Living (APRIL) Youth Advocacy Committee
Committee Member
2018 to 2019
South Carolina State Coalition for Youth Empowerment and Access (SC YEA)
Committee Member
2018 to 2019
South Carolina Disability Employment Coalition (SCDEC)
Committee Member