The 2018 Special Olympics USA Games has united individuals from all over the country to demonstrate their remarkable athletic gifts. Two Washington state Special Olympic athletes, Colleen Bryant and Andy Bryant (not related), have made history by being the first Special Olympians to sign with a sponsor. Brooks, a Seattle-based shoe company, has given the two runners a sponsorship that not only includes running gear, but also access to elite coaching instructors, nutritionists and physical therapists. In February, Colleen and Andy joined the Brooks Beasts, an elite running group also sponsored by Brooks, at an altitude training camp. Spending time with this group of professional athletes not only helped Colleen and Andy become prepared for competition, but gave them a sense of inclusion and belonging in a group of talented individuals — showing that when it comes to running, they are on equal ground with their peers.

A Brooks representative stated that their sponsorship of Andy and Colleen is not a symbolic gesture; they expected Andy and Colleen to win their events at the USA games this week in Seattle.  And win they did! Colleen won gold in the women’s 5000m race and is scheduled to run again today. Andy won gold in the men’s 3,000m race and bronze in the 10,000m race. Way to go – you are our heroes!!

Last week, the Huffington Post published a list of children’s books that feature characters on the autism spectrum and discuss issues related to autism. All of the books on the compiled list promote understanding and acceptance from the perspective of characters with autism as well as their neurotypical siblings and peers. Some are even authored by individuals on the spectrum. What a positive way to increase the representation of autism in the media! For more information, click here.

The University of Washington is taking part in a national initiative called Project SEARCH, which provides people on the autism spectrum with training on the skills necessary for a full-time job. READi Lab collaborator Jill Locke, Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, is the UW contact for this innovative pilot program. The program offers a one-year unpaid, part-time internship in which participants are matched with an on-campus job, where they are trained on skills such as multi-tasking, teamwork, and taking conversational cues. It launched on the east coast in 2016, and expanded to the UW in 2017. UW was selected because of support from the university and its partners, and for its proximity to Microsoft and other large tech companies who also have autism-hiring programs. Currently, there are seven participants who are finishing up the last quarter of the experience. The interns have been assigned to many jobs, anywhere from checking out camera equipment to maintenance to retrieving golf balls from the UW driving range. Click here to read more about this exciting program!