Category: Perspective/Insight
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Fostering Inclusion
Fostering Inclusion By Brandon Fredricks September 22, 2024 Years ago, I believed that those who opposed inclusion did so deliberately, perpetuating division. This perspective shaped my thinking for a long time, leading me to attribute cultural division solely to those who may not prioritize the dignity of others. However, my understanding of why ideological divides…
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Breathe, Do
Breathe, Do By Sandy Krause August 7, 2024 There’s a classic prayer in the Christian tradition called the Serenity Prayer: “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” It has been adopted by Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and…
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Majorie’s Tribe
Majorie’s Tribe By Marjorie May and posted 7/4/24, originally written for Unitarian Universalist Church West Dear Future UUCW, Thank you for being my very own personal Rainbow Connection. When I was a little girl, nearly a century ago, there was a man named Jim Henson who made puppets. Jim Henson’s Muppets became world famous, and…
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Communication Fail Lesson
Communication Fail Lesson By Sandy Krause April 5, 2024 Fault on Speaker Side Having been a communications director I’m supposed to know how to get a message understood. Yet, I failed spectacularly in my own home with my own daughter. I was sick. Feeling like walking death. The night before I’d taken the last of…
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Here I Am!
Here I Am! “By Sandy Krause March 11, 2024” Here I Am!!! A few weeks ago I volunteered in my church’s nursery. There was a happy toddler who wanted to play hide n’ seek there that day. This child would hide and when we finished counting would jump out and yell ‘here I am!’ running…
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Different is not Damaged
Different is not Damaged By Sandy Krause Sunday, I heard a message that had me crying in the pew, not from the preacher but from a church member sharing their story. This young person told of their family messages, leading them to internal devaluation to the point of suicidal thoughts. They were told they needed…
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No Means No
No Means No By Sandy Krause October 3, 2023 At a recent group meeting we had a discussion about saying ‘no’. It seems a simple topic. But it’s a tough action to take for so many of us. We live in a society that doesn’t respect boundaries. A few key points came out in our…
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Functioning Labels
Functioning Labels By Sandy Krause October 3, 2023 We are a species who likes to categorize things. Everything. Even people. Psychologists say it’s a basic desire to feel more control over our world. But it’s not helpful when the labels are applied to us humans. As an NT mom of tow ASD adults I am…
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Stimming: A Poem By Miranda Fischer
Stimming: A Poem By Miranda Fischer A great poem on stimming written by Miranda Fischer. They are autistic but let us not forget that NT’s stim too. Stimming provides self soothing, anxiety reduction, boredom relief, centering through movement. We stim to meet a need. If the stim is not causing harm let it be, respect…
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My First Job
My First Job By Brandon Fredricks August 14, 2023 Our identities control our lives. But do we control our identity? In some aspects, yes. Others are assigned to us at birth or by society later in life. In my youth, Asperger’s Syndrome had been assigned as part of my identity.The umbrella of autism spectrum disorder…
Wisconsin Autism Empowerment 