1. Sharing Your Stories: Advocacy Through Personal Storytelling Courtney Taylor Leisa Hammett Lacey Lyons 4th Annual Community Conference Autism: Life’s Transitions 2013

2. Workshop Outline Courtney Taylor How are personal stories acts of advocacy? Tennessee Kindred Stories of Disability Project Lacey Lyons (via video) A personal story (advocate perspective) Leisa Hammett A personal story (parent perspective) How to get over yourself and get out your story Writing Prompt! Sharing stories/ experience of sharing stories

3. Personal stories can: – Put a human face on a challenge or solution – Help others identify with a challenge or solution – Engage a listener’s heart, stir compassion-make us care – Move people to action to meet a challenge or contribute to a solution – Empower the storyteller and the listener-awareness, educate – Connect us

4. Tennessee Kindred Stories of Disability

5. Lacey Lyons-video

6. Writing Prompts Choose one of the questions below and try to write/speak for 15 minutes, telling your story. Don’t edit as you go. Just write/speak. 1.Describe a challenge you have faced in the area of education, health care, employment, or relationships. How did you work to overcome that challenge? 2.What is your vision for the future and why? How did you form these goals? 3.Describe your or your child’s personality. What would you want a stranger to know about you if you were advocating for yourself or your child?

7. Contact Information Courtney Taylor: courtney.taylor@vanderbilt.edu Leisa Hammett: lahammett@comcast.net