The Frist Center for Autism and Innovation at Vanderbilt will host a virtual discussion, “Autism and Disability Representation on Screen,” on Tuesday, March 30, at 10 a.m. CT. The event will be hosted on Zoom, and registration is not required.
The conversation will touch on the history of disability in the media and how autism specifically is portrayed. Topics will include who can play disabled characters, the “inspiring disabled person” trope and autistic criticisms of Sia’s recent move, “Music.” The event is a part of the center’s Autistics’ Roundtable Webinar series.
Discussion will be hosted and moderated by Claire Barnett, autistic and ADHD self-advocate. Panelists are Hari Srinivasan, autistic and non-speaking self-advocate at UC–Berkeley, and Christa Holmans, autistic and ADHD self-advocate and founder of neurodiversity lifestyle blog Neurodivergent Rebel.
The Frist Center for Autism and Innovation at the School of Engineering brings engineers, business scholars and disabilities researchers together with experts in neuroscience and education to understand, maximize and promote neurodiverse talent. The program received initial funding as a Vanderbilt Trans-Institutional Program and from a Howard Hughes Medical Institute prize awarded to Keivan Stassun, Stevenson Professor of physics, professor of computer science and current director of the Frist Center for Autism and Innovation. The center is permanently endowed with a generous gift from Jennifer and Billy Frist.
For questions about the event, email claire.barnett@vanderbilt.edu.