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Communication Breakdown: Hacking Autism Provides a Dose of Technology – Part I October 17, 2011Autism SpeaksLeave a commentGo to comments
John Scott Holman struggled with undiagnosed autism for nearly 25 years. His diagnosis has enabled him to embrace his individuality and move forward. He writes and speaks publicly about his life with autism, hoping to inspire greater understanding and acceptance. Visit his Facebook pagehere. “Communication Breakdown: Hacking Autism Provides a Dose of Technology” is a highly personal representation of an exciting event, and a rare and detailed glimpse into an autistic mind. Holman’s account is unprecedented in autism journalism. More than a simple, factual record, it is an artistic statement – one autistic interior on display. The situations and dialogue within this story are colored by the author’s heightened selfawareness – reality becomes a mirror to reflect the isolated inner world of autism. This world is rarely communicated to an audience. Holman offers autistic journalism, seen through the narrow lens of a pop-culture soaked imagination. This is journalism in technicolor. *Dedicated to my sister Kassidy, who would have been 16 years-old today. I hope that my writing makes her smile and laugh. I will never stop missing the sound of her laughter.
“I rode the BART here. I pushed the disability button and saved 75 cents!” Alex Plank, the 25 year-old founder ofwrongplanet.net, squinted thoughtfully behind his bottle cap glasses. “I wanna rent a car to take us to the event though,” he continued. “Who’s paying for it? We should get a limousine… or a Hummer!” Alex and I had flown to San Francisco to attend an autism hackathon. Hacking Autism aims to use free technology to give people with autism a voice. Teams of developers had been assembled for the hackathon, and would spend the day creating touch-enabled